The Power of HYPE Women

Ayana Younge is Assistant Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. Her research focuses on various interpersonal dynamics that influence the processes of fostering and fortifying connections. For example, she studies the role of emotions like gratitude, how power differences alter perceptions of others, how relationships impact our sense of belonging, and more. At Darden, she teaches the core course on “Leading Organizations” and an elective in the MBA residential program titled “People, Purpose, and the Power of Relationships”.

If I had to pinpoint what has carried me through the most challenging times, it wouldn’t be a “what” but a “who”: the phenomenal women who have supported me every step. As a woman of color, underrepresented in business, I’ve faced numerous internal and external challenges. Yet, my success is deeply rooted in the strength of the women who have celebrated, uplifted, and empowered me through it all—the women who have hyped me up repeatedly.

Why are Women Underrepresented in Top Leadership Positions?

Women make up a significant portion of the workforce yet are underrepresented in top leadership roles. In 2021, women held only 5% of Fortune 500 CEO positions[1], and as of January 2024, women occupied just 26.9% of global parliamentary seats[2]. These statistics highlight a persistent gender gap across sectors.

Organizational systems and structures often present significant obstacles to women's advancement. The "glass ceiling" metaphor describes the invisible barriers that prevent women from ascending to higher leadership roles despite having the necessary qualifications. These barriers include biased recruitment and promotion practices, lack of mentorship opportunities and financial resources, and organizational cultures that favor male leadership styles[3-5].

Beyond structural challenges, women frequently encounter relational barriers, such as exclusion from informal networks. Research indicates that women often lack access to the same quality of professional relationships as men[6-7] and shows that women leaders are penalized more than their counterparts for diversity-valuing behaviors[8]. This explains why women may be hesitant to advance other women actively. Instead of eliciting competition among one another[9-11], it would behoove women to foster supportive communities and networks that can mitigate these challenges by providing advocacy and shared resources for women, an environment conducive to women's leadership development.

Addressing structural and relational barriers is essential for achieving gender parity in leadership positions, and structural barriers may be beyond individual control. As women, counterbalancing these challenges is possible by intentionally building strong, meaningful connections, and what I emphasize is a particular focus on connecting with other women.

The Power of Women in Community

Networks are critical assets, and for women, they can be transformative. Therefore, building a coalition of women is important—an empowered network. In this community, women can HYPE each other up, advancing together by uplifting each other’s voices, strengths, and successes.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “hype” is a verb meaning "to promote or publicize (a product or idea) intensively, often exaggerating its importance or benefits." Informally, “hype” refers to the enthusiastic excitement or energy surrounding someone or something. Integrating research on high-quality connections, sponsorship, friendship, authenticity, and leading from a strengths-perspective, I propose what it means to be HYPE and practical ways to pursue this kind of network as a woman in business.

Get HYPE

H – Highlight & Help

• Recognize and acknowledge the unique strengths each woman brings to the table.
• Remind women of their capabilities.
• Help each other by sharing resources, opportunities, and insights that can build on one another’s strengths.

Y – Yield & say Yes

• Yield the spotlight to others, creating space for women to be seen and celebrated for their achievements.
• Take a step back and let others shine, strengthening the bonds of trust and respect in a network.
• Say yes to engaging with one another. Make time to connect and learn about someone.

P – Promote Possibilities

• See each other’s possibilities and advocate for them to others, not just based on what they’ve done but also on what they can achieve.
• Speak highly of a peer’s future possibilities, push them to reach higher, or introduce them to others who can help them grow.
• Promote a peer’s skills in conversations and nominate them for roles that fit their strengths.
• Praise openly and enthusiastically; lift each other up through genuine recognition.

