Wake Up Call: Oliver Sheer & Kingsley Seale, Managing Director & Director of Operations of Be Challenged

Source: The CEO Magazine

Gathered in a conference room in Sydney, each member of the iag management team has been instructed to strap on a headlamp and find their team table. As the last of the group shuffles to their allotted space, the lights suddenly go out. A series of clicking sees the headlamps turned on, illuminating the large aluminium box sealed with a combination lock on the table in front of them.

They don’t know it now, but stacked neatly within that box are four more cases, also protected by combination locks. Once a team breaks into the first box, each new case must be opened, revealing a series of additional puzzles. If all are completed before the timer reaches zero, this will provide the final electronic combination code needed to unlock a single, larger box in the centre of the room.

Collaborative and creative problem-solving are needed to come out on top – but the tasks are complex, the competition is cloaked in darkness, and the clock is ticking.

“The pressure is intense and, at times, teams will doubt that they can be successful. But just as in life, sport and business, a cool head, logical approach, and a belief in your own logical approach, and a belief in your own abilities will ensure success in all but the most hopeless of situations,” says Oliver Sheer, Managing Director of corporate team-building company Be Challenged.

The exercise, known as ‘Beat the Box’, is just one of many activities selected to meet the unique goals of the group, and from which countless other corporations have benefited, including the likes of Atlassian, PwC, Wesfarmers and CommBank.

“It all starts with an initial consultation with a company so we can benchmark where they are and what they’re trying to achieve. Most of all, we need to know the ‘why’,” says Oliver. “From here, we listen, finetune, and educate them as to what can and cannot be achieved in one program. Then we put a plan together.”

For Oliver Sheer & Kingsley Seale, collaboration is key

Oliver runs the business with his good mate and Director of Operations Kingsley Seale. The pair first met in middle school and bonded over their shared affinity for team dynamics and leadership roles, both progressing to hold captainships across a variety of schooling, scouts and sporting activities.

“The wake-up call came early for both of us, with the realisation that together, in collaboration, we can achieve a lot more,” says Kingsley. “We understood the balance needed between looking after individual people, developing relationships, and the positive effects it could have.”

This dynamic saw the pair play in the same rugby club as captain and vice-captain, and work at the same pub, starting behind the bar together and progressing to become managers. “We realised that the focus on getting the best out of the team environment seemed to come naturally to us,” adds Oliver. “Together, we had always been able to maximise the RPM…

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