Leading before 25: The young female managers starting early to become girl bosses

If you’re a woman, there’s probably a high chance that society will not see you as leader or CEO material. Yes, your friends, family, coworkers, and strangers may see you that way. But the rest of the world probably won’t.

What’s worse is that if you’re not 30, you’ll most definitely not be considered for managerial roles.

The median age of female general and operation managers is 42.1, according to Team Stage. 

But, there’s a growing group of young female managers who are bucking this trend.

For most 20-year-olds, managing a team isn’t top of mind. Who would want to, anyway? The idea of assigning tasks, ensuring team members get their work done, or making the final call is exhausting. 

Over half (52%) of Gen Z workers report that they don’t want to be middle managers, and 72% would instead take an individual route to progression rather than manage others, according to a study by Robert Walters.

That’s not all; 69% of Gen-Z say being in middle management is too high-stress with low rewards.

For today’s young professionals, it’s more about following and surviving, but Yaqi Luo, 24, and Lemon Yuan, 23, share that age can work against you just as much as it can work for you in the working world — especially as a female manager or founder.

Every journey to become a young female manager is unique

From quiet Chinese town to studying finance at Tianjin University

Luo grew up in a quiet town in China, far from the hustle and bustle of a major city. But thanks to her father, a physics professor, she had access to something even better — books. And lots of them.

“I have more than 2,000 books in my house. I know that because I actually counted and numbered them,” she says. 

Her mother, on the other hand, was a “super adventurous” woman. With only a middle school education, she started as a junior factory worker and climbed her way up to become a sales director at a multinational corporation.

Inspired by both her parents, Luo took charge of her future. At just 12 years old, she decided to leave home for a better education.

“I read so many books and learned about different cultures and geographies; this made me want to explore things independently,” says Luo, who would later go on to study undergraduate finance at Tianjin University.

Living and learning in multiple countries

Born and raised in Zhanjiang, a coastal city in Southern China, Yuan knew she was bound for more beyond the ocean she was surrounded by.

Interested in business and real-world innovation, she pursued a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Analytics at Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST). 

However, getting just an undergraduate degree was not enough. Straight out of MUST, she decided to get a Master’s in Management at INSEAD, which allowed her to study in three countries: France, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi.

“Graduating from INSEAD is one achievement; I also have internship experiences at leading tech companies such as ByteDance, Keeta, Microsoft, and Lenovo,” says Yuan.

Today, she is a professional with a strong background in business and technology, a passion for women’s rights and environmental conservation, and an active engagement in events that promote positive change and awareness in these areas.

The callenges of young female managers are many and diverse

Deep, old, unmoving gender biases

It’s no secret that the tech industry is predominantly male. It’s also no secret that female managers have it harder because of this.

“People naturally think the men are the leaders,” says Luo. “For example, whenever my team member (male) and I meet with external partners or investors, they will always direct their questions to him.”

This was confusing for her. “I’m the one with the information,” she says.

But Luo doesn’t let this phase her. “In the end, they will know that I am the one making the decisions,” she shares. “And it’s their loss because they will waste time figuring out who is the one who can actually help them.”

Not being taken seriously, not having their strengths seen

Yuan is a testament that women are not taken seriously and people lack the understanding that having female managers benefits tech organisations.

“Women can play key roles in creating a more harmonious vibe, and through their resilience, it can form a cohesive environment, which is important in any company, especially a start-up,” she shares.

“Females also have unique strengths and values that men don’t have — particularly, human perspectives. Start-ups are fast-paced environments, and you don’t know if you’ll succeed from a company’s point of view. So having a woman leader can create a resilient environment.”

The benefits of a Master’s in Management

To understand the world

Luo’s business journey had an early start. As an undergraduate, she founded a tech startup focused on AI applications.

Over two years, she led a team of over 30 peers that developed multiple products, reaching nearly one million users. Before that, she was a product manager.

But as exciting as it was, running a startup wasn’t easy. Managing a team and dealing with business partners was a new challenge for Luo, so she pursued a Master’s in Management and was “lucky” to enrol at INSEAD.

“I think business has a universal power, because all people, all countries, do business,” she says. “It has a very soft power that brings change to different societies.”

