Norway: Happy OL Medal Count = Happy Norwegian Manager?

Need something special from your Norwegian boss? Strike while the OL-iron is hot!

How so, you say? Well, consider Aftenposten’s headline this morning:

OL statistics: Norway now holds a superior lead in the medal count

Yes, little Norway, with a population just over 5 million people, is winning the 2018 Winter Olympics, or as they say here – OL (pronounced ‘ooh el’) – in a big way.

And I can tell just from going to work.

A complete stranger smiled at me as I was walking in from the parking lot.

Another said, ‘good morning’ to me in the elevator on the way up to my office.

There is lighthearted banter going on in the corridor, as co-workers affected by OL ‘lykkerus’ [bliss] recount with giggling glee other recent OL-headlines concerning the, erm, sad problems their Nordic neighbors are facing in the Games:

The Finns are furious about the (results of the men’s cross-country relay race)

The Swedes are furious about the Norwegian asthma report

Or, a favorite for its minimalism that says it all:

Denmark during Winter OL 2018 in Pyeongchang · Participants: 17 Medals: Gold 0, Silver 0, Bronze 0, Total 0

So from all of this, I figure that now’s the time for us who are working in Norway to ask our bosses for things we might not normally do at any other time – a fun project? a pay raise? extra time off? Don’t waste this opportunity: prepare your pitch now!

Then again, on second thought you might have a bit longer to jump through this particular window of opportunity.

Just consider the question appearing under the headline listed above:

Will Norway reach its goal of getting 30 Olympic medals?

Save your pitch! Because if they do get those 30 medals, things can only get better.