Mike Hohnen

Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. It's a pleasure to see you again.

Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. It's a pleasure to see you again.

Well, I have an impression that I'm going to be the odd fish out here, but that's fine. Why is that?

Well, I have an impression that I'm going to be the odd fish out here, but that's fine. Why is that?

Well, I'll tell you. I'll try and illustrate this for you with a little anecdote, which would get us going in that sense. A couple of weeks ago, I got a... a request for a Zoom meeting over my calendar system, somebody who'd found me on LinkedIn. And then I sort of, as we all do, went down and checked out. So who is this person? I wonder why they want to talk to me.

Well, I'll tell you. I'll try and illustrate this for you with a little anecdote, which would get us going in that sense. A couple of weeks ago, I got a... a request for a Zoom meeting over my calendar system, somebody who'd found me on LinkedIn. And then I sort of, as we all do, went down and checked out. So who is this person? I wonder why they want to talk to me.

And it turned out to be the CEO of a rather large software development company with a very sort of high profile background and top management team, high profile background. And so I was thinking, well, why on earth have they found out to me? It's a world I don't understand.

And it turned out to be the CEO of a rather large software development company with a very sort of high profile background and top management team, high profile background. And so I was thinking, well, why on earth have they found out to me? It's a world I don't understand.

I took the meeting, of course, and I wanted to be polite, but I prepared a sort of little speech, you know, it's very kind of you to contact me. Thank you very much. I don't want to waste your time. Once I got going on that, he stopped me and said, you know, I've researched you and I understand what it is you're doing. Do you realize that I'm a humanist?

I took the meeting, of course, and I wanted to be polite, but I prepared a sort of little speech, you know, it's very kind of you to contact me. Thank you very much. I don't want to waste your time. Once I got going on that, he stopped me and said, you know, I've researched you and I understand what it is you're doing. Do you realize that I'm a humanist?

I'm not actually madly interested in the business side of things. It's the people side. I'm a people side person. And that's the only thing that really drives me. The rest, I don't give a toss. He says, I want you to come and talk to our people. And so I explained that there is another perspective on the world, which is not the one that we sort of generally normally have.

I'm not actually madly interested in the business side of things. It's the people side. I'm a people side person. And that's the only thing that really drives me. The rest, I don't give a toss. He says, I want you to come and talk to our people. And so I explained that there is another perspective on the world, which is not the one that we sort of generally normally have.

And you have a different perspective on the world. And I'd really like you to elaborate on that. So I ended up spending an afternoon with them over in Nice. And that was great fun. We had a really good time.

And you have a different perspective on the world. And I'd really like you to elaborate on that. So I ended up spending an afternoon with them over in Nice. And that was great fun. We had a really good time.

No, it's just a classic story. I mean, there are so many examples like that out there in the world. It's unbelievable. What really gets me is, you know, it's not rocket science. We know exactly what it takes. It's not a big mystery. It's a lot of hard work, but there is a way to solve that, you know?

No, it's just a classic story. I mean, there are so many examples like that out there in the world. It's unbelievable. What really gets me is, you know, it's not rocket science. We know exactly what it takes. It's not a big mystery. It's a lot of hard work, but there is a way to solve that, you know?

Yeah, as you can see with my gray hairs, it's a long story. We'll try and keep it short. I just want to inject something there, because it gets me every time I hear it. How is it we've come to get to this spot where we talk about work-life balance? I mean, it's rubbish. From my perspective, it's rubbish, because it implies that work is not life. And for...

Yeah, as you can see with my gray hairs, it's a long story. We'll try and keep it short. I just want to inject something there, because it gets me every time I hear it. How is it we've come to get to this spot where we talk about work-life balance? I mean, it's rubbish. From my perspective, it's rubbish, because it implies that work is not life. And for...

I don't think any of us three would sign up for that. I think we all three probably work bloody hard and we love what we do. And it's a very important part of our life. It's a different kind of balance. And it's a funny way of reinforcing something that I think is completely skewed in this thing. And we all do. I know that. I hear it the whole time. Every time I hear it, I try and shoot it down.

I don't think any of us three would sign up for that. I think we all three probably work bloody hard and we love what we do. And it's a very important part of our life. It's a different kind of balance. And it's a funny way of reinforcing something that I think is completely skewed in this thing. And we all do. I know that. I hear it the whole time. Every time I hear it, I try and shoot it down.