Crocodile Charlie and the Holy Grail
A few years ago, Team Results founders John Kolm and Peter Ring were sitting on the stoop of a large farmhouse in New South Wales, Australia, watching a busload of participants disappear in a large dust cloud down Lake Road after a program. In the silence that always descends at these moments, Pete turned to John and said “You know, someone should write down some of the amazing discoveries people make about teamwork on these programs”.
“That’s true,” replied John. “Someone should.”
“Yeah,” responded Pete. “The really useful things people develop on these Simulations that aren’t found in any of the other books.”
“That’s true,” responded John. “Someone should really write that book.”
After some more time passed, Pete and John realized that they were the only ones on the stoop. Apparently, the ones who had to write that book were… them.
And so we wrote the tale of Crocodile Charlie and the Holy Grail, featuring “Crocodile” Charlie Kingmore, a small businessman and leader who gets a nasty shock in the first chapter. The shock propels him to go on a journey of discovery all around Australia, visiting some exotic locations and trying to find out what he can about the magic ingredient that makes people and teams really “work”. Into that story we wove what we thought were the sixteen biggest discoveries about teamwork and leadership from our programs that nobody else talks about – and which are not in any of the “teamwork” books.
We never thought the book would be published. Who were we, a couple of country lads who had once joined the Defense department for escape and adventure, to be published authors?
A month later, we had a publishing contract with Penguin, the biggest book publisher and distributor in the world. The manuscript was not even completed yet. After several foodless, sleepless weeks we delivered the finished work, and then waited for nobody to buy the book.
Six months later, Crocodile Charlie and the Holy Grail was a global best-seller in seven languages and fourteen countries, also published as an audio book on iTunes.
It’s now in the 13th edition. We still can’t believe it. We know we aren’t clever, so that must mean that there’s simply a huge demand in the world for some practical advice on how good leaders run their teams and maintain the “spirit of the game”. If you get yourself a copy, we hope you enjoy it too -and that you share your impressions with us.
Crocodile Charlie and the Holy Grail is available in hard copy, on the Kindle and as a talking book – and it’s all on Amazon, at this link for the hard copy and Kindle versions, and at this link for the talking book. Please enjoy it!