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The Outliers Inn


The Outliers Inn is a place where people from all businesses and roles within business can examine goings-ons from different and hopefully humourous perspectives. It’s a place where we can be a lot less serious about ourselves, what we do, what our businesses do, and the manner in which they do it.

Whether you are in finance, sales, logistics, production. operations, human resources. facilities management. information technology – whatever your role might be – business people are always taking themselves too seriously – or are taken too seriously by others. All that ends here.

It’s a place where respectful irrevernce and self-deprecating humor is the order of the day.
We release a new podcast at least once a month though when during the month that is varies based on everyone’s schedule. Please consider subscribing to the podcast so as not to miss an episode.

Feb 20, 2023

Video Version

The Outliers Inn Podcast

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!