Monthly Archives: March 2010

Let’s Get Quizzical

Leave a reply

Last Tuesday we at the Made Simple Group took part in the annual Catch22 quiz event. Fuelled by free booze and nibbles we propelled ourselves to the lofty heights of third… from last. The blow of such a placing was softened somewhat by winning the “best team name” prize (‘It’s just a big iPhone!’) but even this was sullied by our suspicions that the award was given more for helping the organisers with some technical issues beforehand rather than our witty moniker.

As ridiculous as it sounds, we even practiced. Pointless you may think considering the whole gambit of possible questions but it did present us this one moment of magic; Question: “What is the longest river in the world?” unnamed individual:  “The Serengeti”. Yes, our calibre was high.

Despite our poor performance, the event magnified the importance of teamwork. The sports fanatic, the geography specialist, the music obsessive, the film fiend, the barman – each role as important as the next.

What makes a good team is universal, be it in the workplace, on the football pitch or indeed at a pub quiz, the attributes are still the same. Whilst success is the primary goal, it’s important to recognise the individual needs of every team member.

Trust, shared goals, valuing opinions, good communication, recognising strengths, well defined roles and recognition are all attributes that deal with the individual. If these are adhered to then the workforce is happier and more likely to succeed.

And whilst for us quiz success remains elusive, at risk of sounding sentimental, at least we left as a team. 

Olymp-clinically Obese

Leave a reply

With the Vancouver Winter Games now over it’s London’s turn to take on the Olympic challenge. In 877 days the capital will be immersed in an Olympic fervour. For most of us living in London the games will be incomparable to anything we’ve experienced before. World Cups, Tennis Championships and Golf Tournaments will fade into obscurity under the glare of the Olympic torch. Or this is the promise.

Despite the magnitude of the games, Londoners haven’t taken the event to their hearts yet. This can be blamed on one thing: too much hype.

We won the Olympic bid in July 2005 (the 7/7 attacks infamously followed), come summer 2012 we will have known about the London Olympics for 7 years.

Every week since our successful bid various news items related to the games have bombarded us. Even the Beijing Olympics were viewed (in British broadcaster’s eyes) as a prequel to London rather than its own Olympic Games. Since then we’ve had Boris Johnson wiff-waffing and numerous handovers including one this week (how many times can one thing be handed over?). No matter what the event, a seven-year lead up will inevitably cause overkill.

To make matters worse a vast majority of the press has been negative. Not only have we been over fed the Olympics; we have been over fed all the bad stuff. We’re olymp-clinically obese.

The only way to recapture our hunger and get match fit is to go on a diet, to shove everything Olympic related in the freezer until summer 2012 when our appetites will be suitably whetted. Londoners more than anyone want a successful Games, we just don’t want them rammed down our throats.