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Leading While Dismissed: How to Cope When You're Undermined at Work

Hello, I'm Nada.


I work with women who are navigating complex workplace challenges

especially when those challenges are quiet, subtle, and hard to name.


Conflict at work is challenging, but when it comes from someone above you, like your CEO, it can feel personal and defeating.

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As a Vice-President, you may be used to leading with confidence and clarity. But what happens when you notice a pattern where your work is overlooked, your ideas are dismissed, and your presence in meetings is reduced to silence?


This is what undermining often looks like. It’s subtle, ongoing, and deeply disempowering.


According to workplace experts, undermining includes behaviors like withholding information, excluding you from decision-making, publicly criticizing you, or subtly devaluing your expertise (1800TheLaw, n.d.; Indeed Editorial Team, 2023).


It can also involve tone policing, sarcastic comments, or sabotaging your credibility behind the scenes, even from someone above you on the organizational chart (Lead From Any Seat, n.d.).


When these behaviors come from the person who holds the most institutional power, it can leave you feeling trapped, second-guessing yourself, and unsure of how to move forward ➡️.

The Weight Women Carry in Leadership


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Gender bias and inequity make these experiences heavier for women, especially in fields where leadership is still male-dominated.


Studies have shown that women leaders are more likely to be judged as “too emotional,” “too assertive,” or “not collaborative enough,” even when they’re simply doing their jobs (Filut, Alvarez, & Carnes, 2021).

Undermining From the Top: What It Can Look Like


Let’s take a closer look at some of the behaviors you might be facing:


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  • Being excluded from key conversations or meetings

  • Having your ideas repeated and credited to someone else

  • Public criticism or backhanded compliments

  • Leadership decisions are being reversed without notice

  • Sabotaging your authority with your team

  • Taking credit for your work or insight

  • Micromanaging or subtly devaluing your judgment


When the behavior comes from someone in a position of power, it becomes even harder to challenge, and the emotional toll can become debilitating.

The Emotional Fallout


Being consistently undermined, especially when it’s subtle or brushed off by others, can leave you feeling:

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  • Doubtful of your judgment

  • Isolated from colleagues

  • Anxious about meetings or interactions

  • Less creative or motivated

  • Burned out and emotionally exhausted


Indeed (2023) highlights that employees facing these patterns often struggle to stay engaged or productive. When women are socialized to avoid conflict, they may internalize blame or question their worth instead of naming the harm done to them.

You Are Not Overreacting

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If you’re in this situation, I want to say this clearly:


👉 You are not imagining it

.👉 You are not too sensitive.

👉 You are not “difficult.”


You're navigating a dynamic that is unfair and emotionally draining, and I want you to know that it’s okay to feel upset, frustrated, or even broken down by it.

How I Can Support You


At Nada Johnson Consulting and Counselling Services, I work closely with women who are navigating the emotional weight of toxic workplace dynamics. Whether it’s persistent tension with a CEO, silent undermining, or open hostility masked as “feedback,” I’m here to help you process it and reclaim your power.


Here’s what support with me looks like:


  • A safe space to tell your story without judgment or pressure.

  • Gentle validation and reflection to help you see clearly what’s happening.

  • Strategies for boundary-setting and self-protection in environments that may not change overnight.

  • Coping tools to reduce burnout, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion.

  • Empowerment work that helps you reconnect with your confidence, leadership style, and values.


Because of my experience working with organizations on gender equality, sexual assault, harassment, and equity training, I understand not only the emotional toll this takes but also the structural reasons why these dynamics exist.


I bring both clinical expertise and a cultural understanding to our work together.

You Deserve Respect


💗 You should not have to work twice as hard to be heard. You should not have to brace yourself before every meeting. And you should not have to do this alone.


If you're experiencing conflict at work that’s rooted in power, bias, or subtle undermining, reach out. Whether you're trying to figure out what to do next or simply need someone to say, “I see what’s happening to you,” I’m here 🫶.


🪷You are not alone. And this situation does not define your worth.🪷


📧 Contact me at info@nadajohnsonservices.com if this message spoke to you.



Kind Regards,


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Nada Johnson, MSW, RSW

Registered Social Worker, Psychotherapist / trained Family Mediator / EMDR Trained Therapist / Certified Racial Trauma Clinician / Mental Health & Sexual Violence Consultant / Professional Speaker



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Nada Johnson Consulting & Counselling Services - Online phone and video sessions available

Village Healing Centre: 240 Roncesvalles Avenue

C: 437-887-6146


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📚 References

Canadian Medical Association. (2023). Equity and diversity in medicine. https://www.cma.ca/physician-wellness-hub/content/equity-and-diversity-medicine

Doctors of B.C. (2023). New policy statement addresses gender equity in medicine. https://www.doctorsofbc.ca/policy/2023/new-policy-statement-addresses-gender-equity-medicine

Filut, A., Alvarez, M., & Carnes, M. (2021). Inequity and women physicians: Time to change millennia of bias. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 36(6), 1701–1705. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-020-06252-6

Indeed Editorial Team. (2023). What to do when you're being undermined at work. Indeed. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/undermined-at-work

Lead From Any Seat. (n.d.). The danger of undermining your peers—including your boss. https://leadfromanyseat.com/blog/f/the-danger-of-undermining-your-peers—including-your-boss


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Want More Support for Your Professional & Personal Growth?

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We support clients with:

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