The Corner Office Mindset- What CEO Women Want, to Make It in a Man’s World

There are unspoken rules in business, in boardrooms, in the corridors of power where the future is decided. Swagger matters. For too long, women have been told to temper theirs, to shrink just enough to make room for everyone else’s comfort. We’ve been raised to be agreeable, to soften our words, to package confidence in a way that doesn’t seem too aggressive, too bossy, too much.

But let me tell you something: in a world that still bends towards male authority, playing small isn’t a survival tactic but a career killer.

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The fact that women make up only 28% of Davos attendees, despite representing 50% of the world’s population, is something we celebrate but it comes with a glaring reality joined at the hip: the systemic barriers that continue to exist for women.

Davos is where the world’s most powerful decision-makers gather to shape policies, drive economies and design the future of business and governance. Yet, women—who drive global markets, lead innovation and make up a significant share of the

workforce—are still vastly underrepresented at the table. Why? Because power structures weren’t built by women or for women.

This isn’t about a lack of qualified women. There are plenty of brilliant, capable female leaders who deserve to be in those rooms. It’s about access. It’s about entrenched networks that are designed to prioritize male leadership. It’s about a system that, despite all the lip service to diversity and inclusion, still hesitates to share real power with women.

Until women make up 50% of the voices at places like Davos—where policies that affect everyone are being decided—the fight isn’t over. Visibility is not enough. Women need to reaffirm their influence, authority and ownership when they know what is the role they want to play in the world.

The numbers may be improving, but let’s not be fooled by incremental progress. The world doesn’t need more token representation—it needs a complete power shift. And that starts with more women willing to not just showing up but taking charge.

If you want to be seen as a leader in a man’s world, you can’t just be competent, or brilliant, or even the best in the room. You need CEO energy. You need unwavering authority. You need swagger. And swagger is not arrogance but the quiet power that says “ I own this space” before you even open your mouth.

Women, for generations, have been conditioned to second-guess themselves. We preface our statements with “I’m sorry, but…” as if our opinions need a permission slip. We over-explain, trying to prove we deserve to be heard. We wait for the perfect moment to speak and sometimes that moment never comes. Meanwhile, men step up and take the space without hesitation. It’s not that they’re always right—it’s that they believe in their right to be heard. And belief is contagious.

That’s the CEO energy women need to embody if they want to lead. Confidence is not about being the loudest voice in the room; it’s about being the one people trust to have the answers. It’s about owning your expertise, standing firm in your decisions, and refusing to dilute yourself for the sake of likability. Because here’s the truth: likability is a moving target. Leadership is not.

And let’s talk about your message. Leading isn’t just about having the best ideas, it’s about getting people to believe in them. That means knowing your audience and adapting your message without compromising your authority. It means selling your ideas, not just stating them. When you speak, don’t just inform, convince. Make people feel something. Make them see your vision as their future.

Here’s the hard truth: a woman with swagger will make people uncomfortable. Good. Discomfort is the first step to change. Some will call you difficult. Others will say you’re intimidating. Wear it as a badge of honor. No one ever built an empire by being invisible.

The most powerful leaders don’t just command respect; they inspire you. They know when to step back and let others shine because true authority is never threatened by sharing the stage. When you lift others, you build a legacy.

Swagger isn’t about proving yourself to men. It’s about proving to yourself that you don’t need their permission. You walk into that room because you earned your place. And you speak because your voice was never meant to be quiet.

Stop shrinking your vision

To own your authority, you must be clear about what you stand for. Your point of view is not an accessory—it’s the foundation of your power. If you don’t define it, someone else will, and I promise you, it won’t be in your favor. Speak with conviction, even when—especially when—you’re in a room full of men who underestimate you. The moment you hesitate, you give them permission to doubt you.

Powerful women don’t waver. They don’t shrink themselves to fit into a mold that wasn’t made for them. They don’t wait for permission to have a point of view, and they certainly don’t apologize for having one. If you want to make it in a man’s world, you need to be crystal clear about what you stand for—because if you don’t define yourself, others will do it for you. And trust me, they won’t be generous.

In business, in leadership, in any space where influence is currency, people follow certainty. They follow conviction. If you’re unsure about your values, your mission, or the impact you want to make, you become forgettable—just another voice in the noise. Clarity isn’t just about knowing what you believe; it’s about making sure everyone else knows it, too.

Being clear about what you stand for means having a non-negotiable foundation. It means knowing the battles you’re willing to fight, the risks you’re willing to take, and the principles that will never be up for discussion. It’s about being so unwavering in your core beliefs that when people think of you, they don’t just remember what you do—they remember why you do it.

And let’s be real: this clarity will make some people uncomfortable. When a man is direct, he’s seen as decisive. When a woman is direct, she’s often labeled as difficult, aggressive, or too ambitious (as if ambition is a flaw). But here’s the truth—you don’t need everyone to like you. You need the right people to respect you. And the only way to earn that respect is to stand firm in your truth, regardless of who it intimidates.

This isn’t just about work. It’s about how you carry yourself in every space you enter. It’s about how you make decisions, how you respond under pressure, how you handle pushback. If you’re clear about what you stand for, you won’t flinch when someone challenges you. You won’t scramble to justify yourself or water down your message to keep the peace. You’ll hold your ground because you’ll know, without a shadow of a doubt, that you are exactly where you’re meant to be.

And when you reach that level of clarity? That’s when you become undeniable. That’s when rooms open for you, not because you begged for a seat at the table, but because people recognize that without you, the conversation is incomplete.

