How to become a woman who leads in her life and her career : Quick guide to being a winner!

2026 is the year we rise in our leadership abilities. Leadership is a skill that everyone is constantly looking to acquire.

Did you know that Leadership and Influence is one of the top skills employers look for in hiring candidates? 

So if you haven’t mastered this skill yet, don’t worry; it is completely okay. We are going to go over 5 ways to elevate your persona so you can exude leader energy. If you are a woman reading this, it is important that you know a woman who leads in her personal life and career wins in life. J

obs reward people who take control rather than passively sit back and wait for opportunities. People respect those who know what they want and go after it. 

What are we waiting for? Let's dive in so we can start leveling up together this year!

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Your Mind

Being a leader starts with the mind. Being able to shift your mindset around leadership is going to be important to evolving. Our minds are our greatest allies but can also be our greatest enemies. Knowing how to no longer feed limiting beliefs is a real gem.

As well as shifting to a positive outlook, allowing you to stay motivated and encouraged, especially in your leadership roles. Outside of mindset shifts in career, your mindset plays a huge role in your quality of life.

By making changes to your mindset, you will be more confident, radiant, and seemingly able to attract opportunities. Making changes to your mindset also effects your emotional responses and decision making process.

Research shows that positive thinking can positively impact our bodies. Our brains are connected to our nervous systems and neuropathways, so when we think negatively, we release cortisol, the stress hormone, leading our bodies to cardiovascular disease and health problems like diabetes, obesity, and compromised immune function.

On the contrary, when we think positively, we release dopamine, adrenaline, and endorphin chemicals in the brain, helping reduce stress, boost the immune system, and lead to improved cardiovascular health. 

Overall, having a positive mindset can boost resilience, making you a woman who leads life with confidence. 

Develop Emotional Intelligence 

Having emotional intelligence will take you far. Not only in your job but also in your personal life. Emotional intelligence is the skill of being able to regulate your own emotions while managing those of others.

This includes self-awareness, empathy, regulating emotions, social skills, and emotional awareness. Being a woman who leads her life and career means having a level of control. People look up to leaders who stay calm in demanding situations.

Improving emotional intelligence is what allows you to keep that control. You become more composed in challenging situations, more empathic, and less prone to emotional hijacking. Resulting in you being better at building and maintaining meaningful relationships, eventually turning into influence. 

We all know that leaders have influence, allowing them to create more effective outcomes. Leaders are able to create effective outcomes because of the relationships they built and by leveraging their influential power without becoming an enemy.

The goal is to get people to admire and respect your opinions, and this happens by investing in improving your emotional intelligence. 

Your Network is Your Net Worth

Be intentional with who you keep in your circle of influence. I’m sure you have heard the quote, “You are who you surround yourself with.” Who you surround yourself with matters; you want to start choosing people who motivate you, challenge you, and have similar aspirations.

Keeping this discipline in something as simple as choosing your friends, peers, and networking groups will reflect in your leadership.

For example, try to find groups that will challenge you to grow. A group that does an excellent job of creating a space for women specifically to grow together is Sky Society. Keep finding groups and people that will support your quest for growth. 

Also, by staying disciplined in selecting your company, you will rule out unnecessary drama or distractions. You may be asking, “How do the friends I choose impact me?” Well, that's a great question. Even if your friends are different from you and offer you different perspectives on life, eventually, who you hang out with influences your thinking.

A well-known author, Jim Rohn, suggests that “we are the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with.” This results in groupthink, and ultimately, you begin to share language, behaviors, and assumptions. Also, who you hang out with rubs off on you; it can be through attitudes, beliefs, and conversations.

This can work in a positive way, but it can also work in a negative way. You want to hang around people who will inspire you and support a mindset of growth. When you’re home alone, you might think to yourself, “My friend Jessica said I should apply for this position.

It would be a great fit for me.” Instead of “Terry said she would never go for a position like manager, so I shouldn’t either.” The key is to surround ourselves with people who inspire us to become better than what we imagined. 

Build Confidence  

We always talk about having confidence, but we are never given a short, simple, easy play-by-play for increasing self confidence. Having a foundation of confidence is what is going to make people look up to you as a woman leader.

This trait gains so much admiration because, the truth is, not everyone has it. Step one is understanding what confidence is. Confidence is having a strong belief in your own qualities. Being able to appreciate your qualities comes from a mix of competency, mindset, and support. 

Practice positive self-talk by becoming your personal cheerleader: don’t dwell on your mistakes, be a lifelong learner, and place yourself in supportive environments. Studies show that positive self-talk lights up the brain’s reward system, boosting dopamine, broadening perception, and improving performance.

Confidence is linked to the brain’s memory of past events. By keeping people around who encourage you, having positive experiences, and positive self-talk, you can give the brain data that provides a feeling of safety for confidence to arise. 

You just need to start taking baby steps by taking risks and overcoming hurdles. Before you know it, you'll be running confidently!

Stay Organized  

This last tip is going to help in your personal life and career. Organization is key. A woman who leads is organized.

Everyone has a busy life, but to be able to show up to all your events looking and staying polished comes from staying organized. So, grab your calendars, agendas, or computers.  In 2026, we are women who are staying organized by keeping track of our personal lives and all of our activities.

This also makes for a great leader because people look to leaders for guidance. You have to know everything that is happening as a leader; practicing organization now allows you to learn how to monitor all events while helping promote time management skills.

For instance, you will be able to create balance in your life while showing up promptly for all events. Due to your organizational skills, you will be able to keep track of hangouts with your friends, dates with your partner, gym workout times, personal hobbies, meetings, and other important deadlines.

Being organized helps you exude leader energy because you always know what events are taking place, and you are able to show up punctually and composed. 

Now You Are Ready to be a Woman Who Leads

Hopefully, you're ending reading this blog feeling encouraged, knowing you have what it takes to be a woman who leads in multiple areas of your life. 1. By keeping a positive mindset  2. Investing in improving emotional intelligence 3. Networking 4. Building confidence, and 5. Staying organized!

Simple ways to start exuding leader energy. Society tries to brainwash women into believing they can’t handle leadership roles. In 2026, there are more women stepping into leadership roles, and now is a time, more than ever, for women to be empowered. Let’s go out and take on the world!  

🪽 Written by Karhen Harris