The Czech media have a special place in my heart.

I have been following their evolution ever since I left Prague in the mid-1990s.

That’s why I was delighted to see an article in the weekend magazine of Hospodarske Noviny about children with disabilities… a topic which used to be taboo in Czech society… an ugly hangover from the previous regime and its tacky iconography of proletarian heroes with perfect bodies.

Unfortunately, my delight did not last for very long…

My jaw dropped as soon as I began reading the subheading:”…Jaké to je, když se do normální rodiny narodí někdo nenormální (What happens, when someone not normal is born to a normal family).

I couldn’t believe the language. The fact that it is still being used is a slap in the face of people like my friend Milena Černà, who since the fall of the Berlin Wall has been campaigning for the acceptance of the rights of disabled children and adults.

Milena manages Vybor dobrè vůle, a foundation originally set up by Olga Havlova (Vaclav Havel’s first wife) and has been doing heroic work for the integration of the disadvantaged.

The article I read is a sign that something is moving… but we are clearly not there yet.

May be we should drop the word “normal” altogether…

I can highly recommend “The Four Walls of My Freedom”, a book in which Donna Thomson offers us a new perspective on being human… one that goes beyond “normality”.

The energy never fails to amaze me.

Whenever I meet with other professional women to discuss the challenges we are still encountering, I am always thrilled by how passionate we all feel about sharing our experience.

I moderated two panels last week. What a wonderful way to take my mind off volcanoes and their ashes…

On Wednesday, I discussed women in communication at the Simply Summit. The panellists were Christina Fee, Head of Internal Communications at BBC Technology, Sandra Macleod, Group CEO of Echo Research, Bieneosa Ebite, Managing Director of Bright Star Public Relations and Nicola Stevens, Executive Coach and former President of City Women’s Network.

Women make up 50% of the workforce in North America and Europe. Two thirds of all employees working in corporate communications are women, but director positions are still held mostly by men.

My panel the evening before on women’s economic empowerment at Chicago Booth School of Business brought together three European-based winners of the 2009 TIAW World of Difference 100 Awards: Kate Grussing, founder and managing director of headhunting firm Sapphire Partners, Mei Sim Lai OBE, founder and principal of chartered accountants LaiPeters & Co and Roswyn Hakesley-Brown CBE, Chair of the Patients Association and former President of the Royal College of Nursing.

Here are the main lessons I learned from these conversations:

• We already have plenty of data about the impact of the female economy (80% of all purchase decisions are made by women, etc.). We now need different arguments to build a stronger business case for women in leadership.
• Celebrate your individuality. Don’t try to be someone you are not.
• Be less modest. Let people know about the good things you have done.
• Stay in the corporate game but at your own terms. Instinct, guts and tenacity will get you there.

The fact that I speak different languages and I have not used my mother tongue on a daily basis in  over 20 years is such an integral part of who I am. I don’t think much of it any more.

But sometimes statements like that of EU Commissioner Leonard Orban make me stop and think.
I was delighted to read on his blog that “languages are crucial bridges between cultures. To learn a new language is to explore new ways of thinking, new value-systems and to open our horizons to the richness of other cultures and ideas.”

But I was even more ecstatic about this part :
“Each of the many national, regional, minority and migrant languages adds a facet to our common cultural background.”

And I was so happy to hear Benedict XVI mention in his New Year address that Italy should get used to having classes with pupils of different nationalities in its schools.

Finally!!!
Is something changing? Is a new wind blowing?

Having learned four languages over the years has certainly helped me to relate to other people’s realities and ways of looking at the world.

If I think of it… If I were only speaking Italian, I would not be able to communicate with some of the most important people in my life.
I am so grateful to my father for drilling English into me at an early age and to my German teacher in high school… Where would I be without them?

What was it that made an attempt to celebrate diversity turn parochial?

I went to see Gay Icons last week-end and left the National Portrait Gallery feeling both puzzled and disappointed.

The exhibition was put together by ten selectors, including Billie Jean King and Elton John, who were asked to name six people - who may or may not be gay - “whom they personally regard as inspirational, or an icon for them”.
Gay Icons missed a great opportunity to celebrate prominent figures for their roles as advocates of gay rights. Instead, some of the people selected appear to have been chosen only for personal reasons. Awareness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic gets only a few brief mentions.

The exhibition also lacks diversity in terms of nationality. Most of the people in it are either British or American. How sad!

Here is a list of people who were totally ignored but ought to have been part of the exhibition in terms of what they represent as gay icons:

- Greek poet Constantine Cavafy
- German film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder
- Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka
- Spanish film director Pedro Almodovar
- Greek soprano Maria Callas
- American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe
- Italian film directors Pier Paolo Pasolini and Luchino Visconti
- US movie star Rock Hudson
- English novelist E.M. Forster
- American author Gore Vidal

It’s so exciting! My friend and fellow CWN member India Gary has been included on the Powerlist 2010, a list of the 100 most influential black people in the UK.

Her citation describes her as “one of the most senior black women in UK banking.”

Today, India is visiting 10 Downing Street with others who have been similarly recognized. The Powerlist is topped by Baroness Scotland, the Attorney General and Tidjane Thiam, chief executive of Prudential.

Awareness of the business case of diversity seems to be growing these days in Europe – also thanks to fierce competition coming from emerging economies.

One of the main points Bieneosa Ebite and I made on Monday during our talk at the CIPR is that homogeneity leads to blind spots.

Organisations need diverse teams if they want to be able to look beyond the conventional frames of reference and innovate.

Diversity is no longer a pet project on the sidelines of corporate life.

A number of trends indicate that companies with a diverse workforce are likely to perform better in the years to come.

According to official data, the amount of mutual fund assets under management (AuM) is shifting from the Global North to emerging markets. AuM decreased by 10% in Europe in the past three years, while it increased by 37.6% in Brazil and Chile and by 19.2% in Asia including China, India and Korea.

Multinationals from emerging economies are engaging more and more with businesses in Europe and the US. Companies with a diverse staff will find it easier to understand these new business partners. A diverse workforce brings a mixture of experiences and resources that employers will be able to turn into a powerful competitive advantage when dealing with other parts of the world.

And let’s not forget that Generation Y is coming into the workforce and is looking for jobs that resonate with their values. Inclusion ranks high among them. Gen Y is used to being in contact with people from other cultures. Social networking and online games have turned their world into a digital orange.

Annette Verschuren, President and CEO of The Home Depot for Canada and Asia, believes that the business secret of the future will be about including and inspiring people who in the past we thought did not belong.

Bieneosa Ebite and I will be talking about Cross Cultural PR and Diversity at the CIPR in October. Bienosa is the managing director of Bright Star Public Relations and a founding member of the UK Black and Asian PR Networking Group, which aims to encourage diversity in the PR industry.

Click here to join us on 12 October.

I was watching Ariana Huffington on The Daily Show last night.

She was presenting her new book “The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging”.

I was listening along and enjoying the show until…horror… she mentioned it… the A-word.

She was talking about the advantages of blogging and said that a blog works for her because she can hide her Greek accent behind it and express herself much better.

Can you believe it?!?

It was so sad.

Ariana Huffington has such a beautiful accent that makes listening to her fascinating… Why would she need to hide it?

When will Diversity finally come of age and include accents???

Photo: thanks to wired.com