August 1, Switzerland’s national holiday.

Trying to make decisions by consensus isn’t always easy – and in the workplace, it’s also not always the best approach either.

But if you’re looking for a positive example of where it works well – look no further than the country I call my home: Switzerland.

Today marks the 733rd anniversary of this small country’s founding. Whenever things go really tough in the world, this place feels like a bubble with its own unique reality.

I became a Swiss citizen as a teenager, and I’m privileged to be able to have a voice and vote. And voting is what we do several times a year.

Swiss people literally get to vote on everything. Whether that’s building a new sport stadium in your town or giving everyone in the country more paid vacation. Or whether the country should join the EU (twice rejected).

Democracy is a precious thing, not something to be taken for granted. So let’s all do our part to ensure it endures.

August 1, Happy birthday sounds like an odd thing to say to a country. So let’s just wish for continuously staying a beautiful bubble in the middle of Europe.

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