How to make leadership development programmes work for women

Editorial verdict

Opinion-driven commentary with limited empirical grounding — the argument is coherent and the framing is sympathetic, but the absence of cited evidence or data makes the recommendations difficult to evaluate objectively.

Executive summary

This article addresses a persistent gap between organisational investment in women's leadership development programmes and actual outcomes, including burnout, attrition, and disengagement among women in leadership roles. The author argues that most leadership development programmes are designed around assumptions of consistent output and availability that fail to account for the compounded, gendered pressures women navigate — including physiological factors such as hormonal cycles and menopause, as well as disproportionate invisible labour described as the 'mother load.' The author contends that programmes focusing predominantly on confidence, communication, and visibility implicitly place the burden of adaptation on women rather than addressing structural misalignment. Key illustrative points include the observation that mid-to-senior women with greater experience are increasingly choosing to exit organisations rather than adapt to unsustainable environments. The article concludes that effective leadership development requires broadening definitions of performance to encompass energy management and recovery, incorporating practical tools for self-regulation and boundary-setting, and critically examining whether organisational cultures reward overwork. The implications centre on a systemic, whole-person reorientation of leadership development rather than incremental skill-building additions.