Alright listen, top skills women need to succeed in today’s world are honestly the same ones that make me want to hide under my blanket sometimes. I’m sitting here in my apartment outside Philly, it’s January 2026, the radiator is making this weird ticking noise, my toddler just learned to say “why” 47 times in a row, and I’m trying to write this while pretending I have my shit together. Spoiler: I don’t. But I’ve fallen on my face enough times in the last couple years that I’ve accidentally learned a few things that actually moved the needle. So here’s my messy, not-very-polished list of top skills women need to succeed right now.
Why the Top Skills Women Need to Succeed Keep Changing (and Why It’s Exhausting)
Everything moves so fast. One day it’s “learn TikTok for personal branding,” next day it’s “AI will replace you if you don’t prompt-engineer your grocery list.” I tried ignoring AI for like six months in 2025 because it felt like homework I didn’t sign up for. Big mistake. Now I use it every day and I still feel like an imposter half the time.
I was reading this 2025 Deloitte report on women leaders the other night (couldn’t sleep, surprise) and it basically says flexible skills and emotional resilience matter more than ever because support systems at work are shrinking again. Great. So we’re back to doing it ourselves.
1. Emotional Intelligence + Not Taking Shit Personally (still working on this one)
This is probably still the #1 of top skills women need to succeed. Not because we’re naturally better at feelings (eye roll), but because the workplace is still full of people who interrupt, mansplain, and then act shocked when you call it out.
Last week in a cross-functional sync I let this guy talk over me three times. Then I just said, super calm, “I’m going to finish my point now, thanks.” Room went quiet. I immediately thought I’d ruined my career. Turns out people respected it. Who knew?
- Try the “repeat back” trick when someone’s being weird. “So what I’m hearing is…” Works weirdly well.
- Have one go-to boundary phrase. Mine is “I can’t respond to that right now but I’ll circle back tomorrow.” Saves my sanity.
- When you do lose it and snap, apologize once, then move on. Don’t spiral for three days like I used to.
2. Basic AI & Tech Confidence (I’m begging you, start now)
If you’re not playing with AI tools yet, you’re already behind. I know it sounds dramatic but I’ve seen women get passed over for projects because the other person could just ask Claude to summarize 40-page reports in 30 seconds.
I literally started by typing “explain prompt engineering like I’m 12” into ChatGPT at 1 a.m. Felt dumb. Now I use it to rewrite emails so I don’t sound passive-aggressive when I’m actually furious. Progress.
There’s a decent free course on Coursera about AI for everyone that doesn’t make you want to die. Do it.
3. Adaptability (aka Rolling With the Punches Without Crying in the Bathroom)
My company did a surprise re-org in October. My role changed three times in six weeks. I wanted to quit every single day. Instead I just kept learning whatever new tool they threw at us. Sucked. But I’m still here.
Adaptability is one of those top skills women need to succeed that nobody wants to admit is mostly just surviving repeated disappointment with grace (or at least faking it).
4. Self-Advocacy & Asking For What You’re Owed
I negotiated a raise in November and almost threw up beforehand. Hands shaking, voice cracking, the whole embarrassing package. Got 12% + extra PTO days. Worth every second of panic.
Read this Ask a Manager post about negotiation scripts if you need a cheat sheet. Helped me not sound like I was begging.
5. Continuous Learning Without Burning Out
I used to think I had to read 17 books a month to stay relevant. Now I just pick one thing every quarter and go deep-ish. Less overwhelm, better retention.
Also forgive yourself for falling behind. The pace is insane. Nobody is keeping up perfectly.
Final Ramble
So yeah, those are the top skills women need to succeed from where I’m sitting—half-caf cold brew gone wrong, kid napping (finally), trying to adult in 2026. Emotional smarts, AI comfort, rolling with chaos, asking for money, learning forever without imploding. I’m mediocre at all of them most days. But I’m still here, still moving.
