If you're stepping into leadership for the first time, you may be feeling a mixture of excitement and uncertainty. You might be wondering whether you're ready, whether your voice is strong enough, or whether you truly belong in the room.

If so, I want you to know that you're not alone.

Leadership is often a continuous process of learning to trust yourself, particularly when certainty feels just out of reach.

I did not grow up expecting to become a chief executive. In fact, leadership felt like something that belonged to other people.

I grew up on one of the largest council estates in the country. It was a community rich in loyalty, resilience and support, and I remain incredibly proud of where I come from. Yet opportunities felt limited. Few people went to university and leadership positions seemed reserved for those from different backgrounds and different worlds.

The person who changed my trajectory was my mum.

As a single parent, she had very little materially, but she possessed something much more powerful: an unwavering belief that life could be bigger than the circumstances around us. Every week she took me to the library. She encouraged me to read, ask questions and imagine possibilities beyond what I could immediately see. Looking back, she was the first leader I ever knew.

She taught me one of the most important lessons of my life: sometimes the greatest gift we can give another person is our belief in them before they have learned to believe in themselves.

As women in leadership, I think we often underestimate the impact of this.

Most of us can remember someone who saw potential in us before we saw it ourselves. The mentor who encouraged us to apply for a role we thought was beyond our reach. The colleague who spoke our name in a room when we were not there to advocate for ourselves. The leader who challenged us to think bigger, aim higher or take a risk.

These moments matter because leadership can sometimes feel lonely. None of us achieves success entirely through our own efforts. We are shaped by the people who invest in us and strengthened by those who walk alongside us.

My own journey progressed from teacher to senior leader, headteacher, executive head and eventually CEO. On paper it may look like a straightforward progression. The reality was far less linear. Throughout that journey, there were moments that tested my confidence and challenged my sense of belonging.

Like many women, I have experienced situations where my expertise was questioned in ways that felt very different from the experiences of male colleagues. I have entered meetings and been mistaken for someone there to provide administrative support rather than strategic leadership. I have received comments that diminished years of professional experience and achievement. I have encountered hostility and behaviours that left me feeling frustrated, exhausted and underestimated.

For a long time, I believed strong leaders were people who appeared completely confident and unaffected by challenges.

What I have learned instead is that leadership is not about becoming invulnerable. It is about remaining authentic despite the challenges.

Many women face impossible and often contradictory expectations. We are expected to be ambitious but not too ambitious, confident but not intimidating, assertive but still likeable. Trying to satisfy all of these expectations is exhausting and ultimately impossible.

My advice is simple: stop trying.

You do not need to become a different person to be an effective leader. Your voice does not need to sound like anyone else's. In fact, the qualities that make you different are often the qualities that make you effective.

One of the greatest lessons I have learned is that finding your voice is only part of the story. The real challenge is using it.

There will be moments when you are interrupted. Finish your sentence.

There will be moments when your expertise is questioned. Trust what you know.

There will be moments when behaviour falls below the standards you expect. Challenge it respectfully but firmly.

Courage is rarely the absence of fear. More often, it is choosing to speak when silence would feel easier.

As my career has progressed, I have become increasingly convinced that advancing women in leadership does not happen through inspirational speeches alone. It happens in everyday actions. It happens when we champion one another rather than compete. It happens when we celebrate another woman's success without seeing it as a threat to our own. It happens when we create opportunities, share networks, sponsor talent and make space for others at the table.

Too often, women are encouraged to believe there are only a limited number of seats available. My experience has taught me the opposite. When women support women, we all move further.

I often think about the women whose efforts made my own journey possible. Women who challenged assumptions, pushed through barriers and persisted when the odds were against them. I stand on their shoulders.

And because I stand on their shoulders, I have a responsibility to create opportunities for others.

So do you.

Leadership is not defined by the title you hold. It is defined by the impact you have on the people around you. One day, someone will look back and realise that you were the person who believed in them, encouraged them and helped them find their confidence. Never underestimate the significance of that.

We do not simply stand on the shoulders of those who came before us.

Together, we build the ladder.

By Emma Wigmore