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British billionaire Richard Branson, whose Virgin group sponsors the Formula 1 Marussia Virgin Racing team, will finally honor his bet with AirAsia founder and Team Lotus co-principal Tony Fernandes on whose team would finish higher at the 2010 Bahrain Formula One GP.
Branson will dress and serve as a stewardess on Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia X on May 1 after losing a Grand Prix bet with Fernandes, the founder of the airline.
"We've come a full circle, Richard and I. Who would've thought my mentor will be serving as a flight attendant on AirAsia? I've got my razor ready, and I can't wait to shave his hairy legs," Fernandes said in a statement.
It's brilliant self-promotion in true Branson style, and the publicity stunt will further augment the Virgin founder's quirky brand. But there more to this than hype.
If you want to do good strategy, and if you want your strategy to be implemented, you better put yourself in the shoes of your frontline people on a regular basis.
Keeping your finger on the pulse of how it really is for the customer out there is critical for success.
Unless you get regular real-world feedback from the market, you will be like a pilot without an altimeter., to stay with the airline metaphor. And you may crash sooner or later.
In this video, Branson shares some other secrets of success.
One of his secrets is the humility to say he is sorry when his company has not served customers.
After a flight delay, the Virgin Atlantic founder once famously appeared at the arrival gate to apologize personally to disgruntled passengers.
In a world where the soldier in Sadr City might have access to strategic intelligence as important as the intelligence Pentagon planners have, where the receptionist or the tech support guy in Bangalore might have as much insight into customer concerns as the CEO, it behooves top managers to work like regular people, on a regular basis.
What do you think? What do you do, or what could you do, to find out what it's really like for the customers and for your front-line people? Or do you think CEOs should be big-picture people who cannot waste time with menial stuff?
I look forward to reading you on http://thomaszweifel.blogspot.com/.
I look forward to reading you on http://thomaszweifel.blogspot.com/.
P.S. For a free copy of my new e-book Leading Leaders: The Art and Science of Boosting Return on People (ROP), go to Leading-Leaders.
Lead by example. I think he's brilliant. His sense of humor and open minded approach is what will draw people to him and create a lasting impression that will be followed among his staff and peers. People gravitate towards people who have qualities like them.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad when senior executives become so caught up in themselves and their positions that they forget what it is like on the front lines. Most customers never see those execs but deal with the staff level people, who frequently have great insights into what could be done more effectively or efficiently if given the chance to speak and be heard. More senior management should learn to listen!
ReplyDeleteHaving worked for his south american media company, this does not surprise me. Have fun. Rock and roll.
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