The Japanese lost 2-1 to Ivory Coast but won our hearts!
It all started when my country's national football team visited Japan a month ago.
We lost 1-0 on the pitch but we gained so much from our Japanese experience! What the Cypriot players and the rest of the delegation witnessed in Japan was beyond words. I captured it as best as I could in a recent blog post titled "Lesson from Japan!" The same blog post was so well received that even the official Japanese Football Federation retweeted and shared it!
And as I thought that the four lessons I learnt from the Japanese were just about it, the Japanese did it again. They pleasantly surprised me with a 5th one!
As their recent World Cup game against the Ivory Coast drew to a close (for the record Japan lost 2-1)
the Japanese fans equipped with plastic bags started picking up their litter! It was Lesson Number 5 for me and a unique gesture that most football fans - and fanatics - from around the globe never experienced before.
The Japanese left the footballing world in awe. They acted like true Ambassadors of Mahatma Gandhi by being the change they wish to see in the world. The Japanese culture and civilization was on display for millions of television viewers to witness... the question is not whether we have learnt from them but what have we learnt from them?
Empowering leaders to build a winning culture.
10 年Dear Stelios Markou, you are spot on! Yes they stood side by side and took a bow! They are unique in every sense of the word!
Sales Manager - MICE at Raffles and Fairmont Doha, Qatar
10 年This is fantastic. I'd also like to add that the national team stood side by side and took a bow in front of their fans to apologise for losing the game!