On February 23, 2023, we opened our doors to our 8th consecutive Think-Tank: Leader in Action. Completely online in 2021, hybrid in 2022, this year’s Think Tank picked up where we left off three years ago – in our Paderborn offices. The theme? Off the beaten path. Trail-blazing!
Mladen Milicevic, founder of Unchained Robotics, opened the event. He began with an entertaining account of his experiences in logistic processes in Germany and abroad – experiences which sparked the idea for creating his own company. Accustomed to blazing his own trail, Mladen firmly believes that everything can, is and must be possible. With pictures and videos taken from client projects, he demonstrated the multi-facetted benefits robotics offer to businesses of all sizes, and not just mid-sized and large corporations, as is commonly assumed. Robotic technology and support can be a boon to smaller companies hard hit by the shortage of skilled workers. Robots are ideal for time-consuming, repetitive tasks, so skilled employees can focus on projects requiring the human touch. Ultimately, Mladen illustrated how automated technology supports long-term, sustainable business practices.
Following the lunch break – tasteful, talkative, connecting and refreshing, the latter for both body and soul – it was time for our second presentation. Our Think-Tank guests were captivated by Angie Reeh’s powerful images and experiences along the Way of St. James. The Way of St. James, or Camino de Santiago, is a 900-kilometer pilgrimage from St. Jean-Pied-de-Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia and continues on to the Atlantic Ocean, the world’s end. Challenging, to say the least, Angie walked about 25 kilometers a day, carrying only the bare necessities on her back, keeping her load to an absolute minimum. She forewent many of the luxuries we take for granted, and the rudimentary sleeping quarters and washrooms shared by all pilgrims (peregrinas) also took some getting used to. All of this Angie gladly shouldered as they were more than compensated for by breathtaking landscapes, sunrises and sunsets not to mention the many touching stories of other pilgrims along her way. Moving off the beaten path, Angie ventured into new territory, encountered people she would never otherwise have met, but most of all, she rediscovered herself.
Our 8th Think Tank was rounded off with a talk from Wolfgang Merkel, the Retired Dinosaur. Referring less to his age, Wolfgang believes his leadership values and attitude may well make him a species on the brink of extinction. He begins his presentation with a review of his highly impressive career from toolmaker to vice president of a global corporation, where he worked for over three decades. For our Think Tank guests, Wolfgang defined the major influencing factors that contributed to his success. Yes, he had a vision, yes, he had a strategy and yes he had intelligent goals, but it was people, more than anything else, that supported him in attaining these goals. And a good portion of luck to find himself again and again in the right place at the right time. It was clear to him that many decisions he had made only turned out to be the right ones long after he had made them. In closing, Wolfgang named two additional, significant aspects of his approach: Look for solutions, not for problems and treat everyone with equal respect, regardless of their education or position in the company.
