The Visibility Gap – Why Women Leaders Must Claim Credit for Their Ideas
Updated: Jul 2
Written by Lisa Gaines, Leadership Wellbeing Coach
Lisa Gaines is a leadership and welbeing coach, empowering mid-life women leaders to redefine success, break through barriers, and thrive. Drawing on her expertise in neuroscience and emotional intelligence, Lisa supports her clients with navigating change, finding renewed purpose, and creating sustainable growth in both work and life.
Too many women have learned to accept having their ideas overlooked, repackaged, or credited to someone else as simply part of the workplace landscape. But claiming visibility is not about ego or self-promotion, it is about recognising that your voice, your expertise, and your contributions deserve to be seen, heard, and acknowledged.
Visibility isn’t vanity, it’s your birthright. Empowering women leaders is a passion of mine, and sometimes that passion gets me fired up when I hear something that disempowers the women leaders I’m coaching.
This happened recently during a coaching conversation with an inspiring young female leader when she said, "When my boss hears my idea at a meeting one week and then presents it back as his idea a week later, I take it as a compliment."
It didn't sit well with me. I knew exactly why. I was reminded of Rebecca Solnit's story, where she was lectured for a full 20 minutes at a party by a man about a book she had written. He regurgitated her own work back to her and refused to accept she was the author, even as her friend stood there confirming it. Rebecca went home and wrote the article "Men Explain Things to Me", which gave us the term "mansplaining." What strikes me about that story isn't just the audacity, it's that her voice, her work, and her expertise had been completely erased in the moment.
That, along with learning recently that only 14% of world leaders are women and only 11% of women are CEOs of Fortune 500 organisations, means we absolutely cannot allow our contributions to be erased or minimised.
There may not even be ill intent at play here. My sense is that we are more often than not dealing with unconscious bias, and this is a blind spot we have learned to tolerate.
Being brought up in Ireland, it's natural for me to be feisty and fiery at times, let’s call it passionate. Sometimes, to my own detriment, it’s also a wonderful aspect of being human that creates empowerment when there’s a need to speak up. I love having the courage to argue for what’s right and fair according to my values. What's fair for all of us is simple, credit where credit is due.
So, my client and I brainstormed. How would it be if she started documenting her ideas before presenting them? Put them on a meeting agenda, send a quick email beforehand, or capture them in meeting minutes? It's not about distrust, it's about visibility and fairness. Your ideas should have your name on them, and you should get that credit.
Something wonderful happens to women in midlife. As tough as it can be to navigate the changes that come at this time of life, one of the gifts is caring a bit less about people-pleasing and more about what is right and fair. That shift is powerful. I love supporting women with leaning into it, speaking up, asking for their fair share, and claiming the credit they've earned.
Because visibility isn't vanity. It's not arrogance. It's simply knowing that your voice matters, your ideas matter, and you deserve to be seen for your brilliant ideas and for being the brilliant woman you are. More empowered women in leadership positions, speaking up and claiming their space, is what this moment in time calls for. It starts with each and every one of us.
Read more from Lisa Gaines
Lisa Gaines, Leadership Wellbeing Coach
Lisa Gaines is a leadership and wellbeing coach devoted to helping mid-life women leaders reconnect with themselves, overcome roadblocks or burnout, and thrive. With over 15 years of experience and drawing on her expertise in neuroscience and emotional intelligence, Lisa supports her clients through meaningful transitions in work and life. Her coaching style is nurturing, insightful, and practical, and empowers clients to overcome their barriers and step into new chapters with clarity, courage, and balance. Lisa is passionate about supporting women to step up, stand tall, and create sustainable success on their own terms.
