In this episode of Lead to Soar, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern examine one of the most entrenched and least challenged barriers to women’s leadership: benevolent bias.
Unlike overt sexism, benevolent bias often presents as kindness, protection, or concern. It sounds supportive. It feels polite. And it quietly limits women’s authority, decision-making power, and credibility at work.
Mel and Michelle explore how everyday sexism operates through lowered expectations, selective protection, softened feedback, and assumptions about women’s resilience and risk tolerance. They also examine why these behaviours persist in organisations that believe they are already “doing inclusion well”.
This is a conversation about leadership judgment, not intent. And about the responsibility leaders carry for the cultures they reinforce, whether consciously or not.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What benevolent bias looks like in modern workplaces
How everyday sexism shows up in feedback, delegation, and decision-making
Why “helpful” behaviour can still undermine authority
The leadership cost of shielding women instead of backing them
What inclusive leadership requires when bias is subtle, not explicit
Leadership call to action:
Pay attention to who is protected versus who is trusted
Interrogate praise that lowers the bar rather than raises it
Apply standards consistently, not selectively
Shift from intent-based explanations to outcome-based accountability
This episode is essential listening for leaders who want to move beyond performative inclusion and take responsibility for how power and credibility are shaped at work.
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