Bert, from ABB, came to our hostel to talk to us this
morning. It was a laid back conversation, which was really nice because we were
able to ask him more personal career related questions. He touched on some main
topics: the China market, Generation Y, what it’s like to work with people in
India, and why he loves being a project manager.
He said that ABB started a factory and R&D in China a
while ago and it really upset people because they felt threatened. It’s also a
risky venture because the Chinese people could leave and go start a business
that competes with ABB. Then we talked about the generation shift; about 25% of
the workforce is Gen Y people. He discussed what it’s like working with
multiple generations in the workplace. He classified a few different groups…one
was people who aren’t good with technology and will never be good with it and
on the other end of the spectrum, people who have grown up with technology, Gen
Y. Next, he talked about working with an R&D team in India. He had a team
there and within a year everyone had left the company and he couldn’t figure it
out, until he realized that people in India aren’t motivated in the same ways
as Swedes. They like to be able to go home to their family and show them that
they’re climbing the corporate ladder so it’s important that even if it’s a
small promotion or salary increase, it is still very important. They prefer to
work hard and make the advancements than have fun. Employees value having a
leader/manager and view their co-workers as competition. Lastly, Bert talked to
us about how much he loves being a product manager. He is responsible for the
overall success of a product and loves getting involved in all the different
areas of the business. But the challenges of his job are strategic issues,
working with marketing current products, working with R&D to develop new
products, having no formal power, and not having his own team to motivate. I
really enjoyed hearing about his experience as a product manager.
Then, for lunch we went to Salladsbaren Briggen, which was a
firehouse turned into a food court type thing. I shared with Megan Swedish meatballs,
potatoes, and salmon patties. And then of course I had to get dessert…a
chocolate flourless cake with home made whipped cream. It was delicious!
Next was our trip to Stylit Trampoli to see Pär Svensson.
He’s the project manager and PR missionary. This was the most unique office
I’ve ever seen! The company is an advertising agency in the
hospitality/experience industry. Stylit Trampoli was founded in 1992 by 20-year-old
Erik. Pär showed us some of the work they’ve done and it was phenomenal! They
do restaurants, hotels, museums, amusement parks, water parks, and
destinations. There is always a story behind their products. One example he
gave was a restaurant they did called Jay Fu’s The Amasian Steakhouse. They
created a story about a fictional character, Jay Fu, and it was about his
destiny. It was a blend of Asian and American culture. Everything from the menu
to the bathroom stalls was thought of to play into the story of Jay Fu. I was
just amazed at the world-class work they do! I hope someday I can visit a place
they design or work for a company like them.
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| Connor playing along |
Since it was one of our last nights the "Divine Nine" (Paddy, Joe, Tyler, Nick, Alex, Connor, Alycia, Megan, and I) went to Dubliner (the bar we went to for $40 burger and beers last week) because it was open mic so Alex could play the piano. We got a front row seat and Paddy got Nick and Alex signed up on the list to play. They called Nick up first to play the guitar (he has his own album on iTunes!), then Alex got up on stage to play with him on the piano (Connor also played along). The crowd loved them! Then Alex started to play "Don't Stop Believin" and Nick and the guy on stage were getting lost with some of the lyrics so I jumped on stage to help them out (and I am NOT a singer). I had such a great time! Afterwards, these two people who had sang earlier invited our group to meet up with them tomorrow night for another open mic in town..we'll see what happens!
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| Nick Chin |
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| Alex playing the piano |
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