TheOutliersInn's podcast

Video Version About the Podcast Another episode of The Outliers Inn with "The Beer Man" joining JP and Mule as co-co-host. Maybe he will become a regular co-co-host (he's already an irregular regular guest here at The Outliers Inn. After a brief acknowledgement that the Super Bowl was pretty entertaining, but nobody we know really cared who won, we get into more interesting topics. JP shares his recent experiences visiting southern Africa for an assignment with him starting in Johannesburg (Jo'berg) and then going to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. He had been there many times before from around 1995(ish) through 2010(ish) and was looking very much forward to the return (JP simply loves southern Africa). What he loves the most is that it provides a giant, and healthy, attitude adjustment. As he explains, people in G20 countries have a tendency to complain about every little thing (real or imagined) that might possibly go wrong. All you have to do is watch videos of "Karens" to know what we mean. But in southern Africa (and many other less developed locations), things not going right are the norm and folks celebrate when things go as they should. The electricity is on? Yay! The internet is working? Yay! It's better to drive on the roads than on the shoulder? Yay! Getting arrested for speeding and being able to give the policeman $5 to be let go? Well, that works out better in southern Africa. Call it a "facilitation fee". Mule then shares his experiences with "The Peter Principle", where people get promoted to a level of incompetence. I am sure we have all seen it in action; some real rockstar (sales person, mechanic, whatever) get promoted to manage others in the hopes that the "magic dust" that makes him an expert gets sprinkled on those they will now manage. But the person is an expert at what they do, not being a manager. And unless taught those skills, will likely fail. Don shares his latest concoctions that are brewing. Sam shares his experiences training others in Denmark and that he will be supporting an office in Hamburg, Germany. And steve from southern California shares his love of golf and the work he is doing with a golf foundation and their work with youths, especially those who might not normally have the opportunity to be exposed to the game. To hear Steve describe it, the effort is a significant and impactful one that is responsible for millions of dollars in its programs; certainly not like something a person might expect from the local Kiwanis chapter. And no visit to The Outliers Inn would be complete without Mule going into very great detail about the high school robot competition with which he has been involved for many years. Give a listen!

Video Version https://vimeo.com/795988927 About the Podcast What's better than two hosts?  Why, three, of course!  Mule said he couldn't make it, so JP drafted Don (who is an irregular regular and has stepped-in to the role of co-host in the past).  But, wouldn't you know it, Mule was able to join.  So, we have a three-way! The podcast starts as it normally does, with JP talking about air travel experiences and Mule talking about robots.  As “process and systems guys”, air travel is always a source for some head-scratching and musing.  JP recounts a recent trip through Frankfurt where the “Gold Track” for security suddenly disappeared with the alternative being a 90 minute wait.  Not wanting to wait 90 minutes, JP made his own “Gold Track”.  Problem solved. And Mule shares this year's robot challenge and the operating parameters the robot must successfully complete.  He seems happy with the progress so far. Wilson joins us next.  JP has known Wilson for well over a decade, having met at an industrial engineering conference.  Both JP and Wilson vividly remember the encounter.  Wilson came to JP at JP's company booth and started complaining that his company lost the “focus”, and he needed to try to find a way to get the “focus” back.  He went on an on lamenting about the “focus”.  Except, with his heavy Brazilian accent, it didn't sound like “focus”. Next, we welcome Curtis from Charleston.  Being a fairly recently-minted entrepreneur who left the corporate world a few years ago to start his own consultancy, Curtis shares the challenges of balancing roles and responsibilities; of particular challenge is the “honey-do” list.  And last, but not least, we welcome Stephane (another irregular regular, or is it regular irregular) to The Outliers Inn.  Other than JP sharing the story of his failed attempt to meet Stephane for some holiday cheer, Stephane shares his recent introduction to ChatGPT (an Artificial Intelligence content generation app).  Stephane then shares how an entire persona can be created out of thin air; pictures, video, resume, content that establishes the fictitious (or real) person as a “thought leader”.  He even has ChatGPT create a couple of posts for LinkedIn while talking about ChatGPT. Come and give a listen.  We are sure you will enjoy this episode.

Video Version https://vimeo.com/theoutliersinn/holi-daze About the Podcast This episode of The Outliers Inn finds the hosts, JP and Mule, a bit dazed and confused from the very start; as in, who's going to start?! holi-daze JP starts by sharing that the year went by in a flash because of engagements and travel and this has left him a bit Holi-DAZED coming into the end of the year. This includes having to fight the horde on Thanksgiving Sunday and spending his 60th birthday in an airport hotel awaiting a return to Frankfurt (but at least the good folks at Saison at Newark Airport made a kind birthday gesture). Mule shares that he won't travel from Thanksgiving through the New Year unless a dire emergency. The conversation turns from travel to that seasonal sport; gift shopping. JP postulates that “women shop, guys buy” going back to pre-history when the women foraged, and the men hunted. As such, JP has relied heavily (exclusively) on Amazon-Germany for his Holiday shopping (bonus that you can buy all manner of legal beverages on Amazon-Germany). Come give a listen and enjoy a hot toddy as you do…

Video Version https://vimeo.com/771047950 About the Podcast In this episode, JP is thankful to have a regular guest at The Outliers Inn, Don "Beer Man" Burshnick, able to step up and be the co-host on zero notice because Mule has forgotten (yet again) to be in a state of readiness to fulfill his hostly duties. Thanks Beer Man! Beer Man, coming from a long line of early starters, shares that he is thankful for recently becoming a great grandfather. And JP is thankful his book has been very well recieved and the thoughts contained therein has resonated with his intended audience and has generated a lot of business; his 2022 has been his busiest ever and 2023 looks to be at least as busy. But come to find out that Mule (who joined as a guest a bit later) was away hunting pheasant in the midwest United States. And fortunately, neither he nor anyone else in his party pulled a "Dick Cheney"; or worse, and "Alec Baldwin". They did manage to get 190 birds. JP, not being against hunting, was nonetheless concerned because that seemed like an aweful lot of birds. But Mule went to explain that the birds are raised to be harvested in the hunt. So the population is sustained and not strained. JP shares that this is similar to the practices in Southern Africa where the herd is managed and maintained for hunting and, without this industry, the animals would surely be in jeapardy. Stephane joins the conversation and continues Mule's conversation regarding the drought conditions he saw while on the hunt. He shares that it has been a very challenging year for the farm industry because of the weather and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But he is thankful that his company is working hard and making progress to help farmers and their crops endure the increasingly unpredictable weather. So come and give a listen!

  Video Version https://vimeo.com/theoutliersinn/harvest-time About the Podcast Mule welcomes everyone to The Outliers Inn and introduces this episode's theme; harvest time. And he kicks-off the conversation by sharing what he is presently harvesting from his garden; including sunflowers.  Mule shares how there is some insect that infests the sunflowers and attacks the seeds so that they are empty.  Not to be outdone, JP shares that his sunflowers would be just a day or two from being ready to pick and squirrels would beat him to it; gorging themselves on the sunflowers.  JP also shares that the fruits in Europe are unusually tiny this year because of the draught that was experienced. But the conversation soon turns to matters of business, and the harvesting of opportunities with companies wanting to pull in their numbers to end the year with a bang. However, the business sowing, growing, and harvesting seasons do not (necessarily) follow that of crops.  Sometimes it can take moments, sometimes it can take years, for an opportunity sown to be harvested.  And also unlike crops, you have to sow many seeds all year long, every year, to have any yield whatsoever. Sam joins us from Sweden and confesses he is a city-folk and the closest he comes to harvesting crops is going to the grocery store and filling a basket.  But like Mule and JP, he is always sowing the seeds of opportunity; with his preferred soil for planting being LinkedIn. And Stephane rejoins us to share his thoughts on sowing and growing.  Being particularly close to the subject, he shares his thoughts on proper soil preparation and maintenance; which does not (necessarily) include spreading a liquid manure concoction over the fields. It's a good session with interesting conversations; even as we stretch and contort farming terminology to fit business.

Video Version https://vimeo.com/748326212 About the Podcast Mule kicks of the conversation at The Outliers Inn with the season wrap of robots season. Kids being kids, they start off wearing their "Sunday best" and end-up dragging the duds through the grass playing frisbee after the official goings-on are done. JP laments about how packed the flights are. But that there is an upside with his travels as the people along the route (flight attendants, restaurant personnel, and so on) have become familiar with his ways and see to it that all is good; and it is good. JP also shares that he changed-out his old notebook for a latest and greatest; and how easy it was to make the change as compared to times past. But whereas JP has one notebook, Mule shares he has several and the challenges therein. JP is the first to share a coincidence, combined with a life-hack. The life hack is that he introduces himself and chats folks up at the hotel bar. Because, drinking alone indicates a problem, but he is always sure to drink with someone else. But the coincidence is that JP has loved space programs since Apollo and Skylab. He used to write NASA and IBM and get all sorts of cool pics, pamphlets, and patches. And while on a project in Denver, he met some NASA pilots who were on the SOFIA program and who were in Denver to train on the "vintage" 747 simulator. Well, one thing led to another and the pilots invited JP to join them at the simulator the next day. Of course, JP messaged the client and let them know he was going to be late the next day and he "flew" the 747 out of SFO, towards the Golden Gate Bridge, out to Napa Valley, and then landed back at SFO. He was a happy guy. Esther joins us and shares that she believes coincidences do not exist, but that things in life happen because they are meant to happen, there is always a reason; definitely in the "Gibbs Rule Nr.37, there is no such thing as coincidence." Mule gets all scientific and etymological on us and postulates that a coincidence is a collision, and its rather difficult to put into words here; you gotta give a listen. And just when you think it can't get any deeper, Ester injects Carl Jung into the conversation. Thankfully, Don brings us back to Earth and raises the most perplexing conundrum; there are 24 hours in a day, and 24 beers in a case - coincidence?

Video Version https://vimeo.com/737895244 About the Podcast Welcome to another episode of "The Outliers Inn". Today's theme is travel tips and tricks. Whether by train, plane, or automobile, anyone who has traveled recently has probably experienced some level of anguish. We have seen the countless challenges people are facing broadcast on the media; flights cancelled, runways melting, soon to be lost luggage stacked to the heavens, automobile reservations taken but not held, check-in and security lines that are miles long, and so on… It's a wonder anyone is willing to travel at all, yet the flights are all packed and the hotels and automobiles all booked. In this episode, the hosts at The Outliers Inn - and special sidekick Don "The Beer Man" Burshnick - being seasoned and veteran road warriors, share some of their traveling stories and the wisdom gained from their experiences. Travel tips and tricks Two most important nuggets of wisdom; Always allow more time than you might need such as getting to the airport early, allowing extra time for layovers, and such like. It will alleviate a lot of stress. Always have at least one back-up plan such as making sure that the last leg on your journey has a back-up flight in case yours is missed or cancelled. There are many more tips and tricks mentioned in the show, and the stories are fun with a lot of laughs. So come on in and give a listen.

