Every International Women’s Day, we talk about representation at the top. CEO numbers. Board seats. Development pipelines.
All important conversations.
But here’s what I keep seeing inside organisations.
When communication breaks down – when morale dips and when tension starts rising – everyone looks to the woman in the room.
She’ll steady it.
She’ll manage the tone.
She’ll keep the team aligned.
And she usually does.
But then, when the dialogue shifts to promotion and ‘leadership readiness’? It’s all about revenue ownership, commercial edge, profile and visibility.
Different criteria. Different scoreboard.
And this isn’t just a feeling from a few workshop rooms. The data speaks for itself.
In Australia, around 9 out of 10 CEO roles are still held by men. At the same time, women make up the vast majority of HR and communication roles – roles which require reading the room, managing conflict, building trust and carrying the emotional load inside teams.
So it’s pretty clear that while women are trusted to hold the fabric of an organisation together, the top job still overwhelmingly goes to men.
And that pattern is no accident. It happens because ‘communication’ is still too often framed as a ‘soft skill’ – an optional, peripheral ingredient that sits alongside the ‘real’ work of running a business and turning a profit.
But in reality, a leader’s communication skills are core to team and organisational performance.
Think about it: if a leader is not communicating clearly, consistently and respectfully, the so-called ‘real work’ simply won’t happen. Trust will tank, engagement will dwindle and teams will become misaligned – undermining both productivity and profitability.
I’d even go as far as to say that organisational results live or die by leadership communication.
This principle holds beyond the workplace.
For example, former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern became globally recognised for leading with empathy and humanity during national crises. Her communication unified the country, steadied public sentiment and helped maintain trust in government. Yet her leadership style was often contrasted with more traditional, hard-edged models of authority – as though empathy and power sit at opposite ends of the spectrum. They don’t.
In business as much as in politics, leaders who communicate clearly and keep people aligned are the ones who deliver sustainable, long-term commercial outcomes.
So why do so many organisations overlook communication capability when promoting and hiring leaders?
If this were to change, just imagine how many more women might be given the top job.
This International Women’s Day, it’s time to rethink how we define leadership.
Commercial and technical capabilities matter. But without the communication skills to deliver on them, even the smartest strategies will struggle to take hold.
So here’s my question to you: are you choosing leaders who communicate clearly, build trust and align teams – or the ones with the most visible commercial profile?
How effective are your leaders’ communication skills? Communication is one of the most powerful drivers of performance in organisations. And it’s a capability that can be developed. Learn more about CSA’s suite of leadership courses and workshops.