When you're the only one in the room

Leadership often feels isolating, but being “the only one in the room” adds a unique layer of complexity. This reflection comes from my time in senior leadership roles in industrial businesses—spaces where representation wasn’t always balanced and where being the only one shaped every dynamic.

When you’re the only one in the room, something happens.

Yes, you relax sometimes and forget for a while, especially when you know and like the others in the room.

Still.

You’re the only one in the room.

It’s hard to be unaffected.

It’s important not to be ineffective or to waste the opportunity.

It’s exhausting bearing the weight of representation and expectation.

Some topics pass by or are easy to contribute to. Others are fraught. Your question, or your answer, may be weighted or seen as representative, because you’re the only one in the room.

You may be asked to speak for all of your kind, when you’re the only one in the room.

You may not be asked to speak, when you’re the only one in the room.

You may feel like the token or under the spotlight, when you’re the only one in the room.

And sometimes you can relax and enjoy the conversation and forget you’re the only one in the room.

Still.

The best thing to do is keep showing up and giving your best.

The next best thing you can do is to forge the path and lift others up,
so you are no longer the only one in the room.

This is my attempt to capture a feeling.

I’ve found it difficult to convey this feeling to my supportive, committed male colleagues over the years.

This feeling existed, despite working for incredible leaders who advocated cultures worth belonging to and balanced teams with whom I partnered to drive significant change.

This feeling existed, despite belonging to tight, high-performing teams, working alongside men I liked and respected.

Interestingly, my female peers working in more gender-balanced industries have also struggled to imagine this feeling—the feeling of being the only one in the room.

In my case, I experienced this over the years as a woman working in senior leadership roles in industrial businesses.

You may experience this feeling for reasons other than gender.

Have you ever been the only one in the room?
Your perspective matters. I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences of navigating this space—whether tied to gender, background, or another dimension of identity.

Being the only one in the room is both a challenge and an opportunity. It requires resilience, presence, and grace. But it also provides a unique platform to inspire and create change. For me, the greatest measure of success is when we lift others up—until being “the only one” becomes a thing of the past.