There’s a piece of advice I once heard that’s stuck with me: “Act like you belong in the room, and everyone will believe you do.”

It sounds simple, maybe even a little bold. But over the years, I’ve come to realise how powerful it really is, especially for women in tech, for people stepping into leadership roles, and for anyone who has ever second-guessed whether they’re “ready enough” or “qualified enough” to take their seat at the table.

I’ve walked into plenty of rooms where I was the only woman, The youngest person, The one with the least grey hair, The one juggling leadership and motherhood, The one asking, “Why are we doing it this way?” instead of nodding along.

And for a long time, I thought I needed to prove myself every time. I thought I had to know more, do more, and be better, constantly. I put pressure on myself to be perfect before I even opened my mouth.

But here’s the truth: If you’re in the room, you belong there. You don’t have to wait for someone else to validate your worth or your voice. The door opened because of what you bring. And confidence doesn’t mean having all the answers, it means being comfortable asking the right questions.

I’ve learned that confidence is contagious. When you speak with conviction, even if it’s just conviction in your curiosity, others pay attention. People take cues from you. When you act like you belong in the room, they rarely question it… because why would they? You’re leading with intention. You’re showing up fully. That’s powerful.

And while we’re talking about being in the room, let’s talk about what often stops us from speaking up once we’re there: Perfection.

We hold back until we’ve dotted every ‘i’, read every angle, tested every scenario. We want our ideas to be bulletproof before we share them. But perfection is the enemy of good.

So many great ideas never make it to the table because someone was afraid they weren’t perfect yet. So many valuable contributions stay hidden behind “just one more revision.” So many meetings end with the loudest voice in the room winning, not the best idea, just the most confident one.

In tech and in business, “good enough to start” is not a weakness, it’s a strength. Because the best solutions evolve. The best designs iterate. The best teams learn in motion, not in theory.

As a solution architect, I’ve rarely seen a project succeed because it was perfect on paper. It succeeds because we got started. Because we tested, adapted, and listened. Because we worked together, stayed open, and kept moving forward, even if things weren’t flawless.

Progress matters more than polish. Momentum matters more than control.

So here’s my reminder, for you and for me: Don’t let the fear of not being perfect keep you quiet. Don’t wait until you feel 100% ready to raise your hand, ask the question, or suggest the change. And don’t shrink yourself to fit someone else’s version of what a “leader,” “architect,” or “expert” looks like.

You are the voice we need. You are the perspective that makes the room better. And the more you trust that, the more others will too.