Richard Branson’s Enlightened Corporate Management Style
I attended a Q&A session with Richard Branson as the main attraction at the National Achievers Congress 8-9 May 2013 in Adelaide.
I came away with the conviction that I am on the right track because he confirmed my beliefs about how people tick and therefore how to get the best of people in organizations of any size.
The notes below are a summary of his personal and professional work ethos that I furiously scribbled down; get ready to pump your fist into the air and go Yes! as you read the points that you too agree with.
- Don’t go into business solely with the aim of making money-it probably will not survive the process.
- Go into business because you want to serve people or make a difference in peoples’ lives eg, you have identified a large gap in the market that’s crying out to be filled.
- Think British Airway’s monopoly and cheeky upstart Virgin Atlantic offering prisoners er I mean passengers a choice.
- Have fun creating the product or business. He figured that since most people spend from 8-10 hours at work, it should be a fun place. I was literally jumping for joy when he listed the following initiatives:
- Allow staff to work from home
- Encourage them to take time off
- Be flexible in working arrangements
- Job share
- Create a product or service that your people can believe in and by inference they put their heart and soul into too. Build a brand that is respected, provides great value and quality. It is your job as the MD/leader/CEO to instill that 100% belief of the product/service in your staff.
- Dream big because you never know where this may lead
- In the case of Virgin Galactic it will be commercial space travel; now that’s a first in anyone’s book
- As a bonus it has opened up the potential of this business to launch satellites for other telecommunications companies (can you already hear the cash registers ringing?)
- Listen to your people; they probably have great ideas
- This makes a lot of sense as your staff members are at the coalface, factory floor, frontline service desk…you know what I mean.
- Be big enough to take criticism from them. Acknowledge that you have heard them and then take the appropriate action.
- Keep your word. If you say you’ll get back to them DO so within a reasonable time frame
- Carry a notebook (which he does). Speaking with his many staff in different businesses and locations can cause things to blur. He writes them down rather than depending on his memory recall.
- An interesting aside was his comment that he did not think much of Managing Directors (he called them “weak”) who just flapped their gums. In his own words he wondered about the benefit of attending meetings where nobody took notes. The implication was that these people were not serious about the outcome of said business meeting (and the unsaid is why bother doing business with them).
- Treat people well; praise lavishly (I loved this one!)
- Learn the art of delegation; because he has surrounded himself with good people it has allowed him to spend time on Necker Island connecting with his wife and kids as his trusted people have his back
- Find time to be fit; prior to coming on the Q&A session he had had an hours bike ride around the city of Adelaide. Later it emerged that he received a caution from the local constabulary for riding without a bike helmet but that’s a story for another day.
- Do not be embarrassed by failure, but learn from them. Give it a go, if it floats other people will get on board with your business idea and maybe even become a source of finance
- Do not hide your talents under a “bushel” but share them. He recounted that he was shy as a child and his mother’s words were something to the effect that shyness was a form of selfishness. Go out and contribute to the world was her advice.
- Make friends with people you have fallen out with; in his case it was inviting the Chairman of British Airways to lunch after their protracted and acrimonious court battle.
- And finally, screw it just do it.
Beverly Flaxington: Seven Steps to Hiring and Retaining the Right Person
An organization will only function like a well oiled machine when we have the right people for the right jobs. Sounds logical but the stats don’t lie. According to the Dept of Labor, 50 percent of all employees leave their job within the first six months of being hired. 
And in a recent survey by Right Management 86 percent of employees polled said they plan to actively look for a new position in 2013 (http://www.right.com/news-and-events/press-releases/2012-press-releases/item24318.aspx).
To say that the correct candidate selection process for a specific role is crucial is an understatement. So why does the recruitment process go so wrong sometimes.
Beverly Flaxington a Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst (CPBA), hypnotherapist, and career and business adviser explains in her latest best seller Make Your SHIFT: The Five Most Powerful Moves You Can Make to Get Where YOU Want to Go how to get it right so that it doesn’t end in tears but instead increases the bottom line.
Beverly Flaxington Interview Part1 5Feb2013
Beverly Flaxington Interview Part2 5Feb2013
In this short excerpt Beverly shares a tip on how to deal with a difficult boss!
Find Beverly at http://www.
Mike Handcock Interview: Rock Your Life
Mike Handcock walks his talk as an entrepreneur, speaker, rock and roll musician and author whose business is his passion. In that sense, he doesn’t have to work to make a living as he sees his work as play.
STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRESS!!!!!
Become the ROCKSTAR of your industry in 2013
Use the promotional code XFACTOR009 when booking.
You will save 25% on the standard ticket price.http://www.rockyourlifeevents.com/x-factor
The top people in any industry are the Rockstars. They make all the money, get all the offers, have all the luck and have brilliant careers and businesses. But is there a formula to being a Rockstar?
Yes there is. In fact it’s all about having and creating ‘X’ Factor. It’s like the talent shows. You can have all the talent, do all the hard work, but you need something else and that is MAGIC when it counts. What is MAGIC?