Have Swagger and Stop Apologizing

Stop apologizing. Stop softening your words to make them more palatable. Stop seeking approval before you act. When you walk into a room, let people feel your presence before you say a word. Confidence is communicated in your posture, your eye contact, your measured pauses. Power is in the way you carry yourself, the way you own your space.

Swagger isn’t about arrogance. It’s not about being the loudest in the room, demanding attention, or forcing people to listen. It’s about presence. It’s about moving through the world with an undeniable certainty that you belong exactly where you are. Swagger is the energy that makes people take a step back—not because you’re aggressive, but because you radiate authority.

Here is where women often get it wrong: we’ve been trained to apologize for taking up space. We shrink ourselves, soften our voices, pad our sentences with “sorry” and “just” as if our words need permission. We downplay our achievements, fearing that confidence will be mistaken for arrogance. And in doing so, we hand over our power before we even realize it.

Enough. It’s time to stop apologizing for leading, for having an opinion, for expecting to be taken seriously. No man in a CEO position walks into a room and starts with, “I’m sorry, but the traffic was bad”. They will expect everyone to wait until they arrive. So why should you? When you speak, drop the disclaimers. When you take credit for your work, don’t feel the need to soften it. When you walk into a meeting, own the space—not because you’re demanding it, but because is your meeting.

Swagger is not just about words. It’s in your posture, your eye contact, your ability to hold silence without fidgeting. It’s in the way you walk into a room without rushing to prove yourself, the way you deliver a statement without tacking on, “Does that make sense?” or “I hope that’s okay.” It’s in knowing that you don’t need to over-explain, overcompensate, or overextend yourself just to be seen as worthy.

And yes, people might call you intimidating. Some will say you’re too bold, too assertive, too much. Let them. A woman with swagger does not shrink to make others comfortable. She does not water herself down to fit outdated expectations. She commands respect because she expects it.

So the next time you find yourself about to apologize for taking up space—don’t. The next time you instinctively downplay your own achievements—don’t. The next time you start softening your words to make them more palatable—stop.

Walk in with your head high. Speak with authority. And let the world adjust to you for a change.

Stop waiting for permission 

If there’s one thing that sets real leaders apart, it’s this: they don’t just participate in conversations; they shape them. They don’t sit back, waiting for permission to speak or adjusting their opinions to match the room. They know that their perspective—rooted in experience, intelligence, and vision—is an asset. And they make damn sure people hear it.

For too long, women have been told to tread carefully, to soften their stance, to choose diplomacy over directness. And while there’s wisdom in strategic communication, there’s also danger in being so careful that your voice fades into the background. If you want to make it in a man’s world, you need to own your perspective unapologetically. That means speaking up, even when your opinion disrupts the status quo. That means making sure your insights don’t just exist—they stand out.

Here’s the hard truth: when you don’t assert your viewpoint, people assume you don’t have one. And in leadership, that’s the fastest way to become irrelevant. The world doesn’t need more agreeable women—it needs women who can challenge ideas, push conversations forward, and redefine what leadership looks like.

This doesn’t mean being loud for the sake of being loud. It means being so clear, so sure of your message, that people stop and listen. It means refining your ability to articulate your vision in a way that captivates, educates, and—most importantly—persuades. Because leadership isn’t about being right all the time; it’s about making people believe in what you’re saying.

And let’s be honest—letting your point of view shine takes courage. It means risking pushback, knowing that not everyone will agree with you. But that’s the price of influence. If you’re never making people uncomfortable, you’re probably not saying anything important. The most powerful women in history didn’t play it safe. They spoke up, they challenged norms, and they refused to let their voices be drowned out by expectations.

So when you walk into that room, don’t hesitate. Speak with conviction. Let your ideas breathe. And never, never let fear of rejection keep you from making an impact. The world doesn’t need another woman playing small—it needs the full force of your intelligence, your fire, and your perspective. Make sure they see it.

This isn’t about pointing fingers or blaming men for a system that has existed for centuries. It’s about women claiming their space with confidence, without apology, and without waiting for permission.

Yes, the numbers at Davos and in boardrooms worldwide are disappointing, but here’s the truth—change isn’t going to come from asking nicely. It’s going to come from women showing up with swagger. Walking into every room knowing they belong. Owning their expertise without softening their words. Leading with courage, not caution.

Dame Neslyn Watson-Druée CBE, says it best, drawing on three decades of experience coaching Britain’s top executives. 

She speaks from experience. As the architect behind the NHS Executive’s leadership program and a trusted advisor to senior leaders across the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Business and Trade, the BBC, HSBC and countless other organizations, Dame Neslyn has seen firsthand how even the most capable leaders can be paralyzed by fear.

“Fear of making the wrong decision. Fear of being vulnerable. Fear of leading with authenticity in a world that grows more complex by the day.”

Known for blending business psychology with practical leadership development, equipping CEO’s not just with abstract theories but with actionable tools to drive real results.

Dr Neslyn teaches the new generation of CEO’s to lead with courage. In her latest keynote  Dame Neslyn Watson-Druée DBE cuts through Integrity in Leadership theory with insights forged during her remarkable career. No one is going to hand women power. It has to be taken.

That means no more apologizing for ambition. No more over-explaining. No more waiting for approval. The world respects confidence, and if women want to lead in spaces traditionally dominated by men, they need to own their space.

So,no, this isn’t about anger—it’s about frustration. It’s about standing tall, speaking boldly, and making it impossible to be ignored. Remember this: when women move with swagger, the world has no choice but to follow.

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