"Teamistry" Season 4 Episode 5...let's discuss (you might win some swag 😎)

[shannyshan]

Teamistry explores the chemistry of teams that achieve the impossible through collaboration. This season takes on a docuseries format as we deep dive into Concorde: the world’s only supersonic passenger plane to have taken to the skies. Concorde is a testament to what happens when teams go beyond borders, egos, and politics to make the impossible, possible.

⭐️ LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE

If you haven't already, check out the conversation around episodes 1, 2, 3, & 4, then respond to our Episode 5 prompt below for a chance to win some Atlassian swag.(we'll randomly select a winner from this post the week of Feb 13). 

🆕 We now also have a special 'Teamistry Player' badge you can earn if you listen to at least one podcast episode & participate in one of these discussions. 

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Episode 5, Rising from the Ashes: 

Respond to the prompt below in the comments for a chance to win Atlassian swag!

• In this episode we learn more about the tragic Concorde crash and how the teams coped with and pivoted to deal with the disaster. What feelings did this episode bring up for you? How have you felt support from your team or company during trying times?

Thanks for listening and participating. 🙌

[Summer.Hogan]

I just listened to all 5 parts of Season 4 and the story is so interesting! This story is the ultimate story of teamwork! This episode brought up some sad feelings for me due to the people who died that day when Concorde caught fire and the irony of the 9/11 part of the story.

TBH, I have never felt the type of support this team felt as I have never been in such an extreme situation. Although, I do feel a pretty good amount of support right now from my team as I am having a surgery on Valentines Day and they are all stepping up to support me!  

[John Funk]

Thanks for sharing Summer - and best of luck on the surgery. 

[Kristján Geir Mathiesen]

Hope the surgery goes well @Summer_Hogan 

[shannyshan]

Thanks so much for sharing, @summer.hogan! And so happy you're liking the season. Definitely an emotional one. Hope the surgery goes well and you have a very speedy recovery 🙏🏼

[Summer.Hogan]

Thank you @John Funk @Kristján Geir Mathiesen and @shannyshan!

[Mike Monk]

Thanks

[shannyshan]

@summer.hogan - congrats! you're our swag winner for this post! reach out to me at swinter@atlassian.com and I will get you set up with your swag store promo code. 😎

[John Funk]

Congrats @summer.hogan !!

[Summer.Hogan]

Thanks everyone! I'm back from surgery! Not 100% yet, but getting there! This is very cool I won! I'm honored! I'll reach out @shannyshan!

[John Funk]

It was definitely sadness that I felt in the reliving of the accident. I had no idea what had actually caused the initial crash so that was good information for me. It reminded me of the Space Shuttle Challenger accident. It's hard to plan for so many anomalies with something that complicated. It's also sad that initially people wanted to blame others and kind of circle up the wagons in defense. But it was good to see solutions come out of it, and that they were able to get it back up and flying. Definitely weird with the 9/11 irony - dredging up more sad feelings or air disasters. 

For me, true teams rally around each other. Whether it be sickness or death of a loved one or just going through a really hard time. Teams can become like little families since we often time spend more time with them at work than some family members at home. That's the tragedy of work from home to me. There's a lot of good things associated with working remotely, but you lose a true sense of community by not being in the office. When my mother passed away a few years ago, and my father-in-law the year before that - both in different cities, multiple team members drove for a couple of hours to be at the visitation or funeral. That was very comforting. 

[shannyshan]

Thanks for sharing such a thoughtful response, @John Funk💙 Had a lot of similar thoughts and feelings as you when listening to this season. 

I love the way you phrased this: 'teams rallying around each other'. It's so true! Traveling to to a funeral is such a perfect encapsulation of that. Sounds like you've had some extremely special teammates over the years. I agree there is no substitution for being in person, especially during hard times.

[Kai Becker]

This was a really interesting series. It was good to get a bit more background knowledge about the whole Concorde story.
I still remember the news on the day of the accident. Still feeling sad, when I think about it.

