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By Venessa Dewing, VP Sales DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa
After decades of working in a leadership position, I’ve witnessed firsthand how transformational it can be when organisations genuinely embrace the perspectives of their younger female employees. Yet too often, I see these voices sidelined, their insights dismissed as “inexperience” rather than recognised for what they truly represent: the future of business innovation and authentic leadership – and yes, sometimes I have also fallen victim to this mentality.
The conversation around diversity in the workplace has evolved significantly, but we’re still falling short when it comes to younger women in our organisations. It’s not enough to have them in the room – we need them at the table, contributing to strategic decisions that will shape our industries for decades to come.
I’ve learned that diversity isn’t just about demographics; it’s about diversity of thoughts, varied life experiences, and fresh perspectives that challenge our conventional thinking. Younger female employees bring a unique intersection of these elements that can truly change how we approach business challenges. They often embody a more collaborative, empathetic, and authentic leadership style that resonates with today’s workforce expectations.
What is also refreshing to see is their comfort with embracing vulnerability, how skilled they are at building inclusive teams, and their natural inclination toward mentorship and knowledge sharing.
For younger female voices to truly contribute, we must create environments where they feel safe to speak up, disagree, and propose bold ideas. This means addressing unconscious bias in meetings, ensuring equitable speaking time, and actively soliciting input from all team members, not just the loudest voices in the room.
When we elevate younger female voices, the impact extends far beyond individual career development. These women become role models for even younger employees, creating a positive cycle of empowerment and advancement. They also tend to champion inclusive practices, advocate for work-life integration, and push organisations toward more sustainable and socially responsible business practices.
As leaders, we have a responsibility to actively seek out, amplify, and act on the insights that younger female employees bring to our organisations. This means restructuring our decision-making processes to include diverse voices, creating formal and informal mentorship programmes, and measuring our success not just by financial metrics but by how well we’re developing our next generation of leaders.
It’s time we stopped seeing their youth as inexperience, and started recognising it for what it is: our competitive advantage.
Venessa Dewing is the VP Sales at DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa
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