Author: Eric Jelenje, PMP

Hi again!

It’s been an exciting last 2 months of delving into Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, highlighting how beneficial it can be for organisations seeking to sustain innovation and competitiveness, and, a sequenced overview of all the key aspects,  beginning with Diversity.

This month, we transition to the next waypoint, Equity.

To continue, I’ll use sport as an analogy. 

The list of sports I like to watch is quite diverse: football, tennis, basketball, golf.

A common question amongst fans has been who to rank as Greatest Sportsperson of All Time: Ali? Federer? Tiger? Serena? Graf? Jordan? Ronaldo? Messi? King? Navratilova?

Whoever your choice here, they each have a valid claim. 

As I’ve pondered over the debate, I have concluded that they all deserve a seat at the table. Let us appreciate them all for their respective talents and outstanding achievements. Give each one a VIP ticket to the “Greatest Of All Time” party.

This approach is the hallmark of Equity.

The global consulting firm Gallup coined a quite comprehensive description, explaining it as “fair treatment, access and advancement for each person”, accounting for “historical and socio-political factors that affect opportunities and experiences”, and addressing “peoples’ unique needs without one person or group having an unfair advantage over another”.

Another part of the conversation is the relationship between Equality and Equity, two words that are erroneously used interchangeably but are different. Referencing Gallup’s definition, Equality is fairness for all. However, Equity takes it further, recognising the distinctive circumstances, past and present, that would require a contextual approach to truly achieve that desired fairness.

You may have seen an Einstein-inspired cartoon online in which some animals are lined up for a test. To ensure “fairness”, a man instructs them to climb a tree, much to the bemusement of the fish, seal, dog and penguin. You can guess the monkey’s and bird’s reactions! In other words, Equality is the same tree-climbing test for each animal. With Equity, the swimming abilities of the seal, penguin, dog and fish would also be recognised and that would be tested too. 

This is a simple but powerful illustration highlighting how important Equity is to the DEI conversation. Put simply, by leaning on Diversity, achieving Equity ensures a level playing-field for all stakeholders.

How then can organisations ensure they move towards Equity?

Gallup advises conducting equity audits using 3 metrics, fairness, pay and opportunities for advancement . This often means asking the tough questions: Do our hiring practices favour all regardless of age, gender or ethnicity? Are our workplace policies flexible in supporting individual staff needs such as parenting and elderly care? Are our pay packages fair in rewarding expertise regardless of demographic? Do our staff at all levels feel they can progress career-wise within? 

Ultimately, if the results reveal a difference in outcomes between demographics, it is those circumstances that need to be addressed. Beyond diagnosing the issues, organisations should work on developing remedial actions that change the status quo: Pay parity, flexi-working, diversity-based recruitment and more.

When effective, striving for Equity will effectively complement the balance achieved through embracing Diversity. As with Diversity, achieving Equity will not happen overnight. As one blogger remarked, progress will be about steady improvements and not perfection. With Diversity across workforces and Equity through parity, organisations steadily build a platform for fostering a culture that makes everyone feel respected and comfortable to give their best.

This Inclusivity is our discussion for next month.

What are your experiences with and beliefs about Equity? 

Do you think it is an attainable objective? 

What have you noted about equity-driven organisations and vice versa? 

Food for thought!

See you in July!

Author: Thando Dube

VP Communications & Brand Development

Last month, I participated in the biggest running event in Lausanne, 20km de Lausanne alongside other volunteers from our PMI chapter.

 “If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon”, said Emil Zatopek, the legendary long-distance runner best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. We did not run a marathon, but this was an excellent team building experience that nurtured a positive impact on the PMI running Team.  This event has several race formats.  Each year, there are over 20 000 participants. Our team consisted of 7 participants from 5 different cantons. We had 4 runners participating in the 10km race and 3 runners in the 20km race respectively.

After several months of preparation for this event, I was thrilled to meet other team members just before the start of the race!  We had some brief introductions and we quickly put on our lovely running-shirts branded with PMI colors. We then took some photos and exchanged last minute running tips before heading off to the start line. The 20km runners started first followed by the 10km participants.  

Everyone had a good run besides the steep, uphill and downhill runs that make this race one of the most challenging urban running events! After the race, we got together as a team to share our running experience and most importantly to refuel! We had some drinks and food together! My takeaway from this experience is the bonding that has resulted from this event.  We have created a running group, and we regularly share tips and other information not only related to running but other daily interactions! We are already working on other different formats of running events to come. The group dynamics that we have created is helping us to work closer with each other on other PMI volunteering activities. I encourage other volunteers to join our running group, “you only need a pair of good running shoes and the desire to walk or run and to share your favorite drink with the team after the run”!