M is for Mindset. Most people have too much negative self talk, limiting beliefs and values that don’t serve them
A is for Alchemy. It’s creating something from nothing and all the best people can do it. There is a formula to alchemy as well. It’s when all is lost to then create an amazing win-win environment.
G is for Game. You have to be Game. Step outside the boundaries. Shift your comfort zone. No one who did anything amazing was in their comfort zone, but the key is to treat life as a game. Make it fun.
I is for Intuition. Billionaires use Intuition more than anyone else. You don’t learn this at school. It has to be crafted. It’s an art that has to be practised and rehearsed.
C is for Connections. Most of us never learned it at school, but connection is where it is at. It’s not about having 5,000 friends on Facebook, it’s about how you connect with those people, from your heart to theirs.
Want to know more
Don’t miss out then on Entrepreneur ‘X’ Factor coming to you soon. One day – two profound hosts – multi millionaire guests – a formula to create ROCKSTARs in any industry – profound new technology not taught by mediocre entities. This is the pinnacle of learning. High results and high vibration learning in one day.
To make it a no brainer for you the tickets are cost effective and if you use the promotional code XFACTOR009 when booking then you will save even 25% on the standard ticket price.
http://www.rockyourlifeevents.com/x-factor
Mike Handcock Interview Part 1
Now wouldn’t some of you good people reading this article like to be in a similar position? However, there’s the all too familiar voice that screams “Caution-do not get out of your comfort zone”. Be honest-there is a pervasive underlying current of unease or even fear we rationalize as being conservative.
Lets’ get you our of your comfort zone because in this interview, Mike and I talked about having the courage to walk away from a highly lucrative job in the finance industry and taking his leap of faith into a business called Rock Your Life; with a tagline “”Entrepreneur – Change your life, improve your health, wealth, soul and business – with purpose” you kind of get the idea what Mike is all about.
He shares how a person can find out what really floats their business boat and have fun whilst being in their favourite business.
What I really love is the fact that I am meeting more heart centered entrepreneurs who find a spiritual practice in their business. I think we are at the pointy end of our current civilization (as we know it) and for us to evolve as a species, we need a new breed of business men and women who have a passion and wholistic approach to entrepreneurship.
If you are reading this, you may well be one of them.
Find Mike at
Preparing for a Brilliant Career in 2012
Even if you are hanging out for your Christmas holiday break and a chance to relax, as your coach I urge you to continue forward planning your career and future NOW.
I use the analogy of a tomato seed that is not much to look at but when is in fertile soil and with the requisite water, warmth, right amounts of sun and shade will emerge from the soil firstly as a tiny seedling but eventually bear lots of summer fruit. Pay day!
Consider yourself the tomato seed and the coming holidays the equivalent of the fertile soil, water, sun and shade where you plan and sketch your career path for 2012.
If you have been toying with the idea of changing careers or becoming an entrepreneur and have procrastinated, NOW is the time gather intelligence about your new venture and also do the inner work (on yourself) to prepare for the big leap.
Firstly the inner work
Below are a number of ways to get clear on the whys and then why not and how to’s; the list is by no means exhaustive but it will give you a starting point.
Top 5 Reasons for Changing Careers:
- Job dissatisfaction- Is this all there is?
- Burn out- Tired all the time
- Mind your head on the Glass Ceiling- You want a promotion?
- Not challenging anymore- It’s the same old song
- Better pay- Is the grass greener yonder?
Top 3 Tips for a Smooth Career Change
- Know why you want a change-See above
- Know where you want to go-Stock take your current skills
- Plan how to get there- You have the keys to unlocking the golden handcuffs
Top 5 Reasons for Not Changing Jobs:
- Fear of the unknown-I’m crap at managing my money
- Fear of the unknown- Do I know enough?
- Fear of the unknown- Can I make it on my own?
- Fear of the unknown- What if I fail?
- Fear of the unknown- I don’t have a Plan B
I suggest journaling what comes to mind based on the follow on phrases I have included after each point.
You will be very surprised at what pops out of your head. You will have before you the internal dialogue that has kept you from moving towards your goals. If you feel stuck and afraid, there is only one remedy-TAKE ACTION
As a gentle reminder, I’d like to leave you with the Law of Action summed up in one sentence;
The only time you have the chance to show courage is when you are afraid–Dan Millman Way of the Peaceful Warrior
Making Decisions: Seize the Day
I was again struck by how our internal dialogue can keep us stuck in what it perceives to be certainty and security.
What has given me so much personal satisfaction in coaching my clients as they transition from their old job to a new career is watching their true selves re emerge after being suppressed for so long.
I see the light in their eyes,
I notice the change in their general demeanor.
Yes, they stand taller and prouder and walk with their heads held higher.
Were they apprehensive when they made that first decision to get out of the “holding pattern”? Yes, they were but they made a commitment and promise to themselves and did not accept second best.
They just knew there was much more for themselves and chased down their dreams.
Just in case you are procrastinating, vacillating and thinking of all those “cons” instead of focusing on the “pros”, I’d like to share with you the late Steve Job’s thoughts.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.
Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.
Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice.
And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.
