Well we couldn't have asked for much more from the Olympics as far as the UK is concerned. Every athlete from the UK made a Herculean effort, which was fitting considering the setting, and all over the UK we felt proud and happy.

It is this level of comittment I see in business too. Although we always lose a lot of our talent to other countries around the world - Australia and New Zealand especially - we do manage to retain a lot of good people as well and this is partly due to the international relationships we maintain with countries like China, the US, Canada and Australia. If we can keep our spirits up (which is our biggest failing as a nation) and enjoy our time at work then we can make ourselves more effective. Our office environments often lack discipline and as a resul, under perform, but as each action becomes more and more vital in the face of adversity (our new standalone role) then we will find ourselves becoming more capable and more driven.