Episode transcript The transcript is generated automatically by Podscribe, Sonix, Otter and other electronic transcription services.
Hi everyone, here is Ricardo Vargas, and this is the 5 Minutes Podcast. Today I want to talk about something that is deeply rooted in our culture, at least in my culture. It's the Brazilian way of doing things, so our Brazilian creativity. We are known around the globe for our ability to solve problems with practically no resources and a lot of clever thinking. This ingenuity is one of the greatest strengths, and I truly admire the teams I work with in Brazil, which has a lot of this creativity and this ability to sort out problems in an innovative way. But like any strength, all of these become very dangerous when they're taken too far. I'm talking about the famous “Jeitinho Brasileiro” that clever workaround, that last-minute solution, that shortcut. We love to celebrate the Brazilian way of doing things. Who hasn't seen someone fix a technical issue with a piece of duct tape, or a piece of wire, or a nap that wasn't meant for that task? This is amazing. But the problem begins when these workarounds stop being exceptional and start becoming the standard.
Let me tell you a story I heard when I was a child. A glass installer was working on a small job and forgot to bring the putty needed to secure the glass. The client was angry and waiting. The schedule was very tight, and the glass worker didn't want to come back another day. So what did he do? He took the chewing gum from his mouth and used it to hold the glass in place. And surprisingly, it worked. He finished the job, and the client never noticed that. But the next day, while writing his supply list for another small project, he added chewing gum instead of proper putty. The improvisation became the standard practice. This is where the danger of the “Jeitinho Brasileiro” comes into place. It's a start as a creative hack.
A quick fix and slowly turns into a habit, a method, and even more, a mindset. In projects, this shows up in sloppy documentation, rush at timelines, and teams constantly winging in, instead of aligning properly, we start confusing adaptability with a permanent improvisation mode. And yes, look. Please don't misunderstand me, flexibility is absolutely critical. Projects are fluid in nature, and this is a big asset. But responsible adaptation is not the same as living in constant emergency mode. A project that runs on “Jeitinho Brasileiro” all the time is always one step away from collapse. It's like building a bridge out of popsicle sticks. It may hold up for now, but no one should walk across it. And the worst part? These shortcuts often feel rewarding. They made us feel fast, resourceful, and even heroic. But behind that rush is often a lack of planning, weak structure, and the fear of saying these will not work as is. As project leaders, we must honor creativity but channel it towards sustainable solutions and not duct tape fixes. Because real project maturity isn't about celebrating last-minute saves; it's about building systems that don't need them. Let's embrace our innovation, but never let it replace a structured process and even more professionalism. Think about that. I hope you enjoy this episode and see you next week, with another 5 Minutes Podcast.