I would definitely subscribe to John's answer that teams can become a kind of family. And I can count myself lucky that I have had colleagues over the last few years who have had a sympathetic ear even in difficult times.

[shannyshan]

That's wonderful, thanks for sharing @Kai Becker!

[Juan Pablo Vallejo]

That partner with whom you can talk about what you feel inside is the best way to get through those difficult moments where we have so much information to process.

Thanks for sharing.

[Kristján Geir Mathiesen]

Very detailed and informative series. I grew up hearing about and seeing the Concord in the news. I remember the crash in 2000 vaguely but didn´t know very much about it. I share your sentiment, @John Funk : very sad and horrible crash and then 9/11 so shortly thereafter.

Amazing team work. And in some ways, a team can become stronger than family (I mean, depends on at what stage the family is defined: youth don´t always feel that family bounds are strong for example). For some team members, the team IS their family.

Thanks for sharing the Teamistry, @shannyshan even though listening to this series brings back sad feelings. Terrible for all the family and friends invovled.

[John Funk]

Good point about the youth 

[shannyshan]

Thanks so much @Kristján Geir Mathiesen! Really glad you're enjoying the series, and great point about the different role a team can play in different phases of life. 

[Connor]

Really interesting series, I remember watching news footage of this crash.

[shannyshan]

Glad you're enjoying the series, @Connor! 

[Mikael Sandberg]

I agree with everyone else, this was a really interesting and informative series. Finished the last episode today during my daily walk. 

The part that I really liked was to hear from the actual people that worked on the project.

[shannyshan]

Thanks for listening and sharing, @Mikael Sandberg! Agree it was amazing to hear stories directly from the folks that were part of building and running Concorde. 

[Tomislav Tobijas]

I still remember the first time I actually heard about Concorde and that was from the National Geographic documentary program "Seconds from Disaster", when the episode aired on TV. I've just checked and it's actually the first episode of Season 1 that talks about the Flight 4590 disaster.

Up to this point of listening to episode 5, I actually believed that this tragic day in July 2000 was in fact the key factor in why the airliner retired. By listening to the series I was really amazed at how so many different factors can influence the end of such a big project as Concorde.

Through the first 4 episodes, I was actually moved by the amount of effort all these people put into designing and developing the airplane. Whoever worked on even similar scale-size projects probably can relate to the feeling of success in the end. And then... the crash. As you actually could hear how passionate the speakers were throughout the series, at a few moments I actually felt like I was there, as part of the team. That's why it was really hard when I tried to put myself in the shoes of all those people who spent years creating something that was part of ending the lives of more than 100 people. Hopefully, I'll never have to go through the actual thing myself.

In my last workplace, I must say I had a great team behind me. We've been through some challenging times, and there wasn't a single time I felt like I don't have the support of my team members. It really felt like everyone shares the same goal and that we were working as a team and not just as a group of individuals. I'm really glad to be able to look back and be proud of what we've achieved there!

[shannyshan]

By listening to the series I was really amazed at how so many different factors can influence the end of such a big project as Concorde.

I felt the exact same, @Tomislav Tobijas! Always so interesting to hear first-hand behind-the-scenes accounts of major moments in history. 

And that is great to have had such great teams supporting you along the way!

Thanks for sharing 😊

[Joel Gituma]

Andre; This aircraft has been canceled for politial reasons !!!

Dudley; Yes, but one thing we have to think is that the aircraft was launched for political reasons !

[shannyshan]

😉 great pull quote!

[Ajay _view26_]

I had a model concorde when I was a kid ... it was a great experience listening to the series and relive the Concorde memories ..Enjoyed it

[shannyshan]

Love that! Thanks for listening!

[Shivam Desai]

Thank you for sharing @shannyshan @Summer_Hogan 

[Tommy Augustine]

Thanks for sharing!

[Amanda Barber]

I feel like 9/11 sort of overshadowed all of the Concorde story for me in my memories, so this has been a very informative series. The production and the host are top notch, too! All in all, I've really enjoyed listening to these while out for walks and driving.

