I wish that more companies wanted to do this, as that is the first step. If women are in a culture of toxic masculine control the war can be lost before the first battle is waged. For those companies smart enough to understand the balancing of energies and culture, the increase in innovation, the bottom line positive impact, the most effective strategy I can offer is to gather women from all levels of the company and ask this question of THEM. We have to stop giving men the opportunity of determining what is best for women because they simply do not know. It's like the famous Iceberg of Ignorance. Those at the bottom can see all the way up, but those at the top can't see more than 5% of the way down. And women have always been at the bottom professionally and personally, which has traditionally rendered us mute and self-punishing as a way of "fitting in" and keeping our jobs. So, begin to treat the women in your company with the openness and respectful curiosity for their wisdom that they deserve to be met with, and stop dictating what is good for them. They know, and they would love to tell you. And together you can create something that will work for them and for the company, and that will benefit not just every goal but give employees all up and down the line the opportunity to truly contribute, which gives them the fulfillment, and gives the company their loyalty.
One strategy that's made a lasting impact in our company is pairing rising female employees with mentors across departments not just in their direct role because it builds confidence, expands their visibility, and helps them grow beyond the job they were hired for. A few years ago, one of our most talented hires was a young engineer named Mei. She was the only woman on our product design team. She's technically sharp, but often quiet in meetings. I noticed she had strong ideas, but rarely voiced them unless asked directly. Instead of just offering encouragement, we paired her with a senior manager in logistics. Different department, but someone who had experience speaking up, navigating internal politics, and mentoring young talent. Over 6 months, Mei started taking more lead in design reviews and even presented in front of our overseas clients. Today, she heads one of our R&D lines. That growth didn't come from a workshop or a one-time initiative but from day-to-day support, exposure to decision-making, and direct access to someone who believed in her potential. When you give women broader mentorship and real leadership opportunities early, you stop limiting them to the job title they started with. You help them grow into roles that shift the culture around them.
One strategy I've seen work well is creating direct access to decision-makers through recurring leadership roundtables. Instead of generic mentorship, this gives women in the company a seat at the table—literally—with those shaping strategy and promotions. It's effective because visibility matters. When women contribute in those settings, it challenges outdated assumptions and accelerates internal advocacy. At a previous agency, we saw multiple women rise into senior roles after participating, not because of a program checkbox, but because leadership started seeing them as strategic partners, not just team members.