To Every Young Woman Who Was Told to Wait Her Turn
I was once told, by a man who held my career in his hands, that I should be patient. That the time for women like me would come. I smiled, thanked him, and immediately began finding another door.
This is a letter to every young African woman who has been handed that same patient, condescending advice - from the mentor who meant well but not enough, from the institution that celebrated your potential while quietly limiting your progress.
Here is what I want you to know: Your turn is not coming. Your turn is now. And if the room you are in does not believe that, you are in the wrong room.
The Urgency of Women’s Leadership
I am not speaking about entitlement. I am speaking about urgency - the urgent, evidence-backed understanding that when women lead, outcomes improve. Communities become safer. Institutions become more accountable. Economies grow more equitably. This is not feminist sloganeering. This is documented reality, repeated in study after study across every region of the world.
Young women, especially in Africa, continue to be told to wait their turn, to be quieter, to be more patient, to prove themselves just a little longer. But the data is clear: delaying women’s leadership is not just unfair - it is inefficient and costly for our societies.
A Message from My Work in Sierra Leone
Through my Psychology of Winning initiative, I have worked with over 5,000 young people across Sierra Leone, many of them young women from rural communities who had never been told that their intelligence, their vision, and their voice mattered. Watching them claim those things - slowly, then all at once - has been the most important work I have ever done.
These young women are not waiting for permission. They are stepping up, creating change, and redefining what leadership looks like in their communities.
Lead Now, From Where You Stand
So no. Do not wait.
Lead now, from wherever you stand, with whatever you have. Start where you are. Use what you already possess. Build the table if you are not invited to sit at the existing one. The world needs what only you can offer.
To every young woman reading this:
- Your ideas are valid today.
- Your voice is necessary today.
- Your leadership is urgent today.
Do not shrink yourself to fit into rooms that were not built for you. Find or build rooms that celebrate your full potential. And when you succeed, reach back and pull another sister forward.
The future is not coming to save us. We are building it - right now.
What advice would you give to a young woman who has been told to wait her turn? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. Let’s lift each other up.
