Put her name in the room

Women's confidence · Little Light original

An opportunity is being discussed in a room where the most qualified woman is not present. People say they need someone experienced, visible, and ready. Her work fits the description, yet no one connects the requirement to her name. This is one of the quiet places where a career can narrow. If you know what she has done, say it specifically. Mention the difficult client she steadied, the decision she improved, or the responsibility she has already been carrying without the title. Do not promise that she wants the role or speak over her own ambitions. Make the evidence available, then help create a conversation in which she can represent herself. Advice matters, but access is shaped by who is remembered before the shortlist exists. Influence can be used at that earlier moment. Putting someone's name forward is not lowering a standard. When the recommendation is honest, it helps the room see that the standard may already have been met outside its usual field of view.

Little Light