When Branson first started out in business, there were no courses, webinars or experts in the field of leadership and he had to learn instinctively and on the fly.
This is a question I get asked a lot in one form or another, so when Rebecca asked me this I thought it would be a good opportunity to share my thoughts with you all.
When I first started in business, there were no courses or webinars or experts in the field of leadership (at least that I knew of). I learned instinctively and on the fly, and I realized that there really is no one formula that covers everything.
Every person responds differently to leadership, so I quickly learned to adapt to each person’s needs.
Some love to be challenged, while others need gentle encouragement and positive reinforcement.
As my first companies (Student Magazine and Student Advising Center) grew, I found it more difficult to offer such personalized “service,” but one thing I am certain of is that no one responds badly to kindness. It is one of the most underrated qualities a leader can have.
While it is important to be visionary, inspiring, bold, clear, etc., people often underestimate the simple power of kindness. As aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart said: “A single act of kindness sends out roots in all directions, and the roots sprout and make new trees.”
Aside from kindness, here are other ways to be a great leader:
You have to get out there to provide good leadership. Be visible and lead by example.
Whenever I’m on a Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Australia flight, I like to wander around the cabin chatting to passengers, playing games and listening to their feedback. Even when I’m tired, I find it an invaluable way to gain real insight and at the same time inspire our crew.
Once, when we had a technical issue checking in passengers on a Virgin Voyages cruise, I stood in the queue waiting with the passengers until it was resolved. The wonderful CEO of Virgin Voyages, Nirmal, stood there with me and we made sure we were the last to board. You can’t be an inspiring leader if you’re not willing to roll up your sleeves and do everything you would ask of your team (especially when things don’t go as planned!).
Lead through positive influence, rather than just by instilling authority. I have always believed that if you take care of your people, your people will take care of your business. They are your greatest asset, and you cannot be a good leader if you don’t remind yourself of that every day. A good leader is someone who nurtures people, trains them well, motivates them, and looks out for their well-being. Asserting power is much less powerful than it seems…
Decision making is one of the most important tasks of leadership, but it is not talked about enough. A leader makes decisions countless times a day, so it is vital that you sharpen your instincts and be assertive.
Coincidentally, this also answers another question Isi asked me before this newsletter. She asked me if I make decisions collaboratively or by instinct, and the honest answer is both.
Honing and trusting your instincts is crucial, but it’s never wise to do it alone. I surround myself with brilliant people who I exchange ideas with every day. They always bring me more refined ideas and more informed decisions.
A good example is the launch of Virgin Voyages. I have wanted to launch a cruise since I was 27. The impulse came at various times in my life, but the timing was never right and I had to trust my instinct that it was better to wait. Finally an opportunity presented itself in 2014. The finances made sense and the golden days of cruising were over. It was time to bring it back. I gathered a group of people around me, put a giant sheet of paper together and we wrote down all of our ideas: what we liked about cruising, what we disliked about cruising, what we could do differently and what we wouldn’t do at all.
We ended up with a boat designed like a superyacht with no buffets or single-use plastics in sight. And now we have three amazing boats (with a fourth on the way) sailing around the world from Miami to Marseille, sweeping up almost every industry award in their path. A great example of what can happen when you use both instinct and collaboration to make a decision.
Thanks to Rebecca and Isi for sharing these great questions. I hope my answers have been helpful.
