It is stormy outside. As I write this, I can hear the wind blowing and the rain falling. The clock has just chimed midnight and it is now 7 October 2024. Twenty years to the day today, our best friend, mentor and Team Mad Scientist adventure racing team co-founder and team-mate, Paul Mitchell, passed away unexpectedly and tragically in a freak accident during a storm.
Paul was a legend in the South African adventure racing and business communities. He was quiet-spoken and charismatic, inspirational and unforgettable.
Under his tutelage we learned to navigate, manage uncertainty and build community. As a team of more mature individuals, Team Mad Scientist outperformed many of the younger teams in a sport that was super-competitive and most definitely testosterone-fuelled. Everybody in Team Mad Scientist had their own role and was responsible to the rest of the team to fulfil this role. Everybody was kept in the loop about the route we were going to take next and had a voice to express their opinion, but the final decision about the navigation decisions remained with the team navigator. We experienced first-hand that it is ok to have big hairy audacious goals** as long as you do your homework, put in the preparation, take calculated risks and always take your team with you. We learned the value of rest and fuelling up to give the mind and body the best chance to work together, efficiently and effectively.
These lessons have remained with us over the past 20 years, and stood us in good stead in life and business.
The League of Legends song writers* got it right – legends never die; they become a part of you, they’re written down in eternity. Paul Mitchell was a real-life legend, and we are forever grateful to have been able to count him as a friend and be a part of his legacy. Team Mad Scientist may have rebranded to Team Biophys over the years, but our vison, mission and values remain the same. We look forward to continuing to be able to pay the legacy that Paul left us forward to the next generation of business leaders and adventurers.
* Justin Tranter / Alex Seaver, Riot Games Music Team © Stellar Sun Songs
** Collins, J.C., Porras, J.I., Porras, J. and Collins, J., 2005. Built to last: Successful habits of visionary companies. Random House.
