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Hi everyone, here is Ricardo Vargas, and this is the 5 Minutes Podcast. Today, on International Women's Day, I want to start by greeting all women who listen to this podcast. But at the same time, I also want to use this data to go beyond a simple tribute and talk about projects. And more specifically, I want to talk about why better projects do not come from uniformity. Better projects come when different voices are present, respected, and truly heard. And this has everything to do with the role of women in projects. Over decades, working with projects across countries and sectors and challenges, I saw that projects do not fail only because of technical problems. They fail because teams start thinking the same way, looking at risks through the same lenses, and making decisions based on the same references. And when that happens, the project loses quality, sensitivity, and future vision. Uniformity can create a false sense of alignment, but in reality, it often reduces the team’s ability to notice what really matters, complex projects. They need contrast. They need different backgrounds, different experiences, and different ways of seeing the same situation. And that's why the participation of women matters so much. And not because it sounds good, and not because it checks a box in your diversity policy, but because diversity of perspective improves decision quality. It improves risk analysis, communication, and the way we manage and engage stakeholders. In many environments, there is still a limited view of the role of women in projects, as if recognition were only a matter of fairness. But it's not that. It's not. It's about performance, collective intelligence, and results. When women can participate fully in challenging ideas, leading, agreeing, disagreeing, and influencing decisions, our projects become stronger. They become more complete because they include more points of view. And the more complex the project is, the more important that becomes. Think about a major organization transformation, a large infrastructure project, technology implementation, or a crisis response. If decisions are always made from the same leadership profile and the same way of reading the context, the risk of blindness grows dramatically. The team may become efficient at execution, but weeks for reflection. And this is dangerous, and many times, a catastrophic result can come from that. Because a project is not only about schedule, cost, and delivery, it's about perception, relationship, and influence. How do we read weak signals? How do we anticipate resistance and understand what people are not saying clearly in their words? Very often, women help to expand that reading in ways that make a true difference. And of course, I'm not saying that there is only one single female way of leading our work. This would be a stereotype. Women are not a homogeneous group. Each professional has her own style, background, and personality. And this is magic. But the point here is different. Diverse environments reduce the risk of one-dimensional thinking. And one-dimensional thinking is one of the greatest enemies of successful projects. And another point is all about recognition. Many women in projects still face a quiet challenge. They make critical contributions, but they do not always receive the same visibility, the same space, or the same natural recognition that I receive as a male on their authority. And that creates losses for everyone. And not only for them, but for the project as well, every time a valuable contribution is minimized, the whole team becomes weaker. Every time a competent voice is ignored, the decision gets worse. Every time someone has to spend too much energy proving she deserves a seat at the table, there is less energy left to create value. So, on this International Women's Day, maybe the most important reflection for anyone working with projects is very simple. In my project, are women only present, or are they truly influencing the direction of the decisions? Do they have room to disagree, to lead, to make mistakes, and learn just like anyone else? Do they have a room to be recognized for what they deliver? Because real inclusion is not about counting how many people are in the room. It's about understanding who truly has a voice inside that room. And this applies everywhere, to companies, governments, not-for-profit boards, and any team that wants to deliver better projects. As I always say, projects are made of people. And if they are made up of people, they care about both the limits and the richness of human relationships. When we create an environment that is more open, respectful, and diverse, we are not only doing the right thing. We are increasing the intelligence of our project, improving innovation, strengthening execution, and building better results. So today my message is congratulations to all wonderful women on your day. And thank you for the competence, courage, presence, and influence you bring to so many projects, often in very challenging environments. And for all of us who lead teams, here is the invitation. Let's stop treating diversity as a decorative topic, and let's start treating it as it really is. An essential condition for better projects and better results. I hope you enjoy this podcast. Congratulations to all women one more time, and see you next week with another 5 Minutes Podcast.
