Last weekend, the Matchmaker Logistics team conducted its annual staff retreat followed by our Christmas Party.
After a morning of learning and goal-setting for 2017, the team did a group activity – an escape room. If you haven’t heard of them, escape rooms are a hot new fad. Think of them as a video game come to life. It’s a real, live physical adventure game where the players are locked in a room. The challenge: use elements of the room to solve a series of puzzles and escape within a set time limit.
Our challenge had an Al Capone theme, which I thought was appropriate. Like the legendary gangster, we had to be shrewd, clever, crafty and loyal to our team in order to succeed.
And succeed we did! Carrier Sales Rep Reid Setliff literally cracked the final code (a numerical sequence with the last two number missing) that opened the door to our escape room with just 1 minute and 30 seconds left on the clock! This reminds me of a quote by the novelist Paulo Coehlo: “Don’t give up! Normally it is the last key on the ring which opens the door.”
Although he was Public Enemy #1 during the Prohibition Ear and known as a ruthless killer, Capone also prided himself on being a modern-day Robin Hood and something of a philosopher. Did you know, for example, that Al Capone set up soup kitchens to feed the hungry during the Great Depression and provided milk for school children? He also ordered merchants to provide food and clothing to the needy at his own expense.
His personal philosophy reflected both sides of his nature – sometimes in the same quote:
• “I’m a kind person, I’m kind to everyone, but if you are unkind to me, then kindness is not what you’ll remember me for.”
• “You can go a long way with a smile. You can go a lot farther with a smile and a gun.”
• “When I sell liquor, it’s bootlegging. When my patrons serve it on a silver tray on Lakeshore Drive, it’s hospitality.”
And perhaps my favorite:
• “Be careful who you call your friends. I’d rather have four quarters than one hundred pennies.”
While in that escape room, I realized that I couldn’t be paired with a better group of people. I was glad to be solving the challenge with our small, but mighty team of smart, resourceful individuals who proved that they are “quarters” – each and every one!
Make somebody feel like they’re on your “Most Wanted” list this weekend,
~Bob