This global impact is why it was important for Luo to interact with people or cultures from different countries firsthand, which she got to do with INSEAD in France, Abu Dhabi, and Singapore.

More appropriate for a fresh graduate than an MBA

It’s not every day you’ll hear someone say they joined a university because of their role model.

For Yuan, that was all the convincing she needed to pursue a Master’s in Management at INSEAD.

Iris Chow, an entrepreneur in climate change and an INSEAD MBA graduate, sealed the deal for Yuan. It was during her internship at Capture that she first met Chow, who was the CEO and co-founder of Capture at the time. 

“I met her during the visionary leadership, and I had to interact with her daily. I watched her transform ideas into actual, impactful solutions. It was inspiring that I decided to join INSEAD,” says Yuan.

“She’s my role model and one of the most important mentors to me. She was the person who solidified my belief that businesses can be a force for good and create meaningful change.”

While Chow completed an MBA, Yuan decided that the course did not fit her goals at this point in time. She was a fresh graduate and less than two years of professional experience, or as she says, “I’m not a seasoned professional who was looking for a career transition”. 

That’s where the Master’s in Management comes in — a master’s programme perfect for a fresh graduate looking to understand management on a deeper level.

Best INSEAD courses that help young female managers

Leadership Bootcamp

One of Luo’s most memorable experiences at INSEAD was the Leadership Bootcamp in Fontainebleau. When it was her turn to lead, her team had to build a bridge to move objects from one side to another.

It wasn’t just the task that made it difficult; she was new to a fully English-speaking environment.

“I was really afraid to speak up because I felt uncomfortable giving instructions to people I didn’t really know well,” she says.

Unfortunately, she failed the task. But she took her failure as a learning point. “My tutor told me it’s okay to give instructions in these situations because, as the leader, my job is to get things done,” she says.

“People will understand, and I shouldn’t feel uncomfortable focusing on the goal instead of just trying to act like a leader.”

Data science

Every course Yuan took at INSEAD helped her become a better leader; however, it was the data science course that changed her for the better.

No one would consider data science a ‘leader-shaping’ course for young female managers, but for Yuan, it was “transformative”.

“I completed a degree in business analytics before joining INSEAD. And when I was participating in group projects for my data science classes, I was the only member well-versed in the subject,” she shares. 

“Due to my knowledge of the subject, I was given a key role in the team.”

It motivated Yuan to become more involved and learn how to lead a team of individuals unfamiliar with the subject. While guiding her teammates, she also needed to translate raw data into actionable narratives and mitigate the differences between technical and non-technical stakeholders.

She did everything a manager needed to do.

Through the data science course, she learned that modern leadership isn’t about having all the answers and assigning tasks but also about illuminating a path for teammates to walk confidently.

Advice from young female managers

Just do it

Finding success in a male-dominated industry isn’t easy, but Luo believes it shouldn’t stop women from dreaming big.

“I really encourage more women to study business. It’s actually something useful, for both career and personal growth,” she says.

And you don’t have to worry about feeling alone. “All of the female managers and peers I’ve met are wonderful, very confident, and incredibly supportive of one another,” shares Luo.  

As for the future, Luo hopes to see more women from diverse backgrounds in business—not just in economics and finance, but also in fields like engineering.

“The more diverse experiences and expertise we bring, the better leaders we become because we truly understand the industry,” she says.

Be confident and don’t forget to network

There are two things that Lemon believes in when thinking about becoming a manager — confidence and networking.

Securing a managerial job isn’t easy for a woman, but having confidence in yourself, even if you have the skills to become one, can help you overcome this.

“I had female friends ask me for advice on getting management roles in tech, but I had to be honest and say that they needed confidence as they were lacking in it, and it was very apparent,” Yuan shares. “It was mainly because of their gender and not because of their experience, abilities, or achievements.”

Networking is key for any job, but for her, interacting with others can help you brush up on several skill sets while demonstrating your strengths.

“Attend social events or even career fairs; sometimes, you may bump into people who might recognise or acknowledge you,” says Yuan.

“You’ll get to interact with seasoned professionals, and you can showcase what you can do.”