#IWD2026 provided a wonderful moment of reflection this year.
I spent the evening with my family and 60,000 plus other fans cheering on our national soccer team as part of the Asian Cup. The atmosphere was extraordinary, with the collective energy that can move a stadium when community shows up together.
A (women’s) national team on the main event stage (Accor/Stadium Australia), broadcast live and free on prime-time TV (Channel 10), and tens and tens of thousands of fans in the stands (from all generations) and many more watching from home.
But what stuck with me the most was something that I examine from a very different context: the power of visibility in shaping how we recognise talent and value.
In my research, one pattern appears again and again. We tend to recognise, reward and invest in talent that we ‘see’.
Visibility shapes perception.
Perceptions shape decisions.
And decisions shape resource allocations and career progression.
That’s why moments like this matter. It’s not only about the results on the field, but also what games like this illustrate.
Experiences like these can help us recalibrate what ‘talent’ looks like.
When we see excellence and teamwork represented in this way, it reminds us that visibility is a salient step in including and advancing women’s voices and experiences.
Sometimes progress advances with a simple action: putting talent on the stage where everyone can see it.
Let me ask you then – whom are you going to put on the stage, so that others can ‘see’ their talent?
Sharna Wiblen 