Executive reputation has become one of the most valuable assets in leadership. A CEO’s reputation influences everything from stakeholder trust and employee engagement to business growth and valuation.
While women are still underrepresented at every level of corporate leadership, it’s especially true in the C-suite. The women who do reach the top are dealt a unique hand: Expectations are different, and in a crisis, they have a steeper hill to climb. Female leaders often face additional scrutiny and pressure that their male counterparts do not.
The Likability Vs. Leadership Double Standard
Women leaders are often expected to project confidence and decisiveness while simultaneously being warm and approachable. The same behaviors that earn praise for male executives can sometimes be perceived differently when shown by women.
Research by Russell Reynolds Associates found that the mainstream media often uses different adjectives to describe women CEOs than they do for men. Descriptions of women CEOs are often based on personal attributes, while men are positioned in terms of their business and industry impact. Women CEOs are over three times more likely to be described as lacking confidence compared to male CEOs.
Stakeholders often have conflicting expectations when evaluating women’s leadership decisions, communication styles and executive presence, making it more difficult to shape a clear leadership narrative.
Greater Scrutiny Of Visibility And Public Presence
Women executives are often evaluated on factors beyond business performance, including communication style, appearance and their personal life. Increased visibility can bring increased criticism, particularly online, and unfortunately, much of it can be fueled by other women.
Some leaders become reluctant to pursue media opportunities or public thought leadership, limiting their influence and visibility. I speak to leaders across the country, and I often hear women say they don’t consider themselves to be thought leaders because there is someone else in their field who is more experienced or educated than they are. While that may be true, when a woman fails to realize the value of her insights, journey and perspectives, she misses opportunities to help others and elevate her reputation to benefit her business.
A Higher Burden To Establish Credibility
Russell Reynolds’ research also found that women are consistently more likely to have their expertise questioned and may need to provide more evidence of their qualifications and accomplishments. Articles about women CEOs highlight or reference gender more often than those about men, and they more often pose questions about the female CEO’s achievements.
A female CEO’s achievements can be overlooked, underreported or attributed to external factors rather than leadership ability. The same research found that women CEOs are twice as likely to be described as too ambitious and twice as likely to be described as lacking ambition as men. This double bind shows that it is next to impossible for women to “get it right” in the public eye.
How To Close The Gap
Own Your Narrative
Be consistent in publicly communicating your values, expertise and leadership philosophy through media interviews, speaking engagements, industry awards, LinkedIn content and thought leadership. Remember, thought leadership isn’t limited to the person with the most degrees or who leads the largest companies or divisions.
It’s important to reinforce the same key themes repeatedly to share your accomplishments and expertise and shape your narrative. Consistency helps audiences understand who you are as a leader and reduces the influence of outside assumptions. Leveraging a blend of platforms and creating consistent content also helps with AI search engine optimization. Define your story before other people or large language models define it for you.
Be Strategic And Proactive About Visibility
Visibility is essential for executive reputation. Instead of waiting for opportunities to come to you, proactively build a communications strategy around your expertise. Focus media outreach, speaking opportunities and social media content on topics where you bring unique authority and expertise. When your public profile is rooted in sharing your expertise and business impact, it helps shift attention toward what matters most.
Invest In Crisis Preparedness
Crises elevate the level of scrutiny leaders face, and that’s especially true for women. Remember when Andy Byron, the married CEO of a data analytics company, was caught with the company’s chief people officer, Kristin Cabot, at a Coldplay concert? While he received his fair share of criticism, Cabot says the criticism she faced after the scandal focused on her physical appearance and on how she achieved her career success. She received death threats and feared for her kids’ safety.
While there’s no preparing for that, it shows just how differently women are treated, especially in a crisis. Build “reputation armor” before you need it. This includes a focused strategy around LinkedIn, media interviews and thought leadership to shape your online presence. Have a crisis communication plan in place before you need it.
The Bottom Line
While female executives continue to face unique reputation challenges, a proactive reputation strategy can help level the playing field. By defining your leadership narrative, building intentional visibility and leveraging third-party credibility, you can strengthen your reputation and ensure that your expertise—not outdated expectations—shapes how you are perceived.
Kristi’s article was originally posted in Forbes on July 1, 2026.