For years, senior women have been told that qualifications speak for themselves.
Work hard.
Be loyal.
Let the results do the talking.
In 2026, that advice is no longer outdated – it's dangerous.
Because in a technology-driven, visibility-shaped economy, value that is not expressed, deployed, and owned is easily erased. And women who don't own their story remain economically vulnerable – no matter how senior, accomplished or well-paid they are.
It's an uncomfortable truth that many high-achieving women are still avoiding.
If your value exists only inside someone else's organization, title, or platform, you don't own it.
You are leasing it.
Women keep giving away property
When women think of ownership, they usually think of property, investments or financial instruments. They matter. But there is one asset that underpins every conversation, opportunity, and long-term outcome, and many women are still giving it away for free.
His story.
Their lived experience.
His professional judgment.
His viewpoint.
The story of his leadership.
In today's economy, these are not soft attributes. They are tradable currencies.
This becomes clear from a simple test.
If your corporate title disappeared tomorrow, would the doors still be open to your name?
Will this lead to invitations, consulting roles, paid opportunities, and influence?
If the honest answer is no, one of your most powerful assets is underdeveloped.
Corporate excellence is not the same as ownership
Some of the most capable women I know sit at the highest levels in corporate Africa and the diaspora. They manage large teams, advise boards and manage significant capital.
Yet many people continue to have severe restrictions on what they can say, write, or produce freely. Their organizations control their visibility. Their thinking must pass through an approval filter. Their voice is shaped by brand guidelines rather than lived experience.
Over time, many people silently realize something troubling:
They have become corporate assets.
Their insight, energy and intellectual capital are creating enormous value – but the equity lies elsewhere.
When they were encouraged to have structured, courageous conversations with their organizations – not confrontational, but candid – many women admitted they had been playing it safe for too long. Giving their best thinking to systems that had no intention of protecting them in the future.
when the muzzle comes off
One woman shared a different story.
After working for more than two decades in a multinational company, he quit the job and only then did he realize how much of the expression of his life had become muted. His views were limited to what was “reasonable”. His leadership voice was shaped to suit institutional comfort.
Outside of that structure, he began writing publicly – integrating life, law, and leadership through his own lens. Not inspiring stuff. Thoughtful, insightful analysis.
What happened next surprised him.
Advisory roles emerged. Invitations to speak followed. Paid opportunities that not only provide income, but also agency.
It was not immediate. It was not viral.
But it was sustainable.
He had begun to convert experience into currency.
Story Ownership is Economic Power
Carla Harris, vice chair of Morgan Stanley, has long talked about the importance of brand equity — not as vanity, but as leverage. His influence came not from abandoning corporate excellence, but from embracing his narrative alongside it.
This distinction matters.
Narrative ownership is not about self-promotion.
It's about rights.
It determines:
• How you communicate
• How much are you paid
• Which rooms have you been invited to
• Whether your expertise evolves or disappears
Visibility without ownership is exposure.
Without leverage the impact is fragile.
In a world ruled by algorithms, platforms, and attention, women who live permanently in “private mode” are at risk of disappearing altogether. Silence does not protect value. It destroys it.
Why does it matter now?
The coming years will be uneven. Economic changes, policy changes and organizational restructuring will continue to expose vulnerable positions.
Women who rely solely on income and titles will be forced to constantly move forward – staying busy to stay relevant.
Women who have their own story will have options.
They will communicate in different ways.
Exit in a different way.
Build differently.
It's not about leaving a corporate career. It's about owning what you've already earned.
Ownership is the language of power in 2026
In 2026, ownership is the language of power.
If you have nothing else in 2026, become the master of your narrative
No title without continuity.
No income without insulation.
No excellence without leverage.
The women who will be most secure in the years to come won't just be the busiest or highest paid. They will be women who understand that leadership, wealth and power are by design – and one of the most important assets to design is a leadership brand that lives beyond any role.
For many women, the work ahead isn't about doing more. It's about good change – from performance to status, from high potential to high impact.
That change requires clarity, courage, and structure. It also requires a willingness to stop hiding the expertise built over decades and start intentionally managing it.
This is not a small game.
But now it has become necessary.
This is how Power Women will move forward in 2026.
With intention.
Udo Okonjo is a board director, investor and founder of Radiant Collective Capital, a women-led investment platform focused on ownership and long-term wealth creation. She is also the executive chairperson of luxury real estate advisory firm Fine & Country West Africa and writes the Women, Wealth and Power column for BusinessDay.
