Sandcastle Consultants

Castillo Nova

The Spanish countryside is dotted with a multitude of medieval castles, strategically situated on high vantage points overlooking the fruited valleys below. They stand silently portraying characteristics of Spain’s chequered and sometimes violent history with their time weathered resilience, meanwhile testifying to modern economic woes with their seemingly permanently locked portals.  Inspired by the surroundings, it seems only a natural thing for four mature adults to return to the diversions of youth and to construct a sandcastle while in the coastal regions of the Spanish Med. But the rules of the game have changed: no longer can sandcastles be built with the carefree and reckless abandon of youth--they must now be carefully and meticulously constructed with all the training and professionalism that adulthood has infused into their membranes. Constructing sandcastles is no child’s play— it is serious business.

So how many consultants does it take to build a perfect seaside sandcastle? The answer, most decidedly, is four. Any more and one would face the ruinous combination of too many chiefs, and any less would leave potentially catastrophic holes in the project. Fortunately for this castle, the project management team had an experience portfolio in manufacturing engineering, heritage, international affairs, and change consultancy. What appeared to be an afternoon of playtime on a sun soaked Spanish beach was in actuality a real world team building activity. As the castle rose from the sand, it quickly became apparent that respective areas of individual expertise were being implemented in the building of Castillo Nova in the roles assumed by each consultant throughout the delivery of this very important project.

Stage 1: Planning 

Having determined that a sandcastle should be built to benefit general well being of the beachside denizens, to improve the local scenery and to make a claim to sovereignty over this small plot of beach amongst the hoards of other sun seekers, the consultants set out to design their castle. Over a preliminary glass of wine, it was discussed between the playmates that this castle absolutely must have a moat, ramparts, a keep, high walls with rounded turrets and most importantly of all—a tunnel feature. Due to its seaside location, the site would also need a protective sea wall, an exterior ditch. Optional features included: sand drip evergreen trees, seaweed for the plastic dinosaur accessories, battlements, and an artillery battery. 

Stage 2: Execution

With four autonomous consultants embarking on the realization of this diminutive project, one would predict that conflict would arise over the division of labour, but instead each person quickly found niche areas to implement their areas of expertise while packing sand into buckets. The manufacturing engineer determined the optimal position of the defensive sea wall relative to the encroaching Mediterranean waves while the heritage expert advised on the positioning of the relative castle features appurtenant to the range of historical periods which this castle represented.  Meanwhile, the international affairs expert formed the strategic defensive features of the dig in preparation for the probable impending doom that all sovereign entities must expect sooner or later. However, keystone to the smooth exchanges between these sand kings, was the role played by change consultant, who ensured that each individual had the tools necessary to complete their present task and removed any obstacles (such as excess sand or water leaks) to the jobs being finished. This holder of the spade, who appeared to generally be employed in the digging of the exterior ditch, was critical to the ultimate success of the project by acting as conduit for information and process transitions between the other team members.  

Stage 3: Evaluation

Clearly, the best place to evaluate the completion of a seaside sandcastle is by swimming a distance into the briny deep. From this vantage point, the build can not only be admired as it towers above the foam, but it allows for a certain smugness to incubate while the swarms of beachcombers pause to look at its magnificence (and to perhaps wonder why a tyrannosaurus rex guards the keep and whether seaweed is an adequate diet for a stegosaurus). It was decided, that while the design itself was inherently sound, the integrity of the final project was undoubtedly subjected to some errors in calculations-- a possible side effect of the local wine-- including the inland reach of the waves and the lack of reinforcing materials for the tunnel feature, ultimately leading to its partial collapse when the defensive moat was filled. Yet deeming to have adequately conquered the amateur sandcastle scene, the team of consultants began to dream of competition sandcastles and not without the talismanic dinosaurs. In the meanwhile, they can be satisfied with their well-planned, culturally sensitive addition of the ruins of yet another castle to the motley Spanish landscape.

#Spain #consulting #playtime

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