I sense someone hovering at the door, purposefully left half open for my open-door, we're-doing- this-together vibes and half closed because I'm buried in a report that is just not hanging right. It's our IT manager, coming to check in on my laptop that is forever giving me grief. As he talks, my fin- gers find the keyboard and I quickly reply to a WhatsApp from home 'yes, it is ok that the cat wants more food'.

"Let me have a look at the settings,' he offers.

I give him space to "drive" and quickly dash down the hall to check whether my invoice was issued.

On the way, I send a quick Happy Birthday voice-note to my child's friend's mom. Later as I drive home, I press play to continue my podcast, grabbing a moment to stay abreast of the world I feel increasingly isolated from.

I interrupt myself to make a quick call to my mom, whom I just don't get around to calling enough, fol- lowed by another to the florist to say I should be there before they close traffic permitting.

At home, I put the kettle on, fire up the laptop, check the children's homework and graciously lend an ear to the man of the house's work- ing day.

And so it goes.

I know that you have recog- nised yourself in this. The constant demands of the moment, the day and it seems, the year - even the past few decades.

A purpose-driven life. Or so it seems.

We can multitask ourselves into megatasking and back before breakfast. It is this ability to do so much and attend to such disparate demands of the day all of them important that women celebrate as their natural strength and talent.

As women we understand that all this is important to allow for a pur- pose-driven life. We understand that if your child is struggling at school, it is difficult to give your full atten- tion to an important conversation at work. We know that if your head is pounding, it is hard to care whether that invoice was issued correctly, incorrectly or not at all.

Research suggests these are some of the reasons female leaders (about two-thirds of whom have children) do well in senior leadership roles. We can empathise because our own child has struggled. We can collaborate because we know we can't do it alone. We can be servant leaders because we've stayed behind to mop up after everyone has gone home and the balloons are hanging limp after the party. When you read Dan- iel Goleman's work and that of oth- ers on leadership styles, women are all over it. We live it; we don't learn it only at university.

Women are increasingly asked to lead turnaround projects, drive inno- vations and build healthy company cultures where everyone's eye is on the prize the same prize.

That of building companies that are successful. Then all of us can be successful and all of us can be part of the healthy, thriving environments of our communities, companies, schools, homes, bedrooms and back- yards. When organisations thrive, so do their people. And organisations that support the needs of women, who make up about half of their workforce, are more likely to succeed than those who don't.

Over the past decades, there has been a steady increase in female rep- resentation at senior management level. Today about 35% of executive positions are held by women. South Africa stands out, with near gender parity at 47% female representation in executive roles, about a third of whom are black women.

That doesn't surprise me. Women want to participate at the forefront of the economy, where our intellectual ability and talent can find a home and flourish, despite megatasking all the other aspects of our lives.

And that is pretty cool. But you might find, upon closer inspection, that it has been a while since you baked cookies with your children to contribute to the school fund- raiser. Perhaps you were the one who stopped at the store to buy those deli- cious little cupcakes because they were convenient. Before you know it, the many balls you're juggling are company balls rather than com- munity or family ones. It happens quickly and quietly.

Here's my caveat to young female leaders: don't lose yourself in it all. Don't build only the "I'm a leader, I'm needed" muscle at the expense of the I'm-me-I live-I-love-I'm wanted muscle.

Because, as a dear friend reminded me recently, the graveyard is filled with irreplaceable leaders.

Adri Marais is the CEO of non- profit organisation, Christel House South Africa and a recipient of the Mail&Guardian Power of Women 2025.