By Juliane Marie Neiiendam
We all recognise talent when we see it. Or do we?
We tend to have an image of what a successful leader or entrepreneur looks like: confident, decisive, ambitious, perhaps a little outspoken. But what happens when talent comes in different packaging?
Have you ever suggested an idea in a meeting, only to hear it praised when someone else repeated it? Have you been trusted to do the work, but not considered the right person to lead it?
Many women will recognise these experiences. Many men will have witnessed them, too.
Years ago, I was told I didn’t have “the balls” to lead a major project. A male colleague was appointed instead. I ended up doing much of the work, but without the leadership title.
The lesson stayed with me: sometimes the barrier is not a lack of talent, but our expectations of what leadership should look like. And those expectations are not held only by men. Women can also overlook other women’s potential. None of us is immune to assumptions.
As an engineer, I was trained to examine why systems fail to deliver the results we expect. When discussing women’s careers, however, we often examine the women instead. Be more confident. Negotiate harder. Build better networks.
Perhaps we should examine how opportunities are distributed.
Some people are offered opportunities because others believe in their potential. Others must prove their competence before they are considered.
Who gets encouraged to apply? Whose ideas are heard? Who gets invited into the room where decisions are made?
The same questions apply to entrepreneurship. A woman may have a promising business idea but struggle to access finance, mentoring or networks. She may be asked how she will manage her family responsibilities while a man is asked how quickly he plans to expand.
In Italy, these questions are particularly urgent. Italy has a remarkable tradition of small businesses and entrepreneurship, yet women’s employment remains among the lowest in the EU. In 2025, only 58% of Italian women aged 20–64 were employed, compared with 71.3% across the EU.
And behind those figures are everyday choices that are not always freely made: whether childcare is available, who cares for an ageing parent, who can stay late to meet a client, and who has time to develop a business idea.
At the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), I work on gender equality and inclusive entrepreneurship because these challenges are connected. Entrepreneurship can bring independence, innovation and social inclusion. But it cannot fulfil that promise if opportunity depends on who you are, whom you know or how much unpaid care you carry.
Our work on inclusive entrepreneurship looks at how people facing barriers can start and grow businesses. Our work on the EU’s Gender Equality Strategy 2026–2030 addresses the conditions shaping economic independence, caring responsibilities and participation in decision-making.
The EESC’s particular strength is bringing employers, workers and civil society together. We can hear where good intentions fail in practice and translate those experiences into recommendations for European policy. A policy that looks equal on paper does not necessarily create equal opportunities in real life.
That means practical action: fairer access to finance, open professional networks, transparent recruitment and promotion, and affordable care services. It also means questioning the assumptions behind our decisions.
This is not about blaming men, or women. It is about recognising that everyone can mistake familiarity for ability.
Inclusion is not the opposite of excellence. It is one of the ways we achieve it.
As an engineer, I know the value of standards when designing reliable systems. But people are not standardised components. Different experiences, perspectives and ways of thinking are part of their value.
So the next time we choose a leader, back an entrepreneur or listen to an idea, we should ask ourselves: am I recognising this person’s abilities, or judging the packaging?
The question is not whether women have what it takes to lead. It is whether we are prepared to recognise leadership when it looks different from what we expect.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
