Warning: the following may be offensive to some readers

A few years ago Slade Group raised the lid on social discrimination in the hiring space and the business media gave it a good run. Social discrimination is the virtual thumbs down professionals can experience simply because they speak differently, look different, come from someplace else and may have English as a second language.

Does the name Satya Nadella ring a bell? Born in Hyderabad India, graduated with a B.Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunications.

Put his CV in a list of candidate applications and I promise you most hiring managers and consultants will flick past, hoping first to find an Anglo name they can consider. Unsavoury behaviour, but rife in Australia. Difficult conversations we have with clients are often around the blatantly prejudicial, and yet our consultants hear these requests too often for it not to be an exception. Have you heard it too… said as an afterthought, off-the-cuff and with a benign knowing smile: “I’d rather not have any Indians or Asians on the shortlist”? Shameful but true.

So what would you do with Satya’s CV? Satya Nadella just happens to be the 47 year old CEO of Microsoft. An Indian national who did his post grad studies in the US and who runs rings around 99% of us in terms of capability and cultural leadership. Have a look at this YouTube clip.

He mentioned learning leadership and teamwork from cricket.

It’s been an awkward blog to write but if we can put a stop to these xenophobic practices, we’ll be a better society, culture and economy.

What’s your Point of View?