When You See What the CEO Can’t
You're sitting in another leadership meeting, watching it happen again.
The CEO is confidently outlining his latest initiative while you notice the subtle eye rolls around the table. The energy in the room shifts. People check out mentally, even as they nod along.
You see it clearly: this direction is going to create chaos in the culture. Team morale will tank. Key people will leave. But he's completely blind to it, caught up in his own vision of success.
And you're facing that familiar knot in your stomach.
Do I speak up and risk being labeled as "not bought in"?
Do I stay quiet and watch everything I've helped build slowly unravel?
This is the impossible position so many senior women find themselves in. You have the pattern recognition. You see the cultural dynamics. You understand what's really happening beneath the surface.
But male CEOs often have massive blind spots around:
How their decisions land emotionally with teams
The ripple effects of cultural changes
What's really being said in the hallway conversations
Why "high performers" are suddenly updating their LinkedIn profiles
The challenge isn't that you don't know what needs to be said. You do.
The challenge is that speaking truth to power as a woman comes with real consequences: • Being excluded from future strategic conversations • Having your concerns dismissed as "too emotional" • Being labeled as "resistant to change" • Facing subtle retaliation in performance reviews • Watching your influence quietly erode
So you find yourself in an exhausting dance:
Option 1: Mirror his communication style. Be more assertive, more data-driven, more "business-focused." But this drains your energy and often still doesn't land.
Option 2: Stay quiet and hope someone else will speak up. But deep down, you know they won't. And you'll have to live with watching the culture you care about deteriorate.
Here's what I've learned working with dozens of senior women facing this exact scenario:
There's a third way.
It's not about matching his energy or staying silent. It's about learning to communicate in a way that:
Honors your natural strengths and intuition
Frames issues in terms he can actually hear
Positions you as a strategic partner, not a problem
Creates real influence without the typical career costs
Because your insights aren't just valid—they're exactly what the organization needs.
The question isn't whether you should speak up.
The question is: How do you speak up in a way that actually creates change?
What resonates most with your experience? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Email me: jim@empoweredfemaleleaders.com.