I thought it was interesting how they had to pivot and with such a small team compared to the original crew. 

I've never really had anything that serious happen within teams I've been part of, but when I was still teaching I definitely felt some of that sense of community with my staff. I think being remote changes that a bit for me, but also - my job now is much less stressful and doesn't have the same sense of urgency as teaching did most days! :) I appreciate the culture that we try to cultivate though where people feel comfortable reaching out when they are struggling - both professionally and personally. I'm so fortunate to have my team and company!

[shannyshan]

Thanks, @Amanda Barber! So happy to hear you've enjoyed the series. 

I appreciate the culture that we try to cultivate though where people feel comfortable reaching out when they are struggling - both professionally and personally. 

Big yes to this! ⬆️ So important!

[Andy Gladstone]

I remember the day of the crash vividly. I was in a computer lab and completing some of my college coursework when we heard about the crash. While the internet was not 'new' this is the first news story I can recall following via online news sites and blog posts. It was eerie to be sitting in a classroom in NYC watching the unfortunate and sad event unfold publicly. I remember thinking that its crazy that family members of crash victims will likely find out online rather than being officially contacted by the airline, and that saddened me. 

Until this episode I never really gave thought to the engineers, technicians and crew that were impacted by the crash. How it affected them physically, mentally and emotionally. They were victims too - having their life's work threatened, called into question and even blamed for the tragedy.

What I take from the episode is that there are always more victims than the ones we see. Rather than rush to accuse someone of being responsible for a failure, take into account how the failure affects them. Of course the mistakes, issues and foibles we experience in our day to day are not life threatening, but there are real human beings behind each of them and it is important to understand that before any action is ever taken. 

[shannyshan]

Oh wow! It's amazing how we can remember exactly where we were when we heard about news like this. I agree that it's so interesting to hear from the more "behind-the-scenes" folks that were involved in Concorde and how the crash affected them. 

Love the life lesson you pulled out too - such an important reminder! 

Thanks for listening and sharing @Andy Gladstone 😊

[Tiffany J]

I agree with so many above, this was an informative series.  And the topics were interesting to learn more about.  The concord team really hammers home the ties that bond are not always by blood.  I remember gathering in my school classroom around a tiny TV to watch the Space Shuttle Challenger take off and accident.  We learned so much from prior incidents and even from this one, despite how sad and tragic the events were.

I feel supported by my team as they are always willing to work around my crazy single parent and kids active sports schedules with deadlines and expectations.  I feel very lucky to have this support.

[shannyshan]

Thanks for listening and sharing @Tiffany J! Love to hear how supportive your team is 😊

[Shannon]

Looking forward to listening 

[Callum Carlile _Automation Consultants_]

I've listened to part 1 and 2 and can't wait to listen to the rest, what a story!

I grew up about 5 minutes away from Booklands Museum in the UK, there's certainly a lot of history there - I recommend a visit for anyone who lives near(ish) London

[shannyshan]

That's awesome @Callum Carlile _Automation Consultants_ ! Hope you enjoy the remainder of the season (and hope I get to visit the museum someday!) 

[Mayur Jadhav]

Thank you for sharing @shannyshan !!

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Finally managed to get to go through all of these. 

The Concorde episode brought back memories of school - I grew up in Reading, 25 miles west of Heathrow, which was the most common place it flew from.  25 miles meant the 'planes going over were not flying high.  Descent wasn't too bad, as they're mostly trying to slow down to land, but on ascent, they're trying to build up momentum, so the engines were running high.

Which means loud.  Very loud.  Before Concorde, redingensians were used to being under the take-off path for a lot of Heathrow 'planes, but Concorde changed it from "background noise" to "oh, um"

The whole town built a 5-minute silence into their routines - Concorde take-offs were so loud, you lost 2-3 minutes a day.  My school extended the lessons it affected by 5 minutes to cover the bit where no one could hear the teacher, and the teachers altered their lesson plans to accommodate "we can't talk" time.

