This week, women in Solar+ Europe give a voice to Patricia Dárez, director of the 350 -renewal in Spain. She explains that one of the most persistent stereotypes about women in leadership is that emotion has no room in professional environments. “Emotions are worried about the work we do, the people we do with and the future we form,” she says.
Were the solar and related industries an opportunity to cherish equality, diversity and inclusion? Absolutely – but not for the reasons why people often accept.
Diversity is not a goal in itself. In our sector, as with most others, we are here to solve problems. The more perspectives and lived experiences that we bring to the table, the more effective we can remove our prejudices and achieve better, smarter solutions. That is what real inclusion unlocks: collective intelligence.
During my career I have seen how powerful that can be – and how often it is missed. One of the most persistent stereotypes about women in leadership is that emotion has no room in professional environments. I find that deeply misleading. Emotions are not liability. They are what makes us the work we do, the people we do with and the future we form.
We have spent too long believing that professionalism requires emotional detachment. In reality, the connection forms the core of leadership. Passion is not something to suppress; It is something to channel. If we want workplaces that are resilient, collaborative and targeted, we must allow humanity in the room.
While I was progressing in my career, I learned that vulnerability is not weakness either. It is a sign of courage. Being able to say: “I could have done better”, or “I was wrong”, first for yourself and then to your team, is a powerful act of leadership. It is how we grow, not despite our imperfections, but because we own them.
In a recent conversation I was struck by how deeply embedded gender predisposition is still in our systems. There is really not that much of what we regard as ‘neutral’, from office policy to city planning. It often assumes that the generic standard is male.
Take something basic as work flexibility. Full -time presence in the office is often seen as standard and gender neutral. Yet it does not take care responsibilities that disproportionately fall on women, or for life stages such as pregnancy, breastfeeding or menopause.
Even our safety equipment reflects this supervision. Personal protective equipment, routinely labeled as unisex, is rarely designed with women in mind. PPE poorly fitting is more than uncomfortable is a safety risk. Women are not only smaller versions of men; They have different body shapes that need to be justified.
This supervision extends to how we are treated and evaluated. I remember that I was flown by continents to present four years of data, even though I had been to the company for less than a year and had inherited a bad record system. I did the best what I could do with what I had. Still two slides inside, I was publicly closed by a senior director. A male colleague who, much less prepared and with his back to the public, received no criticism at all.
That moment left me stunned. But I tackled it calmly, and when a similar incident happened months later, I walked away. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. We owe ourselves to work in environments that respect our contributions and our dignity.
Nowadays I believe that one of the most effective ways we can support the next generation of women is by appearing with different leadership styles. Visibility is important. When I see it, I can be. And mentoring when done with intention-can life-changing.
Men also play a role. Most are not against equality; They are simply not aware of the daily barriers with which women are confronted. When we train male leaders to recognize and tackle these invisible obstacles, they become allies – champions of change – and so we transform the culture.
In essence, leadership is about connection: to people, the goal and to make progress. And that starts with allowing ourselves – and others – to lead with heart.
Patricia is a director of 350 Renewables, a boutique advice agency with offices in Chile and Spain that specializes in technical and commercial advice with focus in Latin -America and Europe. She also works as part of the business development team of our footprints, an engineering firm in the UK. She has more than 20 years of experience in renewable energy sources, including leadership positions, such as Country Manager of DNV (Energy) and also Vector Renewable Energy Sources (Asset Management) in Chile and Director and Vice President of the renewable energy sources and storage association. She is an aviation engineer from the University of Bristol, UK.
Interested in becoming a member Patricia Dárez And other leaders and experts in industry at women in Solar+ Europe? More information: www.wiseu.network
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