RocheMartin Blog

Chariots of Fire

Posted by Stacey Newman on Friday, July 20, 2012

By Martyn Newman, PhD

Managing Director, RocheMartin

Tonight I saw the WestEnd production Chariots of Fire.

For Gen X and Y who may have missed the movie - it’s the true story of two athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian who runs for glory of God, and Harold Abrahams, an English Jew who runs to overcome prejudice.

It was nominated for 7 Academy Awards and won 4, including Best Picture.

The title is inspired by line, "Bring me my chariot of fire," from William Blake's poem but the original phrase "chariot(s) of fire" is, of course from the Bible and was the vehicle that transported the prophet Elijah to paradise.

When Eric Liddell accidentally misses a church prayer meeting because of his running, his devout sister Jenni disapproves of Liddell's plans to pursue competitive running and accuses him of no longer caring about God.

Eric tells her that though he intends to eventually return to the China mission, but that he feels divinely inspired when he runs, and that not to run would be to dishonour God: "I believe that God made me for a purpose. But he also made me fast, and when I run, I feel his pleasure."

Liddell goes on to win the 400 meters and Abrahams goes on to win the 100 meters.

The story of both athletes remind us of the power of personal belief and what we’re all capable of when we tap into the things that we really care about and believe in and stay true to our core values. It also reminds us that it’s when we’re clear about our own chariot of fire that we’ve got the best chance of being transported to those moments when we're at our best, our own paradise.


Feel free to share this post

Comments Comments (21132)  |  Trackbacks (0)  |  Permalink

What's the No. 1 Skill Children Need to Succeed?

Posted by Stacey Newman on Friday, April 27, 2012

By Martyn Newman, PhD

Managing Director, RocheMartin

After you’ve told your children that you love them and they must never doubt the value of their lives, what’s the number one skill they need to succeed? Resilience. The ability to bounce back from setback, heartbreak, injustice, and rise to life’s opportunities is quite simply the one skill that every parent should teach their children.

I’ve just finished watching my 25 years old son, Dylan win his first professional kick-boxing fight. Despite the win, let me tell you watching someone you love go three rounds in the school of hard knocks is never easy. By nature Dylan is a gentle soul, but also a highly trained and skillful athlete. But in the world of martial arts it takes more than skill to succeed, it takes mental toughness to shake off the painful blows and knock downs to bounce back time and time again to stay in the game and succeed.

Dylan has been through some pretty rough periods in his life and he certainly didn’t get the genes for getting up off the canvas from his old man. So, if you think your kids may have been slightly short changed by inheriting your DNA, don’t worry, genes are not destiny.

If you follow a few simple rules for creating the right cultural conditions that celebrates resilience, you can tip the scales in the right direction even if you’re not exactly Mohamed Ali. And, of course, the same rules also work for building cultures of resilient people in your business. As the philosopher, Robert Fulghum said, ‘all I really need to know, I learned in Kindergarten.’ Most of what we need to know about how to live and what to do we learn early; this is especially true of leadership skills.

 Read the full article here


Feel free to share this post

Comments Comments (1411)  |  Trackbacks (0)  |  Permalink

Join us at the Global Leadership & Emotional Intelligence Summit

Posted by Stacey Newman on Thursday, December 15, 2011



RocheMartin invites you to join top HR Directors from around the globe at the 2012 Leadership & Emotional Intelligence Summit to be held in London on 9 March 2012. 

Headlining the Summit will be Dr Paul Ekman one of the world's most recognized psychologists whose pioneering work on understanding emotions has been popularized via the international hit TV series "Lie To Me" on Fox TV. The Summit also features our very own Dr Martyn Newman, recognized as a world expert on emotional intelligence and leadership and author of the international best selling book 'Emotional Capitalists – The New Leaders'. 

Here's why you need to be there:

 * Hear inspirational keynotes from world authorities
 * Explore best practice case studies 
 * Discover global research on EQ and leadership 
 * Develop successful leadership behaviours 
 * Test drive the latest EQ tools & technologies 

At just £195, RocheMartin blog readers can benefit from the ‘early bird’ discount on the £250 ticket price if booked before January 15th. For more information and to register to attend, please visit the website at www.eqsummit.com

View the Program   Register Now

Feel free to share this post

Comments Comments (764)  |  Trackbacks (0)  |  Permalink

RocheMartin Blog

Welcome to the RocheMartin Blog.

Please feel free to join in the conversation as we explore emotional intelligence, leadership and coaching.

You can follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/RocheMartin

RocheMartin Pty Ltd on LinkedIn

 

Categories

 

Latest Posts

 

Tag Cloud

sports EQ Certification case study self-control boeing sports performance research resilience dr martyn newman employee engagement command and control independence self-reliance EQ emotional wealth actioncoach seligman deloitte self-confidence uncertainty Leaders with a life emotional capitalist catalyst the deal leadership Intellegence Speaking leadership retreats motivation emotional capitalists unemployment rochemartin eq training Training zest4kidz, leadership development motivating employees License staff disengagement smartcoach Proteus Centre leadership training exxon optimism randstad digby morgan london book fair relationship skills sales emotional intelligence article
 

Share this page: