Today, women like Melanie Perkins, are trailblazing many innovative and successful business paths, leading with intuition, intelligence, and sheer determination. While excelling in their professional fields by juggling business strategy, shareholder approval, and profit margins, these are rarely the only primary focus. Women possess an almost supernatural ability to manage countless equally critical moving parts, and still succeed and soar.  This is often not by choice, but rather manifests as a driving force of unshakable persistence to build a meaningful life. Whether managing a household, a growing family or career demands, the quiet pressures they navigate mostly go unnoticed. Nevertheless, women in business consistently inspire lasting impact.

W – Women’s Strength: An Invisible Force

Think back to the women in your life—mothers, grandmothers, aunts—who managed households, supported aspirations other than their own and solved life’s problems efficiently. They were never bestowed important titles or grand positions. Still, as responsible adults, they ran some of the most complex domestic operations imaginable while successfully managing a budget on a shoestring amidst challenging hardships.

Today, women are redrafting historical rules into contemporary benchmarks. Their inherent ability to navigate amidst ever-changing workplace and social landscapes, adapt sensible solutions and lead with long-term insight, is undeniable. From the harsh world of politics and finance to the demands of the boardroom, the role of women has become more significant than ever before. Whether caught up in the nitty-gritty of everyday economics, overseeing an ambitious startup, or freelancing from a kitchen table, the strength of women’s leadership reflects a deep understanding of responsibility and resourcefulness.

O – Owning their Place: Transforming Business Leadership

Globalisation served as an essential catalyst for an exponential rise in multinationals. Not too many years ago, the idea of a woman at the helm of a global company was rare. Today, it’s not just possible—it’s happening everywhere and all the time. That said, the curious phenomenon of women leaders, viewed through a different lens than their male counterparts, tends to persist.

Whether sprouting from a deep-rooted awareness of being taken less seriously, or from lessons learnt not to disregard their heightened sense of intuition, women often feel they must work twice as hard to prove themselves. Regardless of substance, securing funding or recognising their ideas frequently remains an uphill battle.  Still, despite this, women entrepreneurs continue to rise, compelled by purpose, creativity, and the ability to spot viable opportunities that others may have missed or were deterred from by envisaged obstacles.

M – Motherhood and Management: Walking the Tightrope

For many women, business is never just about business. It encompasses a much broader realm to find still space for bedtime stories and childhood nursing somewhere in an already stretched diary. Whether building a career, balancing deadlines or pitching investors – women are acutely aware of the weight of societal expectations. Women are unparalleled because of the additional pressures stemming from these realities and their own ability to endure and overcome.

Commonly, they learn to prioritise, delegate, and think five steps ahead long before stepping into leadership roles. These women possess an almost instinctive understanding of the importance of being an economic generalist, where a broader insight into the interconnectedness of basic economic and financial concepts could determine the make or break of a business outcome. Whether women enter through boardroom doors, unlock their shop entrance, or sit behind their laptops at home, they come prepared. The ability to adapt under pressure, manage time effectively, nurture relationships, and make strategic decisions, is what makes women remarkable entrepreneurs and influential business leaders.

E – Evolving Business Landscapes: Women Redefining Success

Ever-evolving technologies continue to gift humankind with many unintended consequences. While our daily existence may have become more manageable in many aspects, some externalities have brought the ripple effects of fear and apprehension. The dawn of Artificial intelligence (AI) is a prime example. Constant intangible shifts around us continuously shape our world and perceptions, with the definition of success no longer fitting into an outdated mould.

Though challenges remain and will likely continue to do so, women are quietly shaping a new interpretation of leadership that values flexibility, emotional intelligence, and collaboration.  While only a fraction of global venture capital flows to women-led entrepreneurial efforts, they further remain a gender cohort that is still widely underrepresented in potential executive roles. The struggles to break into historic male-dominated industries include equal pay negotiations and managing unconscious biases like career interruptions due to child caregiving responsibilities.  Admittedly, there is still a long way to go, however evolving corporate cultures are making strides toward a more equitable workplace ethic through increased transparency and revised policies.

N – Navigating the Future: What Comes Next?

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we can also proudly reflect on how far women have come; never asking for special treatment, but merely requesting unbiased access, earned recognition, and equal opportunities. A business network that supports and uplifts, develops, and acknowledges women for their unique strengths creates a sustainable recipe for continued growth and success—for themselves and future generations.

Conclusion: Breaking Barriers, Building Futures

The future of business leadership is evolving, and women are already at the forefront. No longer confined by outdated definitions of success, they are shaping industries, driving innovation, and proving that authority is about vision, adaptability, and impact – regardless of gender.

As boundaries keep shifting, the path forward embraces inclusion, resilience, and boundless potential. Here’s to all those brave women—dreamers and doers—who refuse to be anything less than phenomenal.

Happy International Women’s Day!