Learning To Be Switzerland on Neutral Ground In Geneva
Learning never exhausts the mind.
Often, when I’m enjoying an event or exploring a place, I forget that I’m learning at the same time. In Switzerland, a country famous for neutrality, a room full of global leaders found common ground in how much we still had to learn.
The forum brought together DMO leaders from around the world. Different destinations. Different budgets. Different political environments. But everyone in the room shared the same responsibility and many of the same challenges. I really enjoyed how locked in everyone was.
A room of accomplished leaders who spend most of their days making decisions, answering questions and setting direction. In Geneva, all became students again. Nobody was checking a box or waiting for the next reception. The sessions were thoughtful, integrated, and challenging. One conversation built on the next, pushing us to think differently about leadership, our organizations and the future of destinations.
That curiosity followed us outside the meeting room. We visited CERN, where scientists are working to understand some of the biggest questions in the universe. It is hard to spend time there without realizing how much remains unknown. That is probably a healthy reminder for anyone with “chief” in their title.
We also took a walking tour through Geneva. Our guide talked at remarkable length about the Protestants and Catholics. By the end, you started to wonder if anything else had ever happened in the city. I mean, there had to be some “Watch-Making Wars” back in the day, right?
Ted’s Top 5 Things He Learned
Religion helped create the Swiss Watch Industry. Jewelry was discouraged, so they prettied up the watches.
A growing awareness comes over a group that has spent 3 days eating melted cheese together. Too much fondue! More bran muffins!
Need some humble pie? Go visit CERN,... the brain power in that complex makes you just want to watch cartoons. I’m not worthy.
The CEO of the watchmaking company Vacheron Constantin was our closing keynote. The average price of a watch is about 39,000 Swiss francs. ($47,000 USD)
It felt like recess! Skipping the bus ride back to the hotel and sneaking out for local beer and wine with a group of your industry friends never gets old. Learning keeps you young.
The meetings, meals, walks, and excessive amounts of melted cheese created something that cannot be replicated on a video call. Our group started to feel less like a collection of destination executives and more like classmates working through the same complicated assignment.
Leadership can be isolating. The higher you move within an organization, the fewer people around you truly understand the decisions you face. Geneva created neutral ground where leaders could admit what they did not know, test ideas, and learn from people carrying similar responsibilities.
The best leaders never stop being students, and every expert was once a beginner; enjoy the journey.
