The Cheat Code: What Women Can Learn From Men About Navigating Power, Business, and Life.

Let’s be honest, as women, we’ve spent years ticking every box trying to be perfect. We’ve shown up early (smiling even), stayed late (also smiling), played by the rules (way too much!!), and still felt like we weren’t doing enough. Meanwhile, a Bafana, the boys? They’ve been out here playing the same game... with cheat codes. Now, this isn’t a dig at men thing, it’s a masterclass on how we can learn from them and y’all know I absolutely love giving a solid masterclass! As women, we need to rewire our systems and need to study the environment we’re in and learn how to move to win and win without dotting every “i” and crossing every “t”.

Dear Sis, this Women’s Month, I’m not here to give you flowers and lip gloss. I’m here to share with you the cheat codes, or at least what I’ve observed to be the effective strategies, for navigating this business and life. Let’s go.

Cheat Code 1: Grace Is the Ultimate Cheat Code

I have to start with Grace. We’re so hard on ourselves ladies. We walk into rooms second guessing our worth and that delays our dreams because we don’t “feel ready.”  We think we need to earn, prove, and outperform just to deserve the bare minimum. But here's the truth, men will take what they didn’t earn confidently. They’ll accept opportunities, titles, funding, and stages without flinching. And you know what? That’s biblical. That’s favour and grace.

Grace is receiving what you didn’t deserve. Favor is access that’s unearned in the flesh, but aligned in the Spirit. And as women, we need to start seeing ourselves the way God sees us, worthy, chosen, called, and equipped. You are already enough. Not because of what you’ve done, but because of whose you are. Take the seat. Accept the opportunity. Send the invoice. Launch the idea. Even if you don’t feel ready, girl, grace says you are.

Cheat Code 2: Audacity Pays

Men apply for roles they’re 60% ready for. They pitch ideas that aren’t fully baked. They walk into boardrooms like they own the place and sometimes, they leave owning it. Ladies, what we need to learn here is that you need to stop waiting for perfection. Show up with what you have. Audacity is actually a muscle therefore, please use it. The world rewards boldness, not overthinking.

Cheat Code 3: Build Your Own Circle

The boys’ club is real. It’s not just networking and mimosas;  it’s referrals, phone calls, last-minute favours, and doors opened behind closed doors. We honestly need to start building our own power circles beyond the Instagram selfies. We need to curate a sisterhood of women (and supportive men) who share opportunities, uplift each other, and say our names in rooms we haven’t entered yet. Trying to build without a solid network is difficult.

Cheat Code 4: Delegate Like a CEO

Men know how to say no. They outsource. They delegate. They protect their time and energy without apology. Sis, stop trying to be the hero in every WhatsApp group, boardroom, and kitchens. Your time is sacred. Free it up so you can focus on the things that multiply your value and not just your to-do list. I actually learnt this one during my MBA at Gibs. During our orientation period, one of the lectures said, “If there’s a year you’re going to need to delegate, it's this one.” I haven't looked back ever since then!!

Cheat Code 5: Monetise Everything

Even when they’re figuring it out, men know how to position themselves for profit. They’ll create a course, pitch a deal, or start a side hustle on vibes and beer. Your knowledge is worth something. Your voice, your skills, your lived experience, and you need to put a price on it. Package it. Promote it. Profit from it. Like I always say, “Pick my brain once you’ve paid the invoice.”

Cheat Code 6: Don’t Wait for Permission

Men don’t wait to be chosen. They choose themselves. Sis, stop waiting for someone to chose you from the crowd hey. Take initiative. Lead the meeting. Start the business. Pitch the partnership. You don’t need validation to move. Act like you belong; we’ve already established from Cheat Code 1 that you do.

Cheat Code 7: Play the Long Game

While women are often stuck proving we’re worth today’s salary, men are building equity, legacy, and generational wealth. We need to rewire ourselves to think long-term. Invest in assets, relationships, and strategy. We need to think beyond survival. We need to start building something that outlives us.

What do you need to do; Sis………Take What’s Yours with grace. Ladies, we don’t have time to be waiting. We don’t have time to be shrinking ourselves. We’re no longer trying to earn scraps at tables that weren’t even built for us. 

Because grace is already on your life. Now it’s time to act like it.

Stay blessed, 

The Business Doctor Keitumetse Lekaba