Video Version https://vimeo.com/705701029 About the Podcast Welcome to another episode of "The Outliers Inn". Today's theme is making mistakes. It starts right off with Mule asking JP whether he made any mistake lately. And JP shares that he just filed his taxes, and perhaps he made a mistake, only time (and the IRS) will tell. And JP follows this up claiming; "He thought he made a mistake once, but he was mistaken" and that he "didn't make any mistakes, only had learning experiences". That's what we'll call them; "learning experiences"… Yeah… That's the ticket… Hopefully any "learning experience" with JP's taxes and the IRS will not be too costly (in time or treasure). Mule confesses that his most notable mistake as of late was missing the last recording session at The Outliers Inn and leaving it to JP to scramble (fortunately, Don was able to stand-in). Then one by one, our guests share their "learning experiences". Don shares some learning experiences brewing beer (naturally). The results of some of the "learning experience" were better than expected and some were worse than hoped-for. Stephane shares that, being in research and development, he is in the business of having "learning experiences"; usually in the form of some kinetic event such as a fire, or some small explosions. Thankfully, other than some bruised egos, there have not been any serious injuries. However, sometimes expensive apparatus gets damaged or destroyed and it makes some people "widely unhappy". ;-) Esther then joins the conversation and she poses the question; "What is a mistake?" To which Stephane shares that the difference between a "learning opportunity" and a "mistake" is a matter of cost. If there is nominal cost, it's a learning opportunity. If the cost is significant, then it's a mistake. Sounds reasonable to us. All in, a chat that was good fun yet some interesting insights. Come give a listen.

Video Version https://vimeo.com/702398732 About the Podcast What do you do when the co-host forgets to come to the session? Well, at The Outliers Inn, you just roll with it. Indeed, "Mule" didn't show up so I called upon one of our regulars, Don "The Beer Man" Burshnick to stand in without notice. Thankfully, Don's a good sport and accepted; provided he gets 50% of the revenue from the show. Since 50% of nothing is nothing, of course I agreed. We also had a bit of a change in format. Usually, only the host and co-host have their cameras on with everyone else being voice only. In this episode, we left it to the guests to either use or not use their camera, and most of them decided to turn their cameras on! Still faces for radio, but what the heck. It did make for some challenges in post-production. The group went around talking about the various time-wasters we must endure. There were the usual subjects; government, air travel, never-ending streams of meetings and the like and some counter-measures (or fantasies) for consideration. And of course, no visit to The Outliers Inn would be complete without some discussion about beer! JP and Stephane each sample one of Don's very-own concoctions, a beer made from Gummy Bears! A person might better call it Gummy Beers! It was sweet and tangy, like drinking liquified Skittles. But not bad at all! All in, a chat that was good fun. Come give a listen.

Video Version https://vimeo.com/687434120 About the Podcast The business response to COVID has seen that many employees are able to work (and manage) from the comforts of their home (or wherever) while those whose physical presence is required have no such option. In this episode, JP, Mule, and our guests talk about the benefits and risks of working remotely; more specifically, the "Knowledge Workers" can work remotely, but the "Wrench Turners" still have to come to where the production happens. Is there a risk of creating (or amplifying) a culture (work and social) that has defined classes; the elites and workers? How can those calling the shots understand and be empathetic with what is happening with those on the front line? What is the peril of such occurring, what are the signs, and how can it be avoided? Discuss. (Inspired by the Star Trek Episode; The Cloud Minders.)

Video Version https://vimeo.com/672105600 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). JP starts off with sharing a return trip 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 dynamics (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.

  Video Version https://vimeo.com/662907369 About the Podcast In this episode, JP, Mule, and Guests talk about their goals for 2022… But first, there has to be a little more venting of the spleen by JP as he shares the absurdity that is the theater of COVID response by his experience at the Frankfurt Christmas Market (which was at full strength this year). You have to understand that the Frankfurt Christmas Market is huge. It's footprint is almost a half-mile (750m) by up to 200yd/m and there are probably 50 or so ways to enter it (between roads, sidewalks, building egresses, and public transport). The "rule" was that you had to be either vaccinated or have a negative COVID test and wear a mask. Although there was a considerable police presence, nobody checked to see if anyone was vaccinated or tested. And you didn't have to wear a mask if you were eating, drinking, or smoking; even in the main thoroughfares. The only time JP was asked to put on his mask was when he was entering an area to purchase a gluhwein (even though he was eating a bratwurst). He was told that he can only have his mask off if he were at a table, with the table being unseparated from the main thoroughfare except for a small wooden fence (post and rail). All theater… But then the conversation gets back to the intended subject; goals… JP shares that his goal for 2022 is to get more sun and warmth; complete with sand, palm trees, and the rum drinks with little umbrellas. He even wore a tropical shirt to get into the proper spirit. And the 6,000iu per day of Vitamin-D3 he is taking is not warding off the SAD. Mule shares that his goal is to have a successful "robotics" competition with the high-school students he mentors and that his daughters continue to successfully navigate their experiences at college (Mule insisted that it is his goal, not just theirs). And Don shares that he wants to get away to someplace tropical to relax. JP gets all excited thinking he might have a companion until Don specifies that he would be taking his wife; who also needs a break (but probably from Don).

Video Version https://vimeo.com/655831185 About the Podcast JP and Mule talk about appreciation and how important it is to show people they are appreciated. Better yet, tell them using the word appreciate. It's much more impactful than saying "thank you". Who do you appreciate? Do they know? Maybe it's a good idea to tell them; let them know. JP, Mule, and guests then spend some time appreciating those who have been impactful in their lives. But one thing JP noticed is how all the guests were appreciative of their wives for "putting up with their shit". Yet JP's wife doesn't let him get away with any shit. Hmmm….

Video Version https://vimeo.com/645728789 About the Podcast In this episode of The Outliers Inn, Mule, JP, and guests discuss reported challenges and disruptions in Supply Chains and Logistics. After all, we have seen it in all the media; ships parked for as far as the eye can see off or Los Angeles (and to a lesser extent, Newark), trains that are 25 miles long heading into Chicago, reports of a lack of trucks (and truck drivers), and the threats of bare shelves at the store and a real Grinch's Christmas. But how much of this is real and how much is hype? Other than having to pay more (much more), has anyone really found it difficult to access the items they need or want? And we also discuss what the "root cause(s)" of the challenges might be and how many of them are self-inflicted wounds - and are government efforts helping or hurting? JP, being in the EU (Germany) has to confess that he has not been personally affected by the alleged disruptions, everything seems to be normal. The same is true of Mule and our guests; except that Andy from the UK shares that they endured a disruption in fuel and had challenges buying "tights". But all in, anyone that needs to buy a GI Joe with the Kung-Fu Grip for a Holiday gift will be able to get one. But Mule and Don both shared that industrial items (chips, steel, machinery, have some pretty nasty lead times and these are threats to businesses. Lead times aside, smaller manufacturers are being sidelined as component manufacturers tend to their largest customers first. They may be told they will be getting product this week or next, but then "poof", their allocation has been re-allocated; probably to someone yelling louder, more important or (gasp) to someone willing to pay more.

Video Version https://vimeo.com/586186646 About the Podcast JP and Mule have had a lot of things go not according to plan; especially over the past couple of years. And we suspect that many of our listeners have had similar experiences. As Mike Tyson famously said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” So we are going to hang our hats on this quote and let it be the theme for this episode of The Outliers Inn. The hosts with the mosts start it off by proclaiming this episode is a plan that's been punched in the mouth. JP thought it was supposed to be recorded on one day, Mule on another. So it was a scramble to get it recorded and, unfortunately, some of our guests didn't make it! It seems to be that the root-cause might be the multiple channels of communication with one plan being established (or not) on one channel and another on another. JP shares that we are going to try LinkedIn Live (but that will probably be delayed). Mule shares that his current project involves bringing a new warehouse online for a fast-growing company. And, if anyone has ever been involved in a build, you know that nothing ever goes according to plan. And with the expected opening being imminent and necessary, and still not ready for occupancy, there are a lot of punches being thrown. And JP shares a catastrophic Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project with a company that made custom cabinet doors. When originally contracted, the intent was to extract the knowledge that was in the father's brain and put it in a system so his children could run the business. But within a week of signing the contract, the father died. The implementation turned into a séance and it quickly went coyote ugly from there. Barry managed to find us in spite of our best efforts to evasive. However, the story he shares of his experience participating in a conference is one for the ages; it all starts with his vendor booth not arriving. But what might have knocked others out only steeled Barry's spine and with some very quick thinking and decisive decision making, he turns lemons into lemonade.

Video Version https://vimeo.com/572715914 About the podcast In this special episode of The Outliers Inn, JP and Mule welcome back one of the founding fathers (or is it non-birthing units); Antlerboy, who graces us with his presence after taking a bit of a dream walk (without the peyote buttons). Indeed, the Inn has not been the same without him - its certainly been better, but not the same. ;-) And we are happy to welcome back as guests some of our early and irregular guests; Peter (who is getting ready to transition out of the corporate world, from the back nine into the clubhouse), Stephane (who is enjoying his enhanced freedom now that France has relaxed its COVID restrictions), Don (who is still making award-winning craft beer, including a special gummy-bear concoction), and Allan from Quebec (who is retired, but still up for having a legal beverage with us and sharing his stories). JP also shares an "Easter Egg", InspireNow.live... Stay tuned... The entire episode is devoted to some of the more wacky goings-on and experiences we have had on projects and in general. There are a lot of laughs, banter, and self-deprecating humor that we are sure you will enjoy; so give a listen!