Finally, a big thank you to all the PMI running team members for the fun we had together, I look forward to our next race!  I extend my thanks also to all the volunteers that contributed to the preparation and organization of this event, Ala, Pia, Joachim and finally Leandro who did a great job in coordinating this event “Vielen Dank, Merci, Grazie, Thank you”! 

Author: Leandro Benda, PMP

 “Projects are the living proofs that a butterfly flapping its wings can lead to a tornado”

Michka Guerrier

On Thursday, April 27, 2023 took place in Geneva our live event “Resilience in project leadership - Tools from elite sports” in partnership with our sponsor PwC presented with great talent by Michka Guerrier, Director - Risk Consulting Leader Western Switzerland and Finance Transformation by PwC.

Michka is passionate about supporting individuals, teams and companies in reaching their fullest potential – and translating these into realities.

How does he pursue this purpose? He seeks the most interesting and proven knowledge, tools, methods, experiences from various disciplines such as fighting sports, scientific exploration, psychology and brings these to the people and companies he works with. 

the event started right away very strong with Michka who put some participants in real conditions from the beginning, the volunteers were asked to do the following exercise in the room:

• Push Ups
• set of 10 reps
• 2 breath cycles break between reps
• 2 min. max time

Through this practice, the usual cognitive process was shown:

• 1st set: Easy, fresh body and mind, intact motivation.
• 2nd set: Body starts to sweat; we start to feel the muscles.
• 3rd set: Difficulties starting/increasing, body vs. mind.

As a conclusion of this debrief, we can say that:

• The pain & struggle in our muscles is what makes them grow
• Muscle cell disruption is what triggers the growth!
• The aversion toward the challenge is a paradox.

 Do you think that Discomfort is an acceptable sensation? How can we work on this (in a fun manner)? Here are some ideas:

• Put yourself in discomfort e.g physical exercise, cold shower
• Implement this practice regularly
• Use mantras or affirmations which are supportive.

A particularly interesting concept was the Kintsugi, a Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with gold.

As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history and value of an object.

In conclusion, we can say that:

• Resilience, entrepreneurship & leadership are intrinsically connected.
• Disruption is part of growth.
• To progress towards goals, you need to want the challenge.
• To lead effectively, you need to connect challenges and goals within your team.
• Resilience is among other things to recognize that there will be difficulties and to be smart in suffering.

From butterfly to tornado – cherish your thoughts;

Idea -> Paper -> Plan -> Share and recruit -> Start / Implement / Build -> Grow and refine

Thank you for participating and don’t hesitate to take a look at our events via the link below:

https://pmi-switzerland.ch/index.php/events

Kind regards

Leandro Benda

Author: Joachim Dehais

VP Volunteers

Old habits die hard, and volunteers are undefeated. We have voted once more for our top volunteers this year, and I sure hope you were a contender.

Coming hot in the top 4 is Daniel Rodellar, who's been instrumental in our communications and particularly the newsletter. Next is our very own Martin Härri, who has kept the engine on high RPM for the conference and the Swiss Corporate Networking Group. Finally shines Valérie Pierre, who has grabbed the Zurich events team and run with it to new heights.

Each of them will receive a book, you know me, and having had our AMM in Bern, they could not avoid receiving Mandelbärli, either. Thank you, Daniel, Martin, and Valérie, for your engagement and company, it has been a pleasure, and I hope it will continue.

The volunteer of the year for 2022 is Leandro Benda! Leandro has shot up since he joined and has found a place in the heart of others with his great efforts and disposition. Leandro first gets this negotiation & supply game, to strengthen his skills while beating his friends. Second, a book on using your voice for good, a discussion we had when he arrived. Finally, I received access to an experimental tool from Rutgers business school. Leandro can now help us survive the geopolitical climate by training us on competitive supply chain management.

The President’s Award went to Prasanth Nair who was recognized for his long service to the Zurich events team, where he has been the event director from 2014 to 2022 after joining the chapter in 2009! “Prasanth made a difference for the Chapter and especially for the event region Zurich, which he led over the last 8 years,” said Stefan Vesenmeier, Chapter President 2022.

We also thank Thierry Altenhoven, Gessami Sanchez Olle and Benoîte Bargeton Grisouard who have contributed enormously before moving on last year. May your path be as bright and sweet as having you here was pleasant and productive.

Finally, we extend our thanks and gratitude to the board members who stepped down this year, Agnieszka Skalska, VP Brand Management & Development, Claudia Rassalski VP Finance and Pia Henzelmann, VP Events & PMIEF.

And with shameless self-promotion in mind, I hope you will be tempted to join us as a volunteer and participate in this grand adventure too.

Joachim