Carefree days! Motivational event: Drop the eggs

Karl-Peter Spiet, my coach at the time, called me. Someone from my team had complained to him. We work too much. The ease with which we had solved our tasks in earlier years was no longer noticeable.

I still don't know who called Karl-Peter. But yes, it was like that. In the past, when the weather was hot and oppressive in summer, the whole company would spontaneously go to a quarry pond. In the evening, the work was so much easier. We also went on excursions that didn't always have anything to do with our work.
Karl-Peter had also thought of something. We set a date for him to take over the direction, with the task of loosening us up.
We eagerly awaited the set day. We were asked into the meeting room and there Karl-Peter and all kinds of handicraft material were waiting for us. The following transport task was to be solved in teams of two: A raw egg was to be thrown out of the window on the 3rd floor and recovered undamaged on the ground. The most ingenious construction possible was to be put in the right light by means of words and to entertain the comrades-in-arms in the best possible way. Each group had an egg, a sheet of newspaper, some tape and a metre of string.

We went to work. Discussion, consideration, decision, assembly and finally the test of our own construction under the critical eyes of all the competitors.
Stefan Rittler decided to reinforce his egg well with tape and to build a shock absorber with the newspaper to cushion the fall softly. He had estimated this by means of calculation and comparison of variants before they folded the shock absorber according to plan. Stefan threw the egg - it was dead. Joe Iannelli had decided to build a parachute. His performance was unsurpassed - the egg still broke after the attempt. Rebekka, as the leader of the women's team, decided to build a parachute with the largest part of the newspaper and wrap the egg in the smaller part to soften the impact. She expertly cut a small hole in the parachute to stabilise the trajectory. Lo and behold, our women's team's construction was perfect: they snatched victory. What fun!

Karl-Peter had another surprise in store for all of us. A staff member built a remote control into a disused electric wheelchair. So it could be steered like a remote-controlled car - while another person took a seat in the electric wheelchair. A course was set up in no time at all. One person steered and another, sitting in the wheelchair and without any influence, had to pick up various objects and transport them to the finish line. The driver at the remote control took responsibility for his team mate, while the devotion of the passenger in the wheelchair was put to the test.

After this half day, we had a lot to talk about and with vigour we got back to work. As Karl-Peter assured me, the initiator of the event was also very happy about the afternoon.

I learned from it:

• Work is easier with lightness.
• Experiencing something together strengthens us.
• Every now and then it needs an external intervention.