Video Version https://vimeo.com/559618985 About the podcast Mule and JP start the show with a topic that morphs as rapidly as a cicada's wings and which is about as irritating; the COVID rules and regulations du jour. JP shares his latest experience with traveling between Germany and the States. Whereas arriving to the States is a matter of having a right to be here (no tourists) and having a negative COVID test, going into Germany is (supposedly) more arduous. And even though JP summoned his Boy Scout skill (be prepared) and had a stack of papers at the ready in compliance with the EU/German requirements, the effort was a waste. The German Passport Control Authorities didn't want to see any of them - it was as if everything had returned to the "before time". JP also shares his first experience having a chicken sandwich at Chick-Fil-A. The sandwich was okay (although JP claims he did feel the love of Jesus and 'murica running through him with his first bite), he did marvel at the processes at the drive-though. With our guest, Damian, the conversation then goes on to discussing the challenges facing individuals and companies alike in an environment that is full of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA) and what needs to be done to properly prepare. In such an environment, slack needs to be built into any approach. Planning too tightly leaves no room for maneuver when things don't go according to plan. Give a listen.

Video Version https://vimeo.com/553760709 About the podcast In this episode, in addition to the (ab)normal hosts JP and Mule, Don "the beer man" Burshnick is able to join in real life. JP starts with a lamentation from having to be on a project earlier than he is used to and shares some words of wisdom; folks shouldn't need to wake-up early except for huntin' and fishin'. But soon enough, the conversation moves on to it's main theme; mentorship. JP shares a story about a person who is in a leadership role at the project he is working on and how that person is probably in over his head, even if his heart is in the right place. What makes matters worse is that the senior leadership feels he is failing and instead of helping, they are abandoning him. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy; they believe he will fail so they don't offer any help, and he fails. Seeing this, JP took him under his wing and gave him some coping skills and leadership training; making sure to be available when needed and checking in on him on a daily basis. Mule and Don share their experiences in mentoring and being mentored along their life's journeys; in particular, Mule with high-school robotics teams and Don with Karate. Andy who is outstandingly mediocre joins from the UK where the discussion is gravitates towards the difference between mentorship and coaching; with the purest form of mentorship being times when the mentor doesn't know they are being a mentor. Doug joins us from "Joyzee" and is on the "back nine" shares his insights with recent mentoring opportunities; one with career advice and another where he offered his mentorship to a group of young people and was disappointed that so few accepted the opportunity (for reasons he is still pondering). Finally, Esther joins us from Sweden and shares her experiences being a mentor. She expresses her concerns about the use of AI in the candidate selection process and the possibility (probability) of filtering the best candidates in favor of those who know how to game the system and tailor their submittals to meet the job description.

Video Version https://vimeo.com/539686974 About the podcast In this episode, JP starts by sharing his lack of "readiness" for his latest trip to the States when he was called to a project in Florida. You see, he had packed for February and March in Upstate New York (where winter attire is the call of the day) and not Florida (where its darn hot in comparison); forcing him to either buy suitable clothes or melt. Meanwhile, Mule shares that he got his "jab" and JP shares that he has also. Mule reported being tired afterwards while JP complained of a headache and buzzing in his ears for a couple of days as the newly implanted chip synched with the 5G network and caused him to pee his pants a little every time his mobile phone rang or when he used the microwave. JP also shares that he had his long overdue eye exam (it had been 7yrs). The exam itself was rather uneventful and had no surprises, but his eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he was told it was going to be $950 for two pairs of glasses - and that was with a "buy-one/get-one special" offer; and it was going to take three weeks to get them. Fridiculous. So JP contacted a friend who gets his glasses online and was very satisfied - so JP decided to give it a try. A mere 10 days and $350 later, JP had his two pairs of glasses (one pair of which, he is wearing on the podcast). Moral of the story; don't waste your money at an optical, go online! This brings our first guest, Doug, who is recently retired. Unlike a previous guest who was recently retired and thought it a good idea to "optimize" his wife's kitchen, Doug has decided to be a mentor and resource for business and industrial and systems engineering to those in school or early in their careers. Good man, there. We are sure his efforts will be rewarding. Don "The Beerman" makes an on-camera guest visit (although he is drinking wine). JP called him to help on the project in Florida and they are sharing a company-owned house. Zoom has its benefits, for sure. But there is nothing like seeing things first hand to add the extra details that are often necessary to get the complete picture and the ideas flowing. Esther joins us again from Sweden and is fast becoming a welcome regular. She shares that she is working on building a new career that finds her with working with people from all over the world. She is creating a network of people to help people go back to nature and reconnect with and embrace nature. She shares how she and her network believe that technology can help people achieve this ambition and get back to their roots; that nature and technology are not incompatible. And, ultimately, the more we connect with ourselves, the more that we can understand that we create is full-circle. Come give a listen. There is a lot of good stuff here...

Video Version https://vimeo.com/520737822 About the podcast In this episode, JP shares his experience with the "mandated" COVID test to come back to the States from Germany; apparently, it is on the "honor system" because nobody actually wanted to see the results. It seems that almost all of these "mandates" are fictitious. Supposedly, quarantines are mandatory (same with negative COVID tests when flying into the States). But if they are not enforced, or even check, they are really voluntary. From there, we discuss the need for good "computer hygiene" after one of JP's clients caught a "ransomware virus" - this was really no bueno. To compound the challenge, the last valid backup the client had was from 15 months prior. It is a shit sandwich and he had to take a giganourmous bite out of it. From there, the conversations drifts to a favorite topic at The Outliers Inn, that being beer. And we are graced with a visitor from Sweden who brings a much-needed, and particularly positive, energy with her.

Video Version https://vimeo.com/511917271 About the podcast JP and Mule are happy to welcome our guests to the new format at The Outliers Inn. Of course, we will always have an audio-only track of the podcast, but this is the first full video podcast at The Outliers Inn complete with guests. The video version will only show the hosts, JP and Mule, on camera with the guests being voice only; and we are reminded that the two of them really have faces for radio. And we have changed the recording day and time Saturdays in hopes that others will be able to join who could not normally during the weekday recording sessions we used to do. Naturally, the conversation starts with the latest COVID-related observations and the seeming perpetual stream of conflicting and unsubstantiated guidance; starting with the ridiculousness of wearing two masks. Seriously, if two are better than one, then three must be better than two, and so on. John joins us from the UK and shares his recent experiences. In spite of the extreme lockdowns presently in the UK, John has enjoyed an uptick in work (which thankfully keeps him out of the kitchen). He shares with us the peculiarities of traveling to projects and staying in hotels, with the biggest challenge being meals. But he (and his wife) is happy to be out in the field. Sharmi joins us from Tampa where they are preparing for the Superbowl where she is hoping the hometown favorites, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, are triumphant. JP, being a diehard Giants fan, is not a fan of Brady (and Brady is undoubtedly not a fan of the Giants). Mule shares the analysis of quarterback movements based on telemetry that is collected. Sharmi also shares her professional experiences under COVID. From there, the conversation flows; at one point, Mule shifts topical gears without using the clutch makes the jump to wool being a better insulator than fiberglass. A really good first edition using the new format.

Video Version https://vimeo.com/504545656 About the podcast Although The Outliers Inn is sad to see the departure of Antlerboy as co-host, as they say; "the show must go on." So in this special episode of The Outliers Inn, we introduce David "Mule" Schneider who will join JP as the new co-host. We talk about how we met over LinkedIn and got to know one another some decade-plus ago over a bourbon (or two) in New York City. And, of course, we get to learn a little bit about Mule and what he does for his main gig and some other interests. And we also discuss changes in the format of the show. The most obvious is the introduction of a video version of the show in addition to the audio track (which will remain); a bold move, since both JP and Mule have faces for radio. We will continue with the call-in format for our guests, but only the co-hosts will be shown on video. The guest will be audio-only. It should give our production manager, Chas, some additional headaches with the editing. We are also going to try recording on Saturdays instead of weekdays to try to broaden the reach for guests who want to join, but can't because of work. So, belly up to the bar, grab a stool and your favorite legal beverage, and enjoy our hospitality from the hosts with the mosts.

Recorded: December 20, 2020 libsyn here About the podcast This will be a bitter-sweet episode at The Outliers Inn.  It’s the episode where Antlerboy (aka Benjamin Taylor) announces his retirement from pouring drinks and serving slop as co-host at the Inn.  Between his part-time gig at the Inn and his other interests and pursuits (including running his companies, other podcasts that he produces, and writing a book), the time constraints have become more than obvious, and he regrettably has to step out from behind the bar. It all started on November 3rd, 2014. This was the day that Tom Magliozzi, co-host of “Car Talk”, was recalled to that great junk yard in the sky, to be joyfully reunited with all his previous vehicles.  Car Talk was a radio show about cars, their owners, and maladies (of the cars, that is – mostly).  Guests would call-in and share various symptoms they were experiencing with their automobiles. The hosts would roast the caller, their automobiles, and their maladies in a respectful manner; perhaps sometimes less respectful of the vehicles themselves and their manufacturers. Every episode was a lot of fun listen to and certainly anyone who did would smile and laugh at least once. When JP read of the passing of Tom, he posted the article on Facebook.  And Antlerboy was the first to comment on my post.  Even though Antlerboy is from the United Kingdom, he had just started to listen to the show and even shared his version of Tom’s obituary; “So, it happened again. You wasted a perfectly good life amusing yourself and other people and upholding the values of intelligence, science, eloquence, and rude good humour. And even though St. Peter himself will run screaming from the Pearly Gates when he hears YOU say it.... ‘That was Tom Magliozzi. And, don't drive like your brother...'” But then we got to thinking. There was a lot of absurdities that occur and opportunities to poke fun of the goings-on in our own profession; businesses and their operations. Heck, we were guilty of some of these goings-on ourselves. Why don’t we start our own show?  And (eventually) The Outliers Inn was born with our first episode produced in October of 2015 (almost a full year later).  You can read the mostly complete history of The Outliers Inn here. Since then, we have produced 58 episodes over a five-year period; not a bad run rate. So, we give a proper send-off to Antlerboy by taking a walk down memory lane with a few select guests.  And it’s only appropriate that we start with Don Burshnick, our resident Biermeister Extraordinaire.  When he’s not brewing his beer, he is drinking it as a regular at the Inn and is even an occasional co-host when we find ourselves short-staffed.  Don shares with us his latest concoction; a “Gummy-Bear” IPA.  We are certain it would not pass the German Reinheitsgebot. Other irregular regulars include; Stephane who joins us from the lockdown in France.  Although from Belgium, and quite proud of their beer, he is very interested in Don’s Gummy Bear IPA and would be keen on having a sample; which JP promises to bring back a sample bottle from Don for Stephane’s tasting. Aiden is our next guest who gets Antlerboy to share the story of how he decided to prefer to be called Benjamin rather than Ben; confessing the real reason for the change was he read that people with longer and more formal names are perceived as being more intelligent, so; “Benjamin P. Taylor” it is. Marina joins us from Los Angeles where she has founded a design innovation studio and shares her experiences in 2020 having to quickly make the transition to the new business paradigm. Hal joins us from Seattle.  He shares with us his enthusiasm for beer and appreciation for Don’s “Gummy Bear IPA”.  He also shares a bit of trivia that Washington State supplies the majority of the hops used to make beer around the world.  Switching to business, Hal shares his observation that those who have had the most success in navigating the challenges are those who have a culture of being nimble. Ed joins us from London and, listening to our discussion of travel policies and protocols and recalls a saying form times past; “There is no reason, it’s policy.”  That about sums-up the way of the world in 2020 and how governments are engaging the challenge.  He expresses concerns about the lock-ins (preferring to use this term over “lock-downs”) and wanting it to end sooner rather than later.  Oli has some technical issues but rejoins us from the North Carolina after having them sorted.  He is about to return to Germany and we are discussing travel protocols that are supposedly in place, but that the reality is different than what is being shared by the policy makers and policy enforcers. And Chas takes a peek from behind the curtain to offer his fair-thee-well. And lastly, although the corpus delicti of Antlerboy as co-host is still warm, we are happy to introduce our last guest, David “Mule” Schneider as the new co-host at The Outliers Inn.  David shares a bit about himself, starting with the details of his being involved supporting STEM at the high school level by coaching and leading “robotics” as a high-school sport.  Mule’s expertise in logistics and warehousing has kept him incredibly busy over the COVID pandemic as the rush to ecommerce created a huge demand for his skills. So, as the Great Bard, William Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet; “Parting is such sweet sorrow.”  We all thank Antlerboy for his helping found and build the Outliers Inn and he has promised to grace the establishment from time to time.  And those who remain are all better off for having had the opportunity to hoist a drink together with him and share insights into life’s goings-on. Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant.