E – Elevate & Empower

• Encourage the idea of rising together. When one woman achieves something, it’s a win for all women. Women benefit from creating a culture where each success feels like a shared achievement.
• Celebrate collective success; this creates an inclusive environment and a culture of collaborative support.
• Support women consistently, especially during challenges, to foster resilience and confidence.
• Build on each other’s ideas and contributions rather than competing.
• Empower each other by creating an atmosphere where women feel strong and capable of pursuing their ambitions.

Build Your HYPE Community

1. Get a HYPE Woman: Find someone who will be in your corner, actively promote you, and believe in your potential. This person should encourage you and advocate for your opportunities behind closed doors. Women, especially women of color, are less likely to receive sponsorship, so this relationship is even more critical.
2. Be a HYPE Woman: Find someone you are HYPE for. Support them by promoting their work, sharing opportunities, and offering honest, constructive, and developmental feedback.
3. Be HYPE for Women: Create a culture that amplifies other women’s achievements. Emphasize collaborative success and resilience. Discovery is facilitated when women feel secure taking risks and openly discussing their successes or failures without trepidation. Women strengthen the entire network by creating a culture of excitement and pride in each other’s accomplishments and their paths to reach them.

A Broader Vision: The Ripple Effect of Women Supporting Women

When cultivated, a HYPE culture of women supporting women has ripple effects that extend beyond individuals, touching entire organizations. This culture fosters a resilient community of leaders equipped to advocate for one another, breaking down relational and structural barriers that hinder women’s advancement.

Women share unique experiences that unify, often more powerfully than what differentiates. Thus, I invite women to consider how building high-quality relationships with other women, built on mutual regard for one another, trust, respect, and energy, can help overcome the individual and communal barriers faced, regardless of age or career stage. My hope here is to underscore the importance of intentional, purposeful connections among women because each supportive relationship contributes to chipping away at the systemic challenges women encounter in leadership. Together, we can build a community that uplifts every woman and saves a seat for them at the table.

References:

[1] Warner, J., Ellmann, N., & Boesch, D. (2018, November 20). The women’s leadership gap. Center for American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/womens-leadership-gap-2/

[2] UN Women. (2024, October 2). Facts and figures: Women’s leadership and political participation. UN Women. https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/leadership-and-political-participation/facts-and-figures

[3] Bosse, D. A., & Taylor III, P. L. (2012). The second glass ceiling impedes women entrepreneurs. The Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship, 17(1), 52.

[4] Johns, M. L. (2013). Breaking the glass ceiling: Structural, cultural, and organizational barriers preventing women from achieving senior and executive positions. Perspectives in Health Information Management, 10(Winter), 1e. https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/3544145

[5] Powell, G. N., & Butterfield, D. A. (1994). Investigating the “glass ceiling” phenomenon: An empirical study of actual promotions to top management. Academy of Management journal, 37(1), 68-86.

[6] Ibarra, H. (1993). Personal networks of women and minorities in management: A conceptual framework. Academy of Management Review, 18(1), 56–87.

[7] Ibarra, H., Ely, R. J., & Kolb, D. M. (2013). Women rising: The unseen barriers. Harvard Business Review, 91(9), 60–66.

[8] Hekman, D. R., Johnson, S. K., Foo, M. D., & Yang, W. (2017). Does diversity-valuing behavior result in diminished performance ratings for non-white and female leaders?. Academy of Management Journal, 60(2), 771-797.

[9] Benenson, J. F., & Schinazi, J. (2004). Sex differences in reactions to outperforming same-sex friends. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 26(2-3), 109-117. https://doi.org/10.1080/01973533.2004.9646409

[10] Derks, B., Van Laar, C., Ellemers, N., & de Groot, K. (2011). Gender-bias primes elicit queen-bee responses among senior policewomen. Psychological Science, 22(10), 1243–1249. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797611417258

[11] Ellemers, N., Rink, F., Derks, B., & Ryan, M. K. (2012). Women in high places: When and why promoting women into top positions can harm them individually or as a group (and how to prevent this). Research in Organizational Behavior, 32, 163-187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2012.10.003