[Kai Becker]

Wow, thats crazy, managing everything around these 5 minutes.
I wouldn't have thought that something like this would have been necessary, but it makes perfect sense.

Thanks for sharing this memory!

[shannyshan]

+1, amazing memory!! Thanks for sharing @Nic Brough -Adaptavist- So wild to think how much the noise disrupted daily life. Pretty cool that you were so close to history!

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

I got to fly on one too.  My second visit to the USA was a "we need an expert on site" emergency thing.

I went to the London office as usual, and as I walked in got told "go home, get your passport, go to Heathrow, they will be expecting you".  I thought it was going to be a standard transatlantic flight, but they put me on a Concorde.  I have a mixed opinion of that flight - the good bits were that they treated the cheap seats (the one I was in) as though we were first class on a normal flight, and it was only a 3 hour flight.  The bad bit was that it was only 3 hours of being pampered to death, and I landed early enough to have to go to the office and actually work.

[shannyshan]

wow!! Incredible experience @Nic Brough -Adaptavist- 

[Sudarshan]

Fantastic listening to the concord stories!

A Great machine, but it had its own disadvantages! and yeah it did make "noise" and rattled a lot of things!

[shannyshan]

Glad you enjoyed the series!!

[Kevin Tuei]

This episode was really a turning point in the series.

Having "journeyed" with the team through a myriad of challenges, regulatory restrictions, language barrier, competition to market just to name a few, it was eye-opening to realize that there were more people who were affected by the Concorde Crash. 

It brought me to this point where I remember vividly being in an organization where we we take collective responsibility for our successes as well as our failures regardless of the team that would be considered should be the one to take all the blame. It really takes the pressure off the members and goes on to give a push to go beyond what is expected of us. 

On the flipside, being in a team where the leader is always on the look out on who to accuse for any failures and shortcomings can be energy-sapping and makes members unable to take risks because of the fear of failure. 

This is an amazing Season so far for a plane and rocket enthusiast that I am. 

[shannyshan]

Thanks @Kevin Tuei ! Love this philosophy: 

we take collective responsibility for our successes as well as our failures regardless of the team that would be considered should be the one to take all the blame

[Dave Mathijs]

I'm not really into podcasts personally because I have difficulties staying concentrated for a longer time. I would only listen to those on my train commute to one of my clients, never in my car or at home.

Although this podcast series is certainly interesting, the episodes are a bit long for me.

Are there any good documentaries about Concorde available for streaming?

[Sam Nadarajan]

Man alive this episode gave me all the feels. I'm echoing the emotional sentiments shared above. Unfortunately I was in elementary when this happened so I remember coverage about 9/11 but not about the concorde crash, so it was eye opening to hear how closely these events happened to each other. I'm also not a very emotional person but I almost teared up when listening to this episode. Even though I have never flown on Concorde or knew nothing about it until somewhat recently-ish to go through the team collaboration necessary, to hear of the obstacles encountered and always overcome, to this when the perfect storm of events brought it down was tough. 

Being bought in to the team vision I think is partly responsible for the intense emotions experienced by the team members. They may be relatively unknown in the general history of aviation, and they may have collected a good paycheck, regardless of what the outcome of the program was. But these members were fully bought in and it really showed. I know I get super emotional when I encounter team/corporate success/failures - which reveals to me personally how invested I was in the project/initiative. 

I was unhappy with the perfect storm of events, but referencing the political reasoning for the shut down it was nice that one of the team members centered the audience by reminding us it started for political reasons - so it can be a good and bad thing. 

But like everyone else, the whole 9/11 event playing a large factor into the demise of Concorde was very eye-opening. I think I audibly gasped (good thing I was by myself).

[shannyshan]

I know! I teared up in this one too, @Sam Nadarajan– such an emotional story in all ways. Thanks for sharing! 

[Hitesh]

It was a really interesting series

[Michelle Yip]

Great series to plug in - thank you for the hard work in putting this together and of course, all the time invested in sound editing.

[Sanjog Sigdel]

Interesting content. Thank you for sharing.