Episode-70; Travel, Robots, Gummy Bier, and Team Effectiveness

Video Version

About the Podcast

It’s another “Open Mic Night” at The Outliers Inn and JP and Mule are happy to welcome our guest and have a casual chat with whatever might be on their minds (and ours).

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JP starts off with sharing a return trip travel story from Newark back to Frankfurt which was quite like the movie “planes, trains, and automobiles”. Having to reschedule the flight several times between; having family visiting Poland (the “Florida” of Europe where the COVID restrictions were always unofficially optional at best) and having nobody there to greet me when I arrived, to a snowstorm pushing it out a day, to having said family catch COVID in Poland (all was okay, but I sheltered in place), to moving the flight closer by a day to avoid yet another snowstorm – it was a VUCA trip that required OODA Loops to engage.

Mule shares an update with the Robotics Competition including insights on the scoring requirements in the competition (much like scoring in gymnastics or figure skating) where the robot has to complete certain tasks. And also how his coaching changes as the students go from being Freshmen to Seniors (from more nurturing to more demanding).

Our first guest is Stephane who joins us from France. And JP shares (and shows) that he is indulging in a “Gummy Bier”, a “heavy” beer coming in at 9% brewed by a regular at The Outliers Inn, Don and his son Dom. JP promised to bring a bottle back to Germany and send it to Stephane. Perhaps we will have the opportunity to share a real bier virtually on a future get together at The Outliers Inn. Stephane also gives us an update on his general goings-on and the latest COVID restrictions in France (which are still rather strict, but there are talks of loosening).

Stephane then gets serious and starts to discuss creativity and innovation and the challenges of how to remain creative when working remote.

And Sam rejoins us from Sweden. He shares that he likes bier and would also like to participate in tasting the “Gummy Bier”.

Sam is interested in the topics of creativity and innovation introduced by Stephane and carries on with the subject; expanding the conversation to address and discuss the team effectiveness (or lack thereof) of people working remotely, but still being part of a team. How do we effectively communicate and collaborate. How do we remain aligned?

So pull up a stool, pour yourself a legal beverage, and smoke ’em if you got ’em.

Good stuff, and we will do a deeper dive in our next episode.