Rural Inclusiveness in Switzerland
Last week when on vacation in Ticino I was taking a morning hike while it was still cool. It was an amazing morning, blue skies, almost nobody around – pretty normal for 1400m and the pleasant sound of Swiss cow bells. As I turned a corner I realised that I was not the only person out there - the cows were also out for their morning constitutional – and were just as surprised to see me. Now I had always assumed that cows are nice docile animals – a bit big but docile – wrong! I was confronted by a very large fierce looking cow who glared at me. I was about to bypass her when she actively blocked my path and looked even more furious. A few seconds later the reason was obvious as a Disney like calf meandered into the picture, looked even more surprised, made cow like noises to Mama which roughly translated from Italian cowish to – Mom what the hell is she doing here! This is our territory…
So strategic thinkers start working out their options – reverse, stand ground and pray or advance. Being an animal lover I choose to reverse a bit and admire the flowers. This allowed calf plus mama to put a distance between us and for them to continue their journey
So what does this have to do with diversity and inclusion? Think for a moment about your professional environments. Well established professionals, who know the area, understand the rules of engagement; consider themselves owners of the area. Add in a few new recruits or even other professionals - who look different – gender, race, age, you pick. Could you imagine a scene like I just described? Ask yourself how inclusive is your company and professional environment. Do you glare at newcomers or welcome them….. What can organisations and people do to be more inclusive?
