Every year, International Women’s Day arrives with a familiar rhythm. Social media is filled with inspirational quotes, organisations highlight successful women, and companies publish statements about empowerment and progress. Some of it’s meaningful, but at times it becomes predictable.
The reality is that businesses should be using this not as a chance to push out a slogan or campaign but as a chance to consider what their own company is doing to support women and explore the bigger question of what inclusive leadership looks like in practice.
In this piece, Anthony Sutton, Managing Director of consultancy Cream HR, explores the notion that while most organisations have good intentions, they do not lack them. What they struggle with is translating those intentions into everyday behaviour.
The Gap Between Intent and Reality
There has undoubtedly been progress in gender representation over the past decade. Yet the numbers still tell a clear story.
The 2025 Grant Thornton Women in Business report showed that globally, women hold only around 34% of senior leadership roles, and the pace of change suggests that true parity could still be years away. At the same time, many organisations recruit women into entry-level roles at equal or higher rates than men.
Proving that the challenge is not just attracting talent but ensuring that people have equal opportunity to progress. In many workplaces, the barriers are not explicit policies or deliberate exclusion but are more likely to be patterns that develop gradually in the form of whose ideas are amplified, who is trusted with responsibility, and who receives informal sponsorship from senior leaders. Inclusive leadership begins by noticing those patterns.
The Everyday Signals That Shape Culture
Business leaders should be looking at patterns that may be happening every single day unchecked, such as;
Who gets interrupted in meetings?
Whose suggestions are credited?
Who is described as “confident,” and who is labelled “difficult”?
Who is offered stretch opportunities that lead to promotion?
These moments might seem minor in isolation, but over time they influence visibility, confidence and career progression.
Inclusive leaders understand that fairness is not only about policy. It is about attention. They notice who is speaking, who is being overlooked, and where assumptions might be shaping decisions.
Something as simple as ensuring everyone has space to contribute in meetings can shift the dynamic of a team. Consistently recognising contributions can change who is seen as a leader. Clear and transparent promotion criteria can reduce bias that often operates unconsciously.
These actions are not dramatic, but they are powerful.
Listening Without Defensiveness
Conversations about gender at work can sometimes stall because they make people uncomfortable. Leaders may worry about saying the wrong thing or being perceived as part of the problem. As a result, discussions sometimes become too cautious or are avoided entirely.
To avoid this and be inclusive, leaders need a Mindshift that is one of curiosity rather than defensiveness.
When leaders hear employees talk about barriers they have experienced, the instinct can be to immediately explain or justify existing systems; in reality, the most valuable response is to listen and look for patterns.
That does not mean every experience represents a systemic issue. But when similar themes appear repeatedly, they provide important insight into how workplace culture is operating.
Organisations that create space for honest feedback, through listening, surveys or open conversations, are far more likely to identify practical improvements.
Rethinking What Leadership Looks Like
Another barrier to inclusion can be the way leadership itself is defined. Historically, many organisations have rewarded a narrow set of traits: visibility, certainty, decisiveness and constant availability. While these qualities can be valuable, they do not represent the full picture of effective leadership.
Today’s workplaces increasingly rely on collaboration, empathy, adaptability and strong communication. When organisations broaden their definition of leadership, they often discover talent that might otherwise have been overlooked. Some of the most effective leaders are those who build trust within teams, create feelings of safety, and make thoughtful decisions rather than the loudest ones in the room. This shift benefits everyone, not just women.
International Women’s Day provides a useful prompt for organisations to ask whether their leadership models reflect the realities of modern work.
The Role of Senior Leaders
Having an inclusive workplace culture rarely happens by accidents, they are normally shaped by the behaviours that the leaders demonstrate every day. Employees notice what leadership teams prioritise. If inclusion is discussed publicly but ignored in recruitment, promotions or decision-making, trust erodes quickly.
Leaders who successfully build inclusive organisations tend to focus on consistent, practical actions. They examine promotion data and pay gaps, sponsor high-potential employees from underrepresented groups, and challenge assumptions when they appear.
These actions signal that inclusion is not simply an HR initiative. It is part of leadership itself.
Why It Matters for Organisations
Gender inclusion is sometimes framed primarily as a fairness issue. While fairness should be reason enough, there is also a clear organisational advantage. Workplaces that draw on diverse perspectives tend to make stronger decisions, identify risks earlier and better understand the people they serve. Employees who feel valued are also more engaged and more likely to stay.
There is also a generational shift underway. Increasingly, talented professionals expect organisations to demonstrate thoughtful leadership and inclusive cultures. Companies that fail to evolve risk falling behind in attracting and retaining talent. Inclusive leadership isn’t a nice-to-have, it should be at the core of business.
Inclusive leadership is no longer a “nice to have.” It is a core leadership capability.
A More Meaningful Way to Mark the Day
To conclude, International Women’s Day does not need more statements of support. What it needs is reflection.
This could start with organisations asking a few important questions like:
- Who is progressing within our organisation, and who isn’t?
- Whose voices influence decisions?
- Do our leadership behaviours match our stated values?
The answers that come out of this might not always be comfortable, but they can make a huge difference, because the most meaningful way to recognise International Women’s Day is not through a campaign or a social media post, but through leaders taking the time to examine their organisations honestly, and choosing to lead in a way that includes more people.
