IWD Voices: Joyce Liong – ‘You Have to Keep Speaking Up Until Your Value Becomes Undeniable’

Why It Matters

Consistent advocacy combined with structured mentorship accelerates gender parity in leadership, directly influencing talent retention and innovation. Companies that embed these practices gain a competitive edge by unlocking underutilized talent.

Key Takeaways

• Mentorship accelerates women's career trajectories when senior leaders actively sponsor
• Organizations often mistake diverse work styles for incompetence, hindering talent
• Early identification of potential and stretch assignments boost female leadership pipelines
• Systemic talent frameworks ensure meritocracy beyond subjective perceptions
• Speaking up repeatedly makes women's value undeniable in corporate settings

Pulse Analysis

International Women’s Day has become a platform for leaders to spotlight systemic gender gaps that persist in corporate environments. Joyce Liong’s message underscores that merit alone rarely guarantees advancement; instead, organizations must embed transparent talent frameworks that evaluate impact and capability. By encouraging women to speak up persistently, companies can shift cultural narratives that often conflate differing communication styles with incompetence, thereby fostering a more inclusive definition of leadership.

Mentorship and sponsorship are proven levers for accelerating women’s career progression. Studies from McKinsey and Deloitte show that women with senior sponsors are 2.5 times more likely to receive promotions and high‑visibility assignments. Liong’s observation that a senior leader’s belief can “change trajectory” aligns with this data, illustrating how personal advocacy translates into measurable outcomes such as faster promotion cycles, higher retention, and broader talent pools for critical projects. The ripple effect extends beyond the individual, enhancing team performance and driving innovation through diverse perspectives.

For organizations seeking tangible change, the focus should be on early talent identification and deliberate stretch assignments. Implementing structured programs that pair high‑potential women with senior sponsors, while assigning them to cross‑functional, revenue‑impacting projects, creates a pipeline of ready‑now leaders. Coupled with bias‑aware performance reviews and clear metrics, these initiatives convert spoken confidence into undeniable value, positioning firms to outperform peers in a market where diversity is increasingly linked to financial success.