Recorded: November 24, 2020 About the podcast Antlerboy starts off the show with a confession; that he has been seeing other people – in fact quite a selection of other people.  Behind JP’s back but in broad daylight, he has been recording two other podcasts; “Joy and Work” for leading (public) service transformation, and “Transduction” for the systems, complexity, and cybernetics.  He also shares that his launch strategy is rather atypical in that he is purposefully limiting his audience to a “need to listen” basis with a tight circle of trust and with limited outreach.  JP thinks this is a rather odd launch strategy indeed.  But then again, JP got a bit lost (but not surprised) when Antlerboy started talking about the subject matter having socialist and liberal leanings and academic wonks being the source for many of his episodes. JP expresses concern that Antlerboy’s appetite for strange is insatiable and that he should seek help – this before confessing that he too has recently launched a new podcast himself entitled “Supercharged Supply Chain”.  But JP’s also shares that his new podcast is a bit of a struggle because he is not used to having a co-host who is so much smarter than he is, and it takes a lot of work on his part to be sure to be on his toes. Of course, both Antlerboy and JP wish each other much success with their new ventures. Our first guest is Sam Storm from Sweden.  JP has known Sam for some time and took notice of the complete personal transformation that Sam has undertaken in the past year; from hoodies and baggie-pants to custom tailored suits.  In the spirit of John T. Molloy, Sam is “dressed for success”.  Sam then shares that he has competed in the Swedish hip-hop cover competition several times and does a pretty good Dr. Dre cover.  It is near peak darkness in Sweden now with a maximum of seven hours of twilight and Sam is finding satisfaction in working with others; coaching and mentoring them on agile tools and techniques with an eye to professional and personal growth. This leads to a larger discussion on mentoring; and how we often don’t know we are mentoring others (and that others don’t know that we are being mentored by them).  Perhaps it is better this way in that each of us can be more genuine and have the real conversations without feeling the pressures associated with knowing we are examining or being examined. Our next guest to the bar is a regular, Stephane from Belgium and now in France.  The conversation starts with the renewed lockdown in France and the challenges that will be faced with holiday shopping.  It would appear that many people in France openly rail against Amazon whilst secretly clicking away.  Absurdly, the supermarkets are open for food, but aisles within the supermarket are closed because they sell “non-essential” items (whatever that means) even though they are in the same store.  This is to protect the small shops that sell these items, but are currently closed – even though you can buy these items online.  Government Rules Hurt. Our. Heads. JP shares with Stephane that he was concerned for Stephane’s well-being.  Usually, Stephane is responsive to eMails and LinkedIn messages, but there were a couple of weeks where Stephane did not respond – not even open a message on LinkedIn.  Stephane shared that he was on vacation, or rather a “stay-cation”.  He stayed in his apartment and unplugged from everything work-related.  How can a person do that for two weeks, couped up in an apartment with restrictions for movement, escaped JP (who would have had to escape). Lastly, we again call to center stage, Mandalyn, with another acapella rendition of one of her original songs.  This one is a personal favorite of her’s and is entitled “Breaking Up” about the end of one of her relationships a really long time ago. As usual, we sit around the table discussing what-not and such – mostly adding to the previous conversations of the evening, until the last call is shouted and the lights are turned up brighter letting us all know it’s time to go. Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant.

Recorded: October 26, 2020 About the podcast Welcome to another “open mic” edition at The Outliers Inn with JP and stand-in co-host Don Burshnick who has co-hosted enough episodes that he can be considered the co-co-host.  JP and Don start-off the conversation by sharing how refreshing it is to get back out in the field and doing some face-to-face work after being largely confined to quarters during the COVID Pandemic.  For two guys who normally spend a lot of time in airplanes traveling to client-sites, being grounded for an extended period of time is as uncomfortable as it is unusual.  JP has traveled from Germany to the States a couple of times and Don just returned from Mexico. We share the “myth” of border crossings.  We read about all the rules associated with travel.  But where the expectation is stringent controls, paperwork validation, and health-checks, the reality has been quite the opposite; with no observable differences between travel pre-COVID and during (so long as you have the proper passport and paperwork).  The only real difference that JP noticed is that hardly anyone is on the plane.  JP shares his ideas about business and rules.  By and large, businesses don’t care what the rules are, they just want to know what the rules are and that the rules will not change with the wind.  Sure, they might lobby and lament, but at the end of the day, so long as they are predictable, all is good with the world. We welcome our first guest, Neal from Louisville, who shares that he has not experienced business growth.  While companies that directly serve the consumer seem to be busy, he believes that industry is holding back on investment in production apparatus.  JP shares that companies are best to be in a state of readiness, but if you can’t be ready, you better be resilient (best to be both). Our next guest is Oli from Germany who shares his experiences traveling between the States and Germany; which largely corroborates the experiences of JP and Don.  He shares that the only people who are reporting to the workplace are those working on the production floor or turning wrenches while the “knowledge workers” are working remotely; but even those on the production floor have changed their way of operations by minimizing close contact. And our last guest is Mandalyn who takes to the stage again to perform an acapella rendition of another song she wrote entitled “Cheater”. We wrap-up the show with a group conversation sharing what we are all going to be doing as we close in on the end of year; with Don sharing the latest updates in his beer-brewing “hobby”.  Oli is working on renewing an outreach program to build his funnel with new prospects as opposed to relying solely on his existing clients.  While Neal is hopeful for landing a new position and passing his ASQ Certification this coming January.  And Mandalyn is just going to keep working, and no doubt will continue writing some songs. Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant. Co-Host: Don Burshnick

Recorded: September 21, 2020 About the podcast It’s another “Open Mic” night at  The Outliers Inn.  And in this episode, Benjamin and JP discover there might be a couple of interpretations of that open invitation.  It would appear that, in addition to our regular followers and people who might see our invitations as shared in our normal channels, people could also search EventBrite (our registration tool) for terms that might interest them; including “open mic”.  This proved to generate some rather interesting guests; not the regular crowd talking about what our audience has come to expect, but rather, something completely different. Benjamin and JP start the show in the normal fashion; exchanging goings-ons, observations, and stories of our recent experiences.  JP contemplates the coming autumn whimsically and nostalgically and Benjamin finds himself duty-bound to share some British thing that he considers relevant; “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”.  It’s actually poetically descriptive. Benjamin also shares the transformation of his business from a traditional to virtual.  And though Benjamin is sad to see the past pass, JP (having been virtual before it was cool) is sure that Benjamin, and his company, will find themselves much better off for it. But this is where the show deviates dramatically from its norm. Our first guest is Dee Allen, a poet who has written countless poems and published several books of poetry.  He shares two of his poems, “Breeder of Flames” and “Washa-quon-asin”, with a passion that is obvious and enthusiastic.  In the poems he shares, he invokes his Native American heritage.  Dee’s books of poetry can be found on Amazon by looking up the author Dee Allen.  His new book is “Elohi Unitsi” and can be found by clicking here. Next up to the bar is Jamie Ryder from the UK who start by discovering they hail from the same parts of England.  Jamie shares with us that he is an artist and a blog publisher who’s websites include; “The Comic Vault”, “Yamato Magazine”, and “The Rum Ration”.  And our last guest is Mandalyn who takes to the stage (we didn’t even know we had a stage) and shares with us a song she wrote; and not only did she write it, she sang it for us! Indeed, The Outliers Inn welcomes all and is welcoming to all.  Give a listen… Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant.

Recorded: August 3, 2020 About the podcast Topic: One of our regular guests, Don Burshnick, stands-in for Antlerboy and takes his place behind the bar - somewhere at which he is all too familiar and steps right into the roll. We start the evening off with a discussion about SpaceX and the successful completion of their manned mission to the International Space Station marked by the safe return to Earth of the astronauts aboard. From launch to splashdown, the mission was as perfect as any mission ever was - kudos to Team SpaceX. This episode finds us with an eclectic group of characters who have traveled far and wide to join us at The Outliers Inn. The conversation that is had is varied, but interconnected. And we learn a bit about the "Requisite Agility Movement" which seems to be the thread that binds most of the guests. Our first guest is Geordie who starts off the conversation from Fairfield Connecticut and has put aside his work in the garden for a spell to spend some time and share some thoughts with us. He has been out of work for a while because of COVID. He has been honing his skills and capabilities by participating in the "Requisite Agility Movement" and creating his own particular flavor of analysis he calls the "structures of work". Kyle joins us from El Paso Texas where he has been for 10 years. He is also participating in the "Requisite Agility Movement" and shares that he is a bit brain-dead from preparing for the PGMP Exam. He is currently working on the transit infrastructure program as part of the transition team. Anne joins the conversation all the way from London. And shares with us the current state of COVID in the UK and related goings-on. But she is not interested in sharing her thoughts about COVID and masks (or not), but rather wants to "share her feminist agenda" (rut-roh). Ann shares with us her thoughts regarding social contracts and what is expected (either implied or stated) of each of us to be a part of society. Mario calls in from even further - Pretoria South Africa - and shares with us his evaluation work in complicated systems and the challenges with the eGovernment strategy in South Africa. His work involves getting people to understand what others are saying and mapping the relationships - especially between management and workers. JP is remise his primary responsibility when it comes to the introduction of our next guest; Aiden who joins us from London. Aiden shares with us perspectives on artistry, specifically movies with some of his thoughts on two of JP's most favorite movies; "The Sting" and "Twelve Angry Men" Come listen in - the group conversation at the end is especially engaging. Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant.