They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
Steve Jobs
1955-2011, Co-Founder of Apple Computer
Expert Advice From Female Entrepreneurs Part 2
Following on from Part 1 where I posted excerpts from a webinar hosted by Amanda Gome, founder and publisher of the business E-newsletter Smart Company (www.smartcompany.com.au) called “Women on Top-How to Get There”.
In this installment, we examine how your skills can make or break the deal
Here are the 3 tips on the subject of Skills:
TIP 4:
USE YOUR SKILLS TO CLOSE THE DEAL
I think you have to have that bit of ruthless streak in you. You have to train yourself to do that ‘take someone by the throat’ kind of move in a nice way. But I think women are quite good at it. I think women are often seen as having these great powers of empathy and introspection and I think that they can use those in dealing with people.
If you’re in a meeting where you want someone to do something or you want to close the deal, you use those tools to close the deal, to read body language and understand where that person is coming from and use it. Diana Gribble
TIP 5:
DEVELOP YOUR OWN SKILLS
Treat yourself as if you’re a product of a business. If you are responsible for a brand in a business, you would sit down and say what’s my business plan for the brand?
So it’s doing the same thing with yourself. I want to achieve this position, so I need to have financial skills, I need line management, I need strategic thinking. Then you ask how am I going to collect those along the way? What are the different types of roles?
And actually talking about it and planning it with your respective family and with your respective employees.
If you want to be promoted and want to have a long-term view, really think about yourself and how you’re going to develop yourself and then go out and negotiate and get people to share that vision with you and agree to take you on that journey. Gillian Franklin
TIP 6:
IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE SKILLS, DON’T PRETEND
People shouldn’t try and pretend that they have skills that they haven’t because you will be caught out. I think what you should do is say this is what I love doing, this is what I think I’m good at. If I’m not good at it, I would like to be. I’ll go out and figure out how to get those skills.
This brings in the whole role of mentors that I think women do particularly badly. So you need to go and talk to people who have been there, done that and say give me advice. Ask them how they did it. Gillian Franklin
My 2 cents worth:
Regarding Tip 5 where Gillian Franklin poses the question of branding with respect to you the person, I am with her 100% of the way.
As a female executive, do you actively and consciously project your brand.
So my question to you is, What do you stand for?
Do you make yourself known as the person who wants the job every other person is vying for, and what have you done to distinguish yourself from the rest of the herd?
The reality is that even if you have done a terrific job to date, you still need some shameless self promotion to get your message heard and your brand noticed by the powers that be.
Ask yourself if you are up for it.
If not, email me and I can suggest some techniques that will get you over your self -consciousness.
Until next time, keep your eye on the prize.
Three tips for maintaining your equanimity at work
Maintaining your equanimity, composure and internal sense of balance is a skill than anyone can develop.
I call it a secret weapon of the successful who seem to be able to navigate their way through an office environment that is studded with booby traps and minefields cunningly disguised as work colleagues; from the hypochondriac who painstakingly documents and broadcasts their every ache and pain (and bodily functions) to the angst ridden determined to share their life story and every other possible combination in between.
Our external world mirrors what goes on for us at the subconscious level. We attract into our immediate environment people and situations that remind us of what we focus on most within ourselves.
Ask yourself as you are reading this, what has been ticking over in your mind today. Was it a pleasant and happy conversation or encounter with another person, or was it you wishing you had the last word in an argument. Our best comeback lines are usually after the fact, sad but true.
Do you also notice that the same incident plays on high rotation in a loop fashion in your head, much like background muzak in a restaurant? It is just barely noticeable but it is there, insidious isn’t it.
So, the three circuit breaker tips I suggest are:
1) Check in on yourself
By that I mean, pause regularly during your work day and breathe; yes literally notice yourself breathing in and then gently exhaling. This is designed to slow down brain activity for 20 seconds, long enough for you to pay attention to your body instead of rushing headlong to meeting external deadlines.
This 20 seconds can be the difference between having a productive day or having a tense exchange with a co worker.
2) Eat your lunch away from your desk or work station
Being the office burning martyr will not get you a medal; removing yourself physically from your desk even if lunch is 20 minutes allows your brain to recalibrate.
Great for problem solving because it gives you time to mull over the facts (as you chew your food) without consciously thinking about coming up with a solution.
3) Remind yourself of what is important in your life
Keep a motivational quote on a 3 x 5 card by your computer as a reminder that you have a choice about how you are going to feel today; you choose how you wish to respond to your present circumstances.
Just reminding all you good people that I have a website devoted to mindset and financial freedom if you are wondering where some of the interviews have gone. Please head over to
Janet Attwood Interview: Living Your Life With Passion
It is always a delight to interview people who possess an infectious sense of enjoyment for life as it turns up.
In the case of my guest Janet Attwood this is expressed as a celebration of knowing and living her passion.
She is the co-author of the New York Times Bestseller, “The Passion Test-The Effortless Path To Discovering Your Life Purpose”, and co-author of “From Sad to Glad: 7 Steps to Facing Change with Love and Power”.
I was curious to find out if the saying “Pursue your passion and the money will follow” was really possible; and that was on the proviso that a person honestly knew what they were passionate about (in the first place).
Janet Attwood Interview (unlinked)
The rest of this blog and interview recording have been relocated to: