Midlands business leaders take tips from the ‘Jarrow Arrow’

Former Olympic athlete Steve Cram MBE had a message for the Midlands business community when he spoke at a lunch event hosted by Yorkshire Bank Corporate & Structured Finance.

Steve, one of the most successful middle-distance runners of the 1980s, told the audience that everyone was capable of exceeding their own expectations provided they had the will to do so and had a path set out to achieve that.  Around 20 investors and advisers attended the event, which took place in one of Birmingham’s newest fine dining venues, Carters of Moseley.

Steve, nicknamed the ‘Jarrow Arrow’, stressed the importance of personal goal setting, mentoring and coaching. He said that while some of us are born with the right physical attributes to be an athlete, no-one is born to be a world record holder and achieving that is dependent on being steered in the right direction.

He said self-belief was critical to success and advised people to visualise themselves ‘crossing the finishing line’. However he warned against the mistake of taking this too far and picturing yourself in the victory parade rather than at the winning moment. He also said that those following a programme should not be afraid to revise their targets to a more realistic level if their progress is interrupted.

Steve is now retired from competitive sport and works as a TV commentator and motivational speaker as well as being an ambassador for Yorkshire Bank. The event was hosted by Yorkshire Bank Corporate & Structured Finance.

On hand to welcome guests were area director Ian Howey and director Ian Mansell, both from the Birmingham office, and Graham Cunning, who is national director of acquisition finance for Corporate & Structured Finance.

Ian Howey said: “Steve’s advice is just as relevant in the business world as it is on the athletics track. The past three years have been very tough for businesses and there are still challenges ahead. Leaders would do well to heed his tips on enhancing performance if their companies are to emerge as winners.”

Guests included Martin Draper of LDC Midlands, Paul Franks from Gresham Private Equity, Neil Meredith of KPMG, Steve White of Deloitte, Andy Currie of Catalyst Corporate Finance, Adrian Jones of Gambit Corporate Finance, Sarah Taylor of PwC, Steve Bottley of DLA, Charlie Robinson of ISIS Equity Partners, Andrew Madden of HBJ Gateley Wareing and Malcolm Cook of PKF.