Recorded: July 14, 2020 About the podcast Topic: Okay, the notion was noble, but the presentation might have been better.  If this was an episode of Master Chef with Antlerboy and JP being the wanna-be cooks, we would certainly have presented a repulsive-looking dish, but it tasted darn good. So here’s the story;  Antlerboy and JP had noticed that all of the guests at The Outliers Inn have been men.  Certainly, the men have themselves have been diverse in geography, industry and profession – but they have all been men.  So we wanted to consciously seek to make our guests more diverse and we came up with the idea to devote a show only to guests who were women – and decided to call the episode “Lady's Night” (I believe it was Antlerboy’s idea).  Try as he might, JP could not come up with another name with less sexist undertones, so we went with it.  We won’t do that again – we will find another name if we do a repeat. JP starts by sharing his joy of being back in action; in the States, client-facing, and in the field.  But JP’s primary engagement is with a nursing home and he is staying with his parents (who are both over 80 years old) while there.  So his COVID-RADAR is up and operational; social distancing, masks, limiting who he visits and under what circumstances.  It’s serious stuff and the risks are considerable.  Better safe than sorry – really sorry. Our first guest, Maria, is an industrial engineer at Spirit Airlines as Manager of Business Process Optimization.  She helps conduct improvement projects for the company and training employees in Lean Six-Sigma.  Since COVID has effected the airline industry especially hard, I asked what effects has it has had on her and the goings-on at Spirit.  It was refreshing to hear that Spirit was using the lighter load to improve the skillsets of their employees. Amanda joins us from Manchester, having crossed paths with Antlerboy recently doing a webinar on crisis communication (“which is exactly as it says on the tin”).  She police communications for 20yrs in charge of all communication.  She started before 9/11 and the world is a very difference place looking back.  Amanda’s personal turning point and most poignant moment was dealing with the terrorist attack at the Manchester arena and how important the people and communication were so critically important in working through a crisis situation.  She recently started her business (on the day of lockdown in the UK).  Her book, Crisis Communication Strategies (May-2020) is available on Amazon. Our next guest is Sonia, who is a Lean Six-Sigma Master Black Belt.  She is realigning her focus from process performance to personal and professional development.  She recently launched her company, SS International LLC.  She conducts workshops and masterminds and shares with us that she recently launched a three-month mastermind specifically for women to help them learn to unleash their potential, overcome obstacles, hold themselves and each other accountable, and reach their goals. This just skims the surface of the conversations and discussions.  There is a lot of interesting ideas and experiences shared.  Give a listen.  We are sure you will enjoy it as much as we did. Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant.

Recorded: June 3, 2020 About the podcast Topic: We find Antlerboy in much better spirits and more positive. He has been a bit beat down due to being locked-down. But is finding working in his London garden - replete with a cherry tree, recently Amazon-delivered pond weed, potatoes and onions - is very therapeutic. JP is happy for Antlerboy, but wonders; just how big is this garden in London? JP is itching to get back in the game; getting on an airplane and client-facing. Sitting and working from home is not his bag. But JP shares that he has booked a flight to the States for a few weeks from June into July and is looking forward to it. We start the meat-and-potatoes of the conversation by discussing the shift in the work paradigm from office to home. In conversations with leaders of companies (admittedly anecdotal data and not empirical data), the near universal feedback is that people are more productive working from home. But although productivity might have increased in the near-term, what are the effects long-term? Humans being social creatures, is it healthy to be isolated from people for an extended period of time? Working from home, will people have the discipline to protect the borders of work time versus personal time? Our first guest is a regular at The Outliers Inn, David. He shares that he has not been successful working from home in the past because of the distractions and has continued to go to his office during the shutdown. Work-wise, he is as busy as ever and he is still experimenting with his hemp-sprouts. Neal, from Louisville (however you pronounce it) in Kentucky, is our next guest. He shares that his contract was terminated in March and he is trying to discover where the next step in his professional will take him. He is wondering what the need will be for social distancing at work; equipment and workstation placement, walking around the facilities, and so on. Stephane, a regular from France, joins us and shares his thoughts about globalization and remote work; if the world was flat before, it has become more flat now. We discuss the rapid adaptation and evolution of telephony. People and companies have readily and rapidly implemented Zoom (or some similar solution) and are conducting business meetings remotely. Can virtual reality be too far off where people will put on virtual reality googles and be able to walk-up to a virtual whiteboard and draw? Stephane shares that you can already virtually cycle the French countryside on Swift. So is the notion becoming reality that far off? Hal from Washington State joins us and shares that he has recently been having a riot (pun intended); that the economy is booming for gun and ammo shops and his opinion that the question of gun control has been settled for a generation. But getting back to his core business, he speaks about the challenges of getting back to business for those companies that were shutdown (non-essential businesses). Our last and most regular guest taking his turn at the bar is Don. He wonders about the social discourse presently taking place and the duplicity of the messaging. How can one group of protesters be called irresponsible and another group of protesters be celebrated; Further, how can violence and destruction be excused? There are a lot conversations had and ideas shared. But the interesting thing is that most thoughts are about life-after instead of life-during COVID and how we are navigating towards it. We thinks that optimism taking root. Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant.

Recorded: June 3, 2020 About the podcast Topic: Antlerboy and JP welcome the first-ever, all male and exclusively British guest roster. It's a veritible sausage fest, except its more like Bangers. Come give a listen as we mash it up (see what I did there?). The episode starts with Antlerboy not being his usual joyful self, some would say "hacked-off", "fed up", or just "down in the dumps". And it all come down to too... Too long stuck indoors, too much disruption to business, too long a hiatus from life, too much time to contemplate his failures, just too much of everything negative for too long. It would appear some people do not do well in a sensory deprivation chamber. Let's see if our guests can bring him out of the funk. Our first guest is Paul, who does not help Anterboy's state by predicting there will not be a second wave of COVID, but rather one long, extended wave. Thanks, Paul, Anterboy is headed for the window-sill. But Paul does go on to share that the antidote for companies is to either generate cash or preserve cash. We welcome back John who bellies up to the bar. John's remedy to it all is to live a life of sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll. Okay, John, you have our attention. But then John starts talking about being in the bath contemplating Maslow's heirarchy of needs and, in the middle of his mescaline-induced haze... NEXT.! As John stumbles aside, Andy snaps his fingers to place his order. We all know its rude to snap your fingers, but he's from Scotland. As we are taking his order, we ask how he is (just being polite, ya' know), and he tells us he is "outstandingly mediocre". Apparently, he is upset that he won't be taking a holiday anytime soon. Finally, a breath of fresh air walks into the Inn. And right behind them is Peter. But Peter has actually been having a pretty good go of things lately. Work is going well and his Mrs Peter is having him do a bit of gardening. Most important, he has had time to poodle about and contemplate life, what is important to him and what is not, and what he might do in retirement. By the time last call is shouted out, the mission has been accomplished. Antlerboy is definitely in finer spirits. A really fine, if sometimes dour and esoteric evening, at The Outliers Inn. We are sure you will enjoy giving a listen-in. Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant.

Topic: Antlerboy and JP celebrate the 50th episode of The Outliers Inn.  The theme of today’s show is “coming out of COVID-19” and we will be talking about our plans for re-entering society after government-imposed lockdowns.  JP, being blessed with abundant hair even with his years, shares that his first thing will be to get a haircut and to resupply on cigars which he has been without for some time. Oli from Germany is our first guest and boasts that he has shaved and is debating whether to use a pot and self-cut the top.  He is looking forward to re-engaging his clients, but in the interim he just received seven TONS of cement to re-do his basement; remember 3-2-1. Next up is Isaac from New York City but presently in North Carolina.  Besides promising to give JP his ’67 Mustang Ragtop, he’s working on the rehabilitation of a house in North Carolina and laying down 2,000sf of tigerwood flooring.  He is also helping to launch his daughter’s business doing temporary tattoos G-Tat. Stephane from France joins us and confesses that he has cut his hair himself.  He did the best he could, but managed to cut a couple bald-spots.  But it’s growing back and he is no longer embarrassed to go outside.  Stephane shares that he believes telephony will play a larger roll in daily goings-on in the business – but he’s looking forward to expanding the talent pool as telephony frees businesses to hire talent wherever they might be. Don “the beer man” enters the fray from Upstate New York.  The lockdown has been more severe there than in many other places in the States including counting how many customers can go into the grocery stores.  The City of Binghamton has a 10pm curfew.  Why?  Nobody knows.  His business has not been severely impacted, but there is a backlog of engagements which will keep him busy. There is a serving of fresh fish at the Inn.  Jason joins us from North Carolina and shares how he has been building a network in the Space Industry – that’s outer space, not commercial office or retail space.  His mission it to “make space boring” in that he would like to see space travel become as routine as any other mode of travel. And there is another serving of fresh fish at the in with Dan from Iowa joining us.  Being in higher education, he shares with us how telephony has become ubiquitous in the delivery of classes – even though Dan has been using telephony before it was cool.  Like Stephane, he believes telephony is here to stay. A darn good episode – and a fine way to celebrate our 50th episode at The Outliers Inn. We are sure you will enjoy it. Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant. Recorded: May 4, 2020

Topic: With everyone in the world being locked-down, bored  rigid with nothing much better to do and in desperate need of speaking with someone other than their significant other or dog, it’s a full-house at The Outliers Inn with guests who hail from the States, the UK, Germany, and Iceland being represented.  The episode is long, but the conversation is fun and lively. Standing in for co-host Benjamin “Antlerboy” Taylor is a regular on the show, Don “the beer man” Burshnick. We start off with Don sharing that his beers are being recognized by his peers as being pretty darn good.  In a recent contest, his Raspberry Wheat won 1st place and his California Common took 2nd in their respective classes.  And we discover that “gravity” is indeed relative.  In beer parlance, it means that there is more sugar in higher gravity beers – and more sugar means more fermentation which, in turn, translates to a higher alcohol content. Hal joins us from Washington State and continues his work with small manufacturers.  His main challenge is navigating how manufacturers can continue working during the pandemic and what working together will look like after this is all done.  The biggest concerns is the potential over-reaction and the instilling of temporary controls that might become permanent. John from the UK whose passion is continuous improvement joins us.  Being recently retired and bored rigid, he made the rookie mistake of trying to teach his wife “5-S”, starting in the kitchen.  There is nothing a wife loves more than being told by her husband how disorganized her kitchen is – not.  Needless to say, she was displeased and demonstrated her colorful vocabulary with enthusiasm.  He reflects that he should have spent more time studying Sun Tzu before starting this war, and not just how Toyota works. Joerg from having just finished taking a cruise in the Mediterranean with his wife.  He has recently taken on a new role within the company.  But the new role will take him 500km from where he presently lives.  He has been spending his time preparing for the new role, but also looking for an apartment near his new place of work.  Due to the restrictions in place, he has had to look at apartments “virtually”.  It will be the first time he has ever entered into a contract for a place without ever having seen it live and in person. Wolfgang, also from Germany, then bellies up to the bar.  He is missing his daily workouts at the gym, but finds himself very busy.  He changed the delivery of his consulting and training to be virtual and has landed enough work to see him through to the end of the lockdowns – even though he is thinking to make this a permanent offering for his clients – more value-add and less rumptime in a car traveling. Andy from the UK shares his angst with the UK regulation called IR-35 and the burden that has been placed on independent contractors.  The confusion with the regulation has caused confusion with many prospective clients who don’t want to run afoul of the regulation and has been idle for longer than makes him comfortable.  All the patrons at the Outliers Inn share their angst with governments squashing small guys while they dollop benefits on those who are large enough to fight back.  So he is spending a lot of his time writing articles on LinkedIn.  Stephane joins us from France were some of the most Draconian lockdown measures are in place.  People are allowed to leave the house for only an hour a day, much like a prisoner in solitary confinement.  When he does leave, he can only go for necessities (like groceries) and has to carry a diary with him that logs his time in case he is stopped by the authorities.  He’s working from home and his new friend is Zoom.  He is also socializing by having Zoom-beers with his friends.    Oli is originally from Iceland, has lived in the States, and is now in Germany.  Being used to being in the field, the lockdown makes him uncomfortable.  Although he appreciates the “buy local” sentiment that is currently being expressed,  he talks about the benefits of globalizations.  Talk about global risks and the need for maintaining multiple sources in the supply chains – not just diversity in companies, but diversity in geographies. And David from Virginia decides to celebrate his 59th year on this planet with us miscreants at the Outliers Inn instead of doing – whatever else he can be doing.  Why?  We still don’t know.  But COVID-19 or not, he drives to and from his shop every day to do what he does – and trying to living his life as usual.  He is a Virginia licensed industrial hemp grower and is trying to develop a way where he can plant and harvest in 10days hemp-sprouts as a functional food.  He does admit to enjoying the empty highways where he can open it up.  His commute time is much shorter.  We end the program with the biggest dog-pile The Outliers Inn ever had…  Come listen in… Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant. Recorded: April 7, 2020

Topic: The episode starts off rather professional (read dry) with Antlerboy sharing some rather serious endeavors he is launching.  He introduces two new podcasts; “Joy in Work; The public service transformation” and “Transduction; the systems complexity and cybernetics” – neither of which pose any competition to The Outliers Inn (not even close).  And he also shares another project; Requisite Agility managing change and uncertainty (http://requisiteagility.org/), where “requisite” is required by the nature of things and “agility” being the ability to successfully adapt, cope, or exploit changing situations. That (thankfully) being done and dusted (read buried), the guests (mercifully) come to visit and breathe life back into the conversation with talks of; robot competitions, beer (again), heaps of cash for consultants in the UK, and the tragedy of a video being removed from YouTube causing one of our guests to actually do work. We welcome our first guest, David, who has been working with high school students design and build robots that have to complete a fixed series of tasks.  The robot that completes the tasks the most completely wins.  The team that David and five other mentors coach consists of 148 students.  And although they came in force, the take-away lesson was “don’t forget the ‘Loctite”. Don is still brewing beer and promises to share with the other visitors to The Outliers Inn.  He has been producing a bunch of lagers because the temperature has been cool.  And they just did two high gravity beers; a “Scottish Wee Heavy” which will take months to mature and come in at 10% and a “Barley Wine” coming in at 9%.  Made for sipping not for sessioning. John returns to visit us.  He is in much better spirits than his last visit – and we are sure it’s not because of Don’s concoctions.  Rather, he shares with us that the UK Government has a program with whole pots of money for helping smaller companies and the supply chain into aerospace – and that this will make consultants (including himself) very happy.  In the interim, he’s found a job to keep him busy in logistics – as a delivery driver. Our last guest is Stephane, who is rather desperate today.  He is working on team effectiveness and coming up with a brand new model.  He was disappointed that a YouTube video by Richard Hackman – which used to be there – was now longer there.  This meant he was going to have to actually do some work.  After it is complete, he will be rolling it out to his team, and perhaps further.  And the debate over the best beer continues; Belgian, German, or Don’s… Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant. Recorded: March 3, 2020

Topic:  In this episode of The Outliers Inn, we talk about the risks involved in falling iguana’s, long-flights and sore bums, speculating on government numbers, eating bats, and preparing for retirement (or semi-retirement). Antlerboy and JP start-off by sharing their experiences on recent travels with Antlerboy going to Southeast Asia and JP going to Florida.  We share some of our travel habits but the one we have in common is that neither of us can understand how a person can justify the added expense of a business-class ticket – even if we do sometimes end-up with sore bums on the long-haul flights.  Really, what can the airlines possibly do to deliver on a 5x-plus premium on the cost of a ticket?  Especially since neither of us are particularly large either vertically or horizontally – and our bums never get that sore.  The conversation moves to the subject or “risk”, with JP sharing a particularly novel risk he had never heard of before – that of “falling iguanas”.  When he was in Florida, it was so cold (dropping into the 40F’s), that the Florida weather service issued an “iguana warning”.  Apparently, when it gets that cold, the iguanas lose their grip and fall from the trees.  Reportedly, they are not injured and will re-awaken when they warm – but getting hit on the head with a falling iguana, which can grow to 6ft in length and weigh 20lbs, would make for a bad day. Our first guest to belly-up to the bar is Greg.  He shares with us the risks he sees in the global supply chain where single-points of failure abound.  Whether it’s an earthquake and tidal wave, or floods, or coronavirus’, it seems that companies have not learned to have redundant suppliers in case of catastrophe – or if they do, they don’t keep the secondary vendor sound enough to pick-up the slack when the unexpected happens.  His particular concern is the present risks to the supply chains and the global economy from the coronavirus. Our second guest, Don, being thrifty and bringing his own home-brewed beer, shares is real-life experience with respect to the hypothetical disruptions to the supply chain that he is having to endure and react presently – giving tangible evidence that the threats are real and not theoretical or anecdotal.  He shares with us that his deliveries are being delayed weeks or longer because of the concerns and actions related to the coronavirus. JP amends his Gastronomy Rule Nr.1 from; “No insects” to “No insects, snakes, or bats.” Our last guest of the evening is John.  He shares with us a real and heartfelt challenge; what do you do when you have spent so many years in corporate and find yourself to old to be hired, but too young to sit on the porch and yell at the kids to get off your lawn?  He feels he has so much to give but doesn’t know how or even where to begin.  He shares some regrets and expresses concern for what his legacy will be – the evidence that he was here at all.  We talk about various ways he can pass the wisdom he has gained over the years to others – including teaching and consulting.  A really interesting part of the program which should give everyone cause for pause – and reflection. We are sure you will find the conversations as interesting as we did… Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant. Recorded: February 6, 2020

Topic:  We do another theme-based episode, this time on “New Year’s Resolutions”.  It doesn't matter whether they are funny or serious ones, but it does matter that your word and resolve is so useless that you can't keep a promise to yourself.  In that case, you might not even have any resolutions.  But if you do, you will probably find that no one other than yourself will follow up on them.  As the immortal Shakespeare once said, "Please pass the bacon, I prithee." Oops, wrong quote. "To thine own self be true." JP shares some wisdom from Texas – which seems to be lost in translation to British-English.  And shares his experiences with the extremists of continuous improvement – as he refers to them as the “Taliban of Continuous Improvement” – that he has encountered on social media, with Benjamin sharing similar experiences he has had.  JP ponders whether Benjamin was involved in the floorplans that went missing at MI6 in a desperate attempt to improve his internet speed. Neal, a transplant from Atlanta now living in Louisville (however you pronounce it), Kentucky, joins us as the first guest.  His resolution is to become more active in maintaining and growing his professional network.  Neal shares that he engages in social medial, but has found it difficult to find peers for face-to-face meetings.  JP suggests that Neal introduce himself to the Systems Science and Industrial Engineering department (or similar) at the local university as a starting point. Remarkably, Benjamin’s first – and perhaps only – friend has finally joined us at the Outliers Inn.  Chris, who claims Benjamin did not have to pay much for him to join us, shares his interest in this emerging community.  A maverick technologist for several years, he got the opportunity to form a “guild” at his organization – a grass roots organization dedicated to a professional practice.  The idea of the guild was to bring people at work together in a non-transactional format.  Although not generally into creating resolutions, Chris’ resolution for 2020 is to consolidate and grow the guild.  Our last guest and frequent visitor to the Outliers Inn is Don.  Don starts off by sharing some distractions and interruptions which made him less effective and efficient in his efforts in 2019, so his goal and primary focus for 2020 is to get organized.  That being said, his one distraction that he will allow is his growing interest in brewing beer (how distracting can that be; wink-wink).  It’s actually a father and son project; or perhaps son?  After all, there is a stark difference in the approach to brewing between the two with the son being a sticker for adhering to a strict following of the formula and the Don being more “close enough is good enough”.  The official launch of the Square Deal Brewery (as it will be called) is a year away.  But when it is launched, it will be the official beer of The Outliers Inn.  There are a lot of other great conversations, and we don’t mind you eavesdropping.  Enjoy! Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant.

