International Women’s Day is March 8, and this year’s theme is “Give to Gain”—a reminder that when we invest in other women, we all rise. It’s a message that resonates deeply with me. The most successful women don’t just focus on their own advancement. They lift as they climb. And in doing so, they gain more than they give.
Before we can give to others, though, we have to invest in ourselves. You can’t pour from an empty cup. So as you read through these six practices, I want you to think about them from two angles. First, how can you apply this to your own career? And second, who’s one person—a team member, mentee, or colleague—who could benefit from your support in this area?
1. Own Your Seat at the Table
For you: Recognize that you’ve already earned your current role. Pay attention to your executive presence: the messages you send about your confidence and authority. Stop waiting to feel ready. You’re here because you belong here.
If you’re still feeling some doubt, you’re not alone. About three-quarters of executive women have experienced imposter syndrome at some point in their careers. And the more you achieve, the worse it can get: Research shows that feelings of self-doubt often intensify rather than diminish with success. But here’s what I want you to remember: Those feelings of uncertainty aren’t facts. They’re a predictable response to stretching outside your comfort zone. Don’t let them keep you from taking up the space you’ve earned.
What you can give: Help another woman see that she’s already earned her seat, too. Women often discount their accomplishments or attribute success to luck. Be the voice that reflects her capabilities back to her—especially when she can’t see them herself. This is especially important if you’re the other woman’s manager: Employees are hungry for more coaching, and they often look to managers for a sense of purpose. (This is one reason we made sure that our New Lens® platform involves managers in employees’ development plans.)
Normalize talking about imposter syndrome; some women feel too embarrassed or isolated in their experiences to bring them up. You can also advocate for systemic change or address everyday behaviors that affect women’s sense of belonging or confidence (e.g., like the habit of interrupting women at meetings).
2. Invest in Sponsors, Not Just Mentors
For you: When you’re a busy manager, it’s easy to let relationship building take a back seat or assume that you’re past the stage of needing a mentor or a sponsor. But not having one can still hurt your career. You need people who will advocate for you when you’re not in the room. Mentors give advice. Sponsors open doors. Both are important, but sponsorship is what moves careers.
According to the 2025 Women in the Workplace study from McKinsey and LeanIn.Org, employees with sponsors are promoted at nearly twice the rate of those without. If you don’t have a mentor or sponsor, it’s never too late to cultivate those relationships.
What you can give: Be a sponsor for another woman. Bring her up for opportunities and educate others on her strengths. If she’s involved with a leadership development program, talk to her about how to apply what she’s learning within the specific context of your organization. If you’re not yet in a position to sponsor directly, make introductions to people who could sponsor her or give her opportunities to be in front of senior leaders. Access is one of the most valuable things you can give. You could even suggest starting a mentorship or sponsorship program at your organization.
3. Learn the Unwritten Rules
For you: Don’t shy away from office politics. Every organization has unwritten rules about how decisions get made, who has influence and what it takes to advance. Successful women learn to navigate these dynamics ethically—because ignoring them doesn’t make them go away.
“Playing the game” might feel harder these days if you’re working a hybrid schedule or you’re dealing with increased responsibilities. But that doesn’t make it less essential. So take a few minutes to think about a couple of important questions: Who has the resources, information and influence you need to get business results. And how can you get those people in your corner?
What you can give: Share the playbook with a woman who’s a rising leader or who is new at your organization. The unwritten rules are often invisible to people earlier in their careers—or to anyone who hasn’t had access to insider knowledge. Tell her what you wish someone had told you. Who really makes decisions? What does it actually take to get promoted here? This kind of knowledge can change a career trajectory.
You could make an even bigger impact for women at your organization by pushing for improvements in your onboarding process. Gallup has found that “only 12% of U.S. employees say their company does a good job of onboarding.” When companies miss the opportunity to facilitate relationships, learn new employees’ goals and get an early start on development, they hurt their pipeline of future leaders.
4. Ask for What You Want
For you: Negotiate. For the salary, the resources, the assignment, the flexibility. Here’s something that might surprise you: Recent research from UC Berkeley and Vanderbilt found that women with MBAs actually negotiate salary more often than men do. Yet women still earn less.
If you don’t like negotiating, or don’t think you’re not good at it, there’s probably more than one factor behind that feeling. Perhaps you feel constrained by cultural stereotypes that women are always accommodating. Or maybe you’re comfortable advocating for your team members, but not yourself.
I always share one simple tip that my clients say helps them get past their anxiety about negotiation: Beforehand, think about and prepare for how you might get in your own way. How have you reacted during negotiations in the past? What do you need to change this time to get the results that you want.
What you can give: Encourage another woman to negotiate for something she cares about—and coach her on how to do so. Share your own experiences, including the times it didn’t go perfectly and how you adjusted your approach. I’ve found that negotiation can be a powerful topic to explore in peer or cohort learning. Discovering that this is a shared challenge helps ease anxiety, and the chance to share wisdom helps everyone get better results in negotiations.
5. Make Your Impact Visible
For you: Have you always been a heads-down worker with the mindset that “I just need to do a good job and people will notice”? On today’s overloaded and distributed teams, just doing great work isn't enough anymore. Your contributions must be seen by the people who make decisions about your career.
Think of it this way: You're not bragging. You're helping others learn from your experience and successes. Someone else in your organization may be facing the same challenge you just solved, and sharing your results could help them tremendously. The mindset shift “promoting myself” to “sharing something useful” has been a light-bulb moment for so many of my executive coaching clients and users of New Lens.
What you can give: Create visibility for a woman you believe in. Mention her contributions in meetings. Forward her emails to senior leaders with a note about why her work matters. Recommend her for presentations or high-profile projects. At the same time, help her learn that self-promotion isn’t selfish. Let her see you tastefully highlighting your own wins, and share resources like the ones I’ve linked to throughout this article.
Give to Gain
In my work with clients and nonprofit board service, I’ve seen one thing hold true again and again: When women support women, everyone benefits. What you do has a ripple effect: The high-potential woman you guide today becomes the future leader who now has the chance to lift other women herself. It can all start with you, and we can help. Newberry Solutions has a special commitment to developing women leaders, and we have an array of products and services that fit the needs of women at every career stage. To learn more, just drop me a note.
P.S. Stay tuned here and on my LinkedIn page: We have more special content planned throughout Women’s History Month!
Don’t wait for performance to drop before taking action. Discover how the New Lens® platform helps organizations support managers with bite-sized, actionable learning—built for today’s fast-paced, high-stress environments.
