A Danish marine engineer joins us to explain the real work behind keeping a cargo ship alive: maintenance rhythms, critical failures, and the calm discipline that keeps risk low when the sea won’t cooperate. We compare corporate pressure to maritime responsibility, from Starlink limits to piracy protocols and the freedom of true time off.

• why a mechanic chose marine engineering
• cadet training, sea time, and certification
• daily engine room workflow and maintenance logs
• critical equipment, alarms, and failure triage
• autonomy versus corporate-style pressure
• Starlink connectivity, manuals, and troubleshooting
• contracts, rotations, and promotion pathways
• legal rest hours and safety culture
• multicultural crews and English as working language
• piracy risk, ship hardening, and safe rooms
• storms, medical support, and diversions
• life aboard: food, gym, games, and welfare funds

Hey, and if you want to play Is It AI, you can join our Discord. And you can do that by going into your show notes, clicking the link tree in there. You can buy us a coffee and support the show. Like, share, subscribe. If you want to ask more questions to Michael, you can come to the Discord and ask.

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Elevator Music by Julian Avila
Promoted by MrSnooze

Don't forget ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ it helps!

We trade two true stories about toxic leadership: a public shutdown that delayed a release and a “smile less” mandate that drained talent. We break down what went wrong, how healthy leaders respond, and simple habits that turn conflict into momentum.

• crunch-time bug and a proposed shim to hold the date
• public rejection of cross-team work and power signaling
• costs of social debt versus technical debt
• curiosity-led review of risk and alternatives
• how to coach tone without policing personality
• talent loss, brand damage and culture decay
• leaders make the weather and set norms
• practical tools for safe shortcuts and dissent

Please share the pod with everyone you know
Leave us a nice review if you can
Join the Discord via the link tree and post your toxic story in Is It Me Or Is It Corporate using /confess for anonymity
Support the show with Buy Me A Coffee or grab a baby onesie

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Click/Tap HERE for everything Corporate Strategy

Elevator Music by Julian Avila
Promoted by MrSnooze

Don't forget ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ it helps!

We trade Halloween jokes for hard truths about performance reviews: how to log wins, avoid surprise ratings, and argue your case without burning bridges. We compare startup urgency with big-corp safety nets and offer scripts for giving and receiving feedback that actually helps.

• logging accomplishments at release and milestone moments
• mapping outcomes to goals and competencies
• building role-specific ladders for clear growth paths
• aligning marketing and product impact to revenue metrics
• avoiding surprise reviews with timely, specific feedback
• turning reviews into two-way conversations
• using scripts to challenge or clarify feedback
• managing up and protecting team perception
• cautionary tale: bizarre corporate AI training and real AI limits

Join the Discord via our Linktree, play What Do You Meme, and buy us a coffee to support the show

Click/Tap HERE for everything Corporate Strategy

Elevator Music by Julian Avila
Promoted by MrSnooze

Don't forget ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ it helps!