Topic:  In this episode of The Outliers Inn, we try something new – having a “theme” for the show.  As we approach the end of another year in time and space, we (ought to) become reflective of things said and done, failures and successes, fulfillments and hopes yet to fulfill themselves.  Like the Irish man who thought about the evils of drinking in the New Year – then he gave up thinking.  So we decided the theme for this show should be “most impactful event” of the year where our guests will share what happened in their lives that had a significant impact this past year. Our first guest is Hal Frohreich who shares his transformative experiences in leadership development during his participation in a Kata Dojo workshop that he attended in “Cascadia”, a rather obscure region (except for those who live there) of North America roughly defined as Oregon, Washington State, and British Columbia.  Hal is followed by Davis Balestracci who shares the challenges he faced in 2019, having been forced into “semi-retirement” by losing traction and having a lack of engagements.  We ponder together what the root-cause might be and explore potential ways of taking corrective action.  JP helps Davis to deconstruct the challenges and reconstruct potential ways forward; how to gain and retain the attention of the M.A.N (the person who has Money, Authority, and Need).  And our last guest is James Considine, who shares his life-altering event in 2019 – the facilitated departure from corporate life and entering the world of the entrepreneur.  He proposes that business owners care the most of these criterion; 1) Can  it make me money, 2) Can it save me money, 3) Does it keep me out of prison, and 4) Does it make my life easier – these being in no particular order.  James proposes that each of us must know and understand their own personal “superpower” and amplify the this superpower rather than to focus on improving where they are weak.  Strengths should be amplified and weaknesses should be augmented. There is a lot of insight, perspective, and sharing in this episode.  Kick back and enjoy. Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant.

Topic:  JP shares his challenges with a recent move of premises.  Many of the frustrations involve the discarding of waste in Germany; the myriad of bins and methods of discarding and the confusions that go with their use is but one of the challenges.  The biggest challenge, besides JP holding the opinion that his landlords were assholes and all that entails, was discarding larger items.  Since it is so difficult to shed yourself of such items, they have a tendency to stock-pile.  It took a bin that held 5 cubic-meters (which was filled with 6 cubic-meters) and a dozen muelsacks that were filled to capacity and had to be purchased separately. Our call-in guest, Denis from Whales, shares his experiences at a recent conference and the information being shared.  Of particular was Denis’ listening to a talk on food waste and the CO2 being generated by the food waste.  JP’s thinking immediately gravitates to the carbon produced as a result of the value-chain of food; planting, tending, harvesting, processing, and the logistics involved in getting it to the consumer.  However, the talk was actually about the CO2 generated by the decomposition of food.  This led to a lively debate of whether this really adds to the overall carbon; after all, the plants consume carbon from the atmosphere and could only release the amount they consumed.  This, as opposed to carbon which is captured underground and released. Our second guest is Dimitri from Texas.  Having grown-up in a farming community, his observation is the closer you are to where you grow your food, the more efficient you are at consuming it and the waste is a lot less.  With regards to carbon, Dimitri’s opinion was carbon in and carbon out, that it was close to neutral.  His big concern regarding waste was how can there be so much, yet people go hungry.  It all comes down to logistics.  It costs a lot to move food without it spoiling.  And that cost has to be recouped.  It’s difficult for that to happen in the poorest parts of the world. With the topic gravitating between genetically modified food and towards logistics, JP wonders why “bulk/family” sizes don’t exist in Europe.  This would certainly cut down on waste (excess production and packaging), lead to lower prices for the consumer, and generally be a good thing.  These questions, and more, remain unanswered… Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant.

Topic: Antlerboy (aka Benjamin Taylor) continues to be plagued by substandard internet, although right in the middle of London and across the street to MI-6, yet can only get ADSL service to his office.  How can that be in 2019?  Broadcasting from home is not possible because Antlerboy is too “afraid” to tell his wife to be quiet as a mouse for an hour whilst we are recording.  Not to be undone, JP laments about his “high-tech house from hell”.  And so it goes…   Our guests are Seth  from Joisey   Seth shares his thoughts on Artificial Intelligence and sets the subject for the rest of the podcast.  He ponders the quality of the data being mined, whether people need all the information available to them – are they now being fed information for the wow factor or is all that time and effort waste?  JP goes on the offensive to challenge the use of AI in the hiring process among other applications.  But the conversation goes on to other introductions of innovation and technologies in general and on a variety of applications – and as experience guides us from the past; the knowns, the known unknowns, and the unkown unknowns.  JP shares the tragedy of “unknown unknowns” of innovation in the early days of high-altitude, long-distance flights – where square windows in the de Havilland Comet resulted in metal fatigue at the corners and caused several fatal crashes.  But this discovery lead to an understanding and that is why all windows in aircraft today have no corners.  In the podcast itself, JP erroneously stated that it was the “Lockeed Constellation”.  We regret the error and are sure it would not have happened if the hosts were AI bots and not live, and fallible, human beings.   Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant.

Topic: An eclectic bunch of visitors visited The Outliers Inn sharing a myriad of challenges. It was another successful Open Mic Night at The Outliers Inn.  Word is spreading of the new format of having random call-in guests is taking hold with the guests being greater in number and in energy. We start with Antlerboy and JP talking about attending and participating in conferences and whether they are worth it.  Generally speaking, the consensus supported by experience is that the expectation should be a longer runway before a connection becomes a transaction – but that keeping in front of people and share (and gaining) wisdom is essential.  The exception might be (the evidence is anecdotal) those who attend and are selling a specific and tangible solution (like software or some widget). Then JP goes on a rant about how people don’t read the words of what they are reading – they just skim.  Then they inject their own bias and pre-conceived notions of what should have been written and engage in a rather impolite way – playing a weak game of “Now I Got You, You Son-of-a-Bitch (NIGYYSOB)”.  JP reminds us that reading is fundamental, but comprehension is important too. Our first guest to step-up to the microphone is David, who share the challenges facing the nascent hemp and marijuana industry – not the least of which is the government regulations that exist – many of which are incomplete, conflicting, non-existent, and mis-understood (or all of the above).  It’s no small wonder the government of Ontario in Canada lost $42million trying to sell the stuff.  This is compounded by regulators and law enforcement not always understanding the difference between hemp (from which you can make many useful products) and marijuana (from which you can get high). Next up is Stephane who talks about the challenges implementing Operational Excellence.  He shares several frustrations including challenges born of cultural differences, people being fixated on tools, and trying to be someone else (like Toyota) rather than focusing on the intent and ambition of what continuous improvement and operational excellence could be – something greater than the sum of its parts. And last is Don who shares his experiences in the field of circuit-board assembly – chief among them being a de-emphasis on effective preventative maintenance programs and the lack of skilled labor.  Especially in the low-volume and high mix manufacturing environment which is perfectly suited for manufacturing in the States, he ponders the wisdom of having a KPI on boards produced and not on good boards produced.  The cost of rework is crushing. Don also shares that he is an amateur brewer who makes less than 200 gallons per year (wink-wink) and some of the challenges there.  Fortunately, we Stephane has a PhD in Chemistry – and from Belgium – and is able to offers some helpful guidance; not the least being that a degree or so plus or minus will not really matter. This is a high-energy episode and I am sure everyone will enjoy it immensely.  Cheers! Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant.

Topic: Business Owners get the leftovers and – unrelated – how it sucks to get old and looking for a job. The issue has been settled.  The Outliers Inn will no longer take reservations, but rely solely on walk-ins.  From this day forth, we will rely on the eccentricity of our audience and their eclectic interests, ideas, and opinions. Antlerboy and RedQuadrant reached a milestone – 10yrs in business.  Congratulations are in order indeed.  We talk about the joys and fears of owning a business and how business owners get the “leftovers”.  We get the leftover money after everyone is paid, leftover time.  As Elon Musk said, we “dream of a vacation that is more than eMail with a view.” Our first guest, Denis, shares how he has decided to leave his long tenure in the corporate world to start-off on his own (don’t do it!).  We discuss how most problems are obvious – all we have to do is capture the moments when we exclaim; “There must be a better way!”  We further debate the branding of programs; lean, six sigma, continuous improvement, and so on.  JP suggests that it’s the people not the tools and that we call them these programs “Purple” – but then there would be light purple, dark purple, plum, and even mauve. Joe shares his experience in joining the United States Army and eventually settling in Germany.  He shares his frustrations with getting large organizations to change, with the root-cause mostly being a culture of fear; a fear of making a mistake, a fear of rocking the boat, the fear of just having to endure nonsense that shouldn’t have to be endured.  He also shares his frustration with seeking a job when you are older 50 years old.  That companies do not demonstrate the common courtesy to return calls or even acknowledge the inquiry (and resume) being received.  His best question is; “How in the world can someone who is 25 years old be a ‘life coach’?”  Indeed… JP’s advice is; “If your CV goes to HR, you’re dead.  HR’s job is to be the first line of defense and to eliminate all those candidates who are not perfect.  Instead, you will find your next opportunity because of your network. Denis shares that, according to a UK study the source of your job will be from; 70% Referred, 20% Applied, 10% other. Some really good stuff in this episode…  Enjoy. Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant.

Topic: Another “Open Mic Night” at The Outliers Inn.  Listen in on Antlerboy and JP as they discuss the Women’s World Cup; Renowned Transdisciplinary Behavioural Strategist, Organisational Misbehaviourist, and Ironist, Richard Claydon; and data privacy in the context of cyber security. We start with the discussion of soccer and the recent win of the Women’s World Cup by the American team.  We ponder (well, mostly JP wonders), why the Europeans can field several successful men’s soccer teams and the States can’t, especially considering the population of the States and Europe are about the same.  And we discuss Richard Claydon and his “cracking of the LinkedIn algorithm” for getting your posts (and you) recognized.   And for the more serious content, our call-in guest, Malu, discusses data privacy in the context of cyber-security.  We investigate the difference between data privacy and cyber-security and the consideration of whether the data is “outside the wall versus inside the wall.”  The difficulties in regulation and regulation “harmonization” in an attempt to avoid the Balkanization of the Internet including the (nonsense of) GDPR and the various ways people can get to content to which they are otherwise blocked, the deal with “Cookies” and whether people really care (whatever) and, if so, to what extent.   So, pull-up a seat, pour your favourite beverage, and listen Inn!   Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant.  

