Yesterday, I listened to Barbara Tettenborn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-tettenborn-39887ab/). An impressive and inspiring personality who, it seems, has achieved everything she ever set her mind to. She is highly successful in her profession and a top performer in triathlon within her age group. I know quite a few people who are successful in one area, but such a combination is rare. She shared that she had wanted to become a professor since childhood—without really knowing what that meant or in which field. Her extremely strong will, almost inhuman discipline, intelligence, and a bit of luck allowed her to build a picture-perfect career. She’s truly worth listening to.

But I’m used to hearing different kinds of stories.

Lydia wanted to become a hairdresser. But the bus connections from her village were too poor. She couldn’t take up the apprenticeship because she would have had to walk a long distance three times a week. Logistically, a commercial apprenticeship was easier—there were no late shifts, and she could take the bus in the morning and return in the late afternoon. She completed the apprenticeship with good results and started her first job. It was fun, but after a while maybe a bit boring. After saving some money, she went on a three-month trip to South America. She had to quit her job for the trip. When she returned, the position was filled, and she had to find something new. She felt a strong desire to stay close to her former colleagues and still be able to have lunch with them. By chance, she discovered an open position in the neighboring building that seemed like a good fit. She applied and got the job—without really knowing what the company actually did. It turned out to be a consulting firm, and over time Lydia learned more and more. Eventually, she was able to handle basic requests on her own. She took additional training and transferred to another department. One day, a client asked if she would be interested in building up the compliance department at their company—and she said yes. A few years later, she was heading the compliance department, now with several team members. And all this because the bus no longer ran so late to the village—but of course, it wasn’t just that.

Or take our first team secretary, whose parents had immigrated from Asia. Back then, she would neatly type out handwritten tax returns on a typewriter. But she didn’t just type—she thought things through. She often came to me with questions because something in the template didn’t make sense to her—and she had solid reasoning. I encouraged her to switch sides and become a tax advisor herself. She liked the idea and asked our then (male) boss. He was progressive enough not to forbid it. He said: as long as she could find someone willing to teach her everything, she could go ahead. I was willing to teach her. Today, she runs her own small office and handles complex international cases.

I could tell many stories like these about women. My favorite one is about a little refugee girl who came to Switzerland and loved playing chess. Getting into a grammar school (Gymnasium) wasn’t possible for her at the time. But she was given the chance to play a game of chess against the school’s headmaster—and promptly checkmated him. He then advocated for her admission. She studied languages, because she loved them, and eventually became the CFO of a large, well-known company. Because intelligence and willpower alone often aren’t enough—you need luck, too.

So why are girls still not encouraged to become doctors, professors, CEOs, or presidents? Why don’t we plant these ideas in their heads from a young age and give them the chance to reach for the stars?

Why not, really?