Six years ago, Be Challenged Managing Director, Oliver Sheer, and Director of Operations, Kingsley Seale, purchased the company. Having been friends and colleagues through much of their life, the two realised that a missing part of many businesses is the ability for teams to work closely and collaboratively to drive greater results. Their story, and the growth of Be Challenged itself, was recently highlighted in the highly prestigious The CEO Magazine.
You can read the full and in-depth feature here: http://www.theceomagazine.com/business/oliver-sheer-kingsley-seale/
So many CEOs, particularly those that head up large corporations or the local branch of global businesses, are fixated on the technology on a modern business. Whether that’s in using technology to automate systems and improve the efficiency of the business itself, or engage with customers through social media and other technology-driven marketing platforms, technology investment is a mandate and point of focus for so many CEOs.
And yet, as the feature in The CEO Magazine shows, for all that investment in technology, it’s important not to lose sight of the value in investing in a company’s people. Developing the personal and team-based skills in employees helps to foster a proactive, innovative, and success-driven company culture, while also improving morale in the organisation and, at a time where the retention of skilled staff is essential to the ongoing success of a business.
As Oliver Sheer said in the interview with The CEO Magazine: “While technology is going to assist with fuelling growth and allowing companies to be leaders in their industry, failure to manage and look after your people will leave the tech obsolete. Companies need to find a balance between fostering and developing their people, in a similar sense to the time and effort they spend on upgrading and managing their technology. Think about it: how often do you require a software update or IT maintenance scan?”
Businesses are starting to realise the value in investing in the kind of activity-based “retreat” experiences that Be Challenged offers. By encouraging employees to play games or do other activities together, teams learn to function as a more cohesive, productive, and successful unit. That’s why many of Australia’s largest organisations, including CommBank, PwC, Wesfarmers and Atlassian, have utilised the services of Be Challenged, and that’s why The CEO Magazine has recognised us as something that CEOs should pay attention to.
You can read the full article on the CEO Magazine website