Topic: This episode finds us short of guests, but the show must go on.!  So, in an act of desperation and in search of fresh meat, we look inward and bring Chas – our podcast technician extraordinaire – from behind the curtain and into the spotlight.  Little did we know we were going to enter “Dr Whoopee’s Wayback Machine” and go back in time to discuss the earliest in personal computer technology.  Names like “Sinclair” and “Apple-II” – when a 20 MEGAbyte hard drive and 640 KILObytes of memory was the most anyone could ever possibly need – and a 40 MEGAbyte hard drive was living like a Saudi Prince.  Then there were the classic arcade games like Asteroids and Defender that are largely lost in time – except the movie “Pixel” brought them back from being the technology equivalent of cave drawings.  So pull-up a stool, open a can of Stroh’s or Utica Club and enjoy the show! Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant. Guests: Chas   About Chas:  Chas is a technology enthusiast (nut) and has been since around the year 1978 or so when he was introduced to a DEC PDP 11/70.  The rabbit hole got progressively deeper from that point on.   He's dabbled with many of the classic computers of the 70's, 80's and early 90's and still has his original Apple //e and Apple IIgs computers.  Modern day machines running emulation software allows him to dabble with machines that weren't available or accessible when they were new as well as playing classic arcade games from the days of his somewhat misspent youth.  He's still terrible at them but loves playing then nonetheless.

Topic: Although fraught with great peril, our intrepid hosts open-up the podcast to call-ins.  What can go wrong?  Well, everything can go wrong.  But in spite of the incredible odds, our first call-in episode went rather well.  So well, in fact, that the call-in format will be our new standard format for the show. In this first call-in episode, we will discuss the challenges faced when authority to effect transformation does not exist, but only influence – and the various approaches that might work under such circumstances.  And yes, we wade into geo-politics; starting with Brexit and moving to tariffs and the negative impact on businesses and their behavior when a lack of predictability exists. Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant. Guests: A few call-in guests. Download Podcast Here

Topic: It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to hoover it. What can improv and performing comedy tell us about learning and collaboration?  After discovering several contacts in common, JP and Benjamin are joined by the Public Service Transformation Academy's  Paul Conneely to talk insights from his past forays into improv and comedy and their applicability to the developing collaborate and innovate teams Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant. Guests: Paul Connelly Company: Public Service Transformation Academy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulconneely/ About Paul: Paul's work focuses on enabling senior executives from a range of backgrounds and professions to innovate and transform their organisations and the results they achieve. The Public Service Transformation Academy's approach is to bring people together to access the latest ideas, insights and innovative practices and to translate these into practicable actions that senior executives can readily apply to achieve better results. We work with a wide range of government and public service organisations including Local Authorities, NHS Foundation Trusts and CCGs. Paul also has experience of working with commercial companies including Airbus, Amey, Astra Zenica, AXA, Balfour Beatty, Fujitsu, HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Virgin Atlantic and Zurich Insurance.

Topic: Joining AntlerBoy and JP today at the Outliers Inn is Michael Webb, President of Sales Performance Consultants.  Michael will share the wisdom he has gained working in sales; from his start at Borroughs Corporation, and Rockwell Automation before founding his firm in 2002.  Most people believe there are two types of sales forecasts; wrong ones and lucky ones.  But Michael believes this is wrong – even lazy.  That there are ways of structuring a sales organizations and its processes so that the results are optimized and predictable, with an emphasis on working on what opportunities are real and which are hope – and hope is not a strategy, hope is dope.  Listen closely, perhaps you will gain insights for improving the sales results in your organization. Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies   Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant. Guests: Michael Webb Company: Sales Performance Consultants LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljwebb/ About Michael: Michael Webb is the President of Sales Performance Consultants.  He helps B2B companies turn sales and marketing into a continuously improving system that finds, wins, and keeps the right customers, and does it in a way salespeople love.  He works directly with the leadership teams to create tangible outcomes for your company to; Get sales and marketing departments to align almost effortlessly on what creates value and what doesn’t. Get people to stop spinning their wheels on the wrong prospects, flashy technology, and sales training that doesn’t get used. Help salespeople to become more effective with sales skills that are baked into the business, rather than into personalities. Add visibility to deal flow where the data will reveal which bottlenecks are most critical. Help the team to prioritize and implement the best improvement ideas. And, bottom-line, improve sales productivity, and margins relative to competitors

Topic: We welcome Don Burshnick, President of Alpha-1 Technologies LLC to “The Outliers Inn”, where we will learn of the importance of preventative maintenance and the conflict that exists between maintaining equipment so that it runs in an optimal state and a company’s reluctance to invest in the proper maintenance of their equipment and being satisfied with keeping their machines running, even if they are producing crap.  An we will learn of a new discipline in martial arts – called “Don-kwondo” where the kata’s are trained, but it’s also acceptable (even encouraged) to have an occasional Scotch and cigar. Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant. Guests: Don Burshnick More about Don on LinkedIn Company: Alpha 1 Technologies About Don: Don has worked in manufacturing for over 30 years. Starting on the bench and working his way up to running his own business. Always looking for improvement. He has embraced quality systems from TQM to ISO 9000. He's applied many of the theories and procedures to assist companies in improving their machine maintenance and operating procedures. Machine failure and downtime can really affect the bottom line, and  maintaining a balance of good operating procedures and maintenance can save thousands of dollars over the course of time. Mechanical assembly of Through Hole (PTH) or Surface Mount (SMT) carries with it numerous points of failure. Maintaining the process from purchasing to the manufacturing floor with open lines of communication can mean the difference between chasing the competition and being the competition. His goal is to establish standards for maintenance and process flow to fit into the new and ever changing manufacturing environment.

Topic: In this episode, your hosts, AntlerBoy an JP, start by lamenting the software industry and their almost arrogant – sometimes not almost arrogant – disregard for the customer and the user experience.  Not that software companies will ever change, but rather a resignation that we have to endure.  But the episode gets productive, or rather reproductive, with the introduction of Andy Dobson and his story of how he was a member of a small team at a company called Chartex that introduced the female condom ; where they started by making hundreds of samples per day by hand, ramping up to a production capacity or 50-million units per year within 18 months.  The rest of this episode is chock-o-block full of stories of Andy’s adventures and experiences in a variety of business. Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant. Guests: Andy Dobson More about Andy on LinkedIn Company: Lean 4 Business About Andy: Andy Dobson has worked in several industry sectors as a change agent with an emphasis on helping organizations work leaner and meaner – but meaner with a level of empathy.  He has driven value to companies like Nokia, Tata Steel, GSK, Baxter, and Lamborghini – before starting his own consultancy practice, Lean 4 Business in 2009 where he works with companies across Europe and beyond in the Operations, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain space delivering game-changing performance increases using Lean, Six-Sigma and Theory of Constraints.  In addition to having been on a small team which brought the Female Condom into volume manufacture in the early 90’s, Andy a passion for helping high-tech, high-value UK Manufacturing and Supply Chains. Andy graduated from Napier University with a BSc in Technology with Industrial Studies.

Topic: Most companies strive to be high-performing organizations – the equivalent of having “six-pack abs”.  But getting fit takes a lot of dedication and hard work – and unfortunately, most companies just have “ab”.  In this episode of The Outliers Inn, Jim will share with us his experiences in trying to help companies become leaner and meaner; the challenges companies face, the challenges he has faced, how they were overcome (or not), what has worked, what has not worked, and the perils and pitfalls to recognize and avoid. Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant. Guests: James Morales  More about James on LinkedIn   About James: Jim Morales “Can go from the street corner to the corner office and be fluent in both.”  He has over 20 years of experience working for well-known companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, Volvo, Sony, Sysco and Burger King.  His unique combination of Strategy, Finance, IT, Project Management and Organizational Design experience gives him the ability to look at an organization holistically and turn vision into action.  He recently married, father of 12yo boy-girl twins. Lives in South Florida with family and Chihuahua. Education: Columbia University, New York City - B.S; Computer Science Activities and Societies: Phi Iota Alpha Mu Chapter Founding Brother Florida International University - College of Business - MBA; Master of Science - Finance

Topic: Join us today with our favorite bespeckled guest, Phil “Just like it Sounds” Gerbyshak – and the first return guest to our show.  In this episode, we will discuss the importance of effective communication and we will discuss the impact of Social Media in all its forms on ourselves and our society; the good, the bad, the ugly – what works, what doesn’t work, and why.  You will find no “fake news” in this episode. Phil’s first visit can be found here. Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant. Guests: Phil Gerbyshak  More about Phil on LinkedIn   Phil's website About Phil: I am a former VP of information technology at a full service financial services company, where my team and I were responsible for supporting over 500 applications used by advisers, investment bankers, research analysts and support staff.  I also worked as a director of social strategy for a compliance software vendor focused on the financial services vertical, where I coached, consulted with and trained customers and prospects how to integrate social media and social selling into their daily sales practices. Currently I do programs, training, and coach people how to build their business by maximizing their use of technology and social media.  I have written 5 books, more than 2,500 articles, and been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Daily Globe and Mail, Forbes, Fortune, Financial Times, Investor’s Business Daily, Inc. and many other publications.  I live in Tampa, Florida where I spend my free time reading business books, listening to podcasts, and playing pinball.  I have been on the cover of and writer for Speaker Magazine for the NSA – not the ones that listen, the ones who talk - a lot!  I currently I have a network of approximately 3 million on social media.

Topic: Join us as we discuss Mark's 36 year career at Xerox and how he assisted with the application of various Lean disciplines over the years and what he's been up to since he "retired" Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant, and Chief Executive of the Public Service Transformation Academy. Guest: Mark Stewart About Mark: Our company leads with a unique approach to deploying a simple structured DMAIC based problem solving process throughout an organisation by engaging ALL employees - backed up by a leading and proven behaviour change model so that the skills learnt become habit. ProSolver is fully branded for each organisation so it feels as though it is their product.

Topic: What do charities, companies, public sector bodies and management consultants have in common? No, that's not the start of a joke. In this podcast, JP and Benjamin are joined by charity sector specialist Richard Sved to talk formative experiences, responding to rejection, cures for insomnia and the worst football related pun you'll ever have heard. Hosts: Joseph Paris, Founder of the OpEx Society & The XONITEK Group of Companies Benjamin Taylor,  Managing Partner of RedQuadrant, and Chief Executive of the Public Service Transformation Academy. Guest: Richard Sved About Richard: Richard Sved, Director of 3rd Sector Mission Control, is an experienced senior manager with a strong track record of strategic and operational excellence in the charitable and cultural sectors. He has led the fundraising team at seven national charities, and also has experience of policy, communications, mentoring and governance development. His key strengths lie in income generation and strategic planning. Positions held include: Interim head of fundraising – Girlguiding Interim head of fundraising – Education Support Partnership Interim head of fundraising – Epilepsy Society Director of Income and External Affairs – Leap Confronting Conflict London Regional Manager – MLA Council Deputy Director – MLA London Head of Fundraising – The National Literacy Trust