Business is an adventure.....
Quiet strength, charismatic energy, warm smiles and positive vibes created an environment ripe for inspiration. As we entered into the well lit, secluded private restaurant known as Yvonne’s we were greeted with welcoming arms and spirits by Virgin Airlines Leader Lisette and immaculately dressed flight attendants. They wore the regalia of the army of Virgin distinctly known for making traveling fun, enjoyable and with a flair that resonates with millennial travelers. While I expected a fun atmosphere with Sir Richard Branson, these small gestures exceeded expectations and over delivered on the brand experience that Virgin Airlines is notorious for. We anxiously walked into the private eating area and sat at the table waiting for the luminary himself. Sir Richard Branson was in town for the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit in which we attended. He dedicated time out of his schedule to pour into the next generation of disruptors, change makers and entrepreneurial/intrapreneurial mavericks. He strolled in gracefully with a sphere of grace and presence surrounding him. He smiled, he greeted us individually and I was no longer as nervous to interview him. It was almost as if I was shooting the breeze with a friend.
You might wonder, why would Sir Richard Branson be here amongst this audience for Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit ? What does he have to gain? I’m sure Necker Island is much more of an enjoyable scene filled with blissful breezes and the amenities of a 10 star hotel. Well, the interesting realization throughout the interview with Sir Branson was the fact that he not only looked for the opportunity to inspire and impart knowledge but was also inspired by the work that we(you included) were accomplishing as millennials. It was made clear that he’s inspired by the risks millennials are taking to control our futures, the disruption of expected paths and the dedication to make a living while making the world a better place. Below you will see some of the snippets of the interview .
Throughout the interview of one of the biggest disruptors in entrepreneurship, I wanted to share four points that I extracted that will show you that Business and Life are an adventure:
Say YES... it’s much more fun than saying no.
Bring others along on the journey with you
Give second chances
Make the most out of change
During the time with Richard, there were a series of questions that were asked and I will share the ones that resonated most and draw parallels to the millennial lifestyle.
Richard believes that business is an adventure. If you have any knowledge about his life, you know that he fully believes If it’s not fun.. DONT DO IT. So naturally I was inclined to ask him to share one of his adventures in his 20’s. He shared a story of when he took his entire company to a party with a famous english cricketer. The party was amazing. Somewhere during the party there were two dentist chairs, tequila (you know the common startup experience after a big win) and big time fun. He actually enjoyed it so much that he found himself lost all the way in Tokyo. After Richard left, he travelled tp the hotel he imagined that he was looking for. When he arrived, he jumped on the elevator and told the attendee that he was trying to get to the 16th floor and the attendee said that there was no 16th floor. Come to find out, he was at the right chain but his hotel was on the other side of Tokyo. If you have ever attended college or have somewhat of a social life, you are familiar with this type of experience. That in itself is not the point that was extracted from the story. The obvious takeaway is that when you have the opportunity to win big in business you need to celebrate and have fun. The not so obvious point is the fact that Richard consciously made decisions that gave others an experience that they would never forget. Meeting the famous cricketer was not just about his enjoyment and something to write in the memoir of Richard Branson but also those who surrounded him. These are the values that are spread throughout the Virgin culture. As a founder or intrapreneur alike... ask yourself the question is the journey solely about you? Who else can benefit from the fruits of your labor, who else can have their lives changed from your experience, who else can you help to win? It was evident in this story and many others that Richard cares about people and it showed in this instance.
Your life isn’t as screwed up as you think. Adventurers have moments of despair and it is to be expected. If you haven’t done something before… say YES. Make sure to continue creating!
Carry on saying yes its a lot more fun than saying no. Get yourself into a lot of trouble, get frustrated try to change the world for the better. keep creating. Sometimes you’ll fall flat on your face and keep going until you succeed. Screw it just do it.- Sir Richard Branson
Boring people say no. People who are afraid of change, people who are scared to live fully in their essence say no. Have you been living that life as of recent? Is being boring going to be your legacy? Why should you say yes more than no. It is easy to refuse things that you have never done because new things can the monotony of old things over a long period of time. Saying no all the time leaves you with a life that is lackluster and lacks serendipity. Lack of spontaneity leaves you to a life of calculations. Grab a flight somewhere you’ve never visited, take a drive down to a part of the state you live in that you’ve never gone, give yourself an experience that you can remember. As an entrepreneur and business person, saying yes opens you up to experiences and possibilities and this complicated sounding word we know as serendipity or happenstance.
When is the last time that you fell flat on your face? I mean went after something that you thought you had under control and didn’t perform like you thought you would? If you can't remember, that is not a badge of honor but may be a hint that you are staying in your zone of comfort. While you may be doing well... you are not pushing the limits and flirting with the likes of failure and growth simultaneously.
Millennials have the gift and curse of social media. We have the mirror shined on us through actions of others in an incessant feed of unnecessary information that makes us question our reality. Whenever someone does something amazing, it is easy to become lost in the loop of I’m not doing enough, i’m not where I want to be, I should, would, could be doing better in my life or I have to accomplish more because everyone is excelling BUT me. Richard shared insight that we don’t hear enough. As a Multi-Billionaire I think he has some great insight about how to think if you are going through what many millennials are.
"I’ve had such an incredible life since I was 25. You are doing ok, you are having a lot of fun, carry on as you are."
As with anyone who has been successful, there have been times when you weren't doing as well as you imagined that you should be... and that s ok. Richard mentioning that you need to tell yourself that you are doing ok is very important and healthy for your self-image.
It was important to ask about cultivating risk-taking adventures and integrity in those who are within your sphere of influence(Children, Mentees, Siblings) is something that disruptors and entrepreneurs alike look to instill in those who they care about. After all, many of us want to bring other game changers to the top with us and teach others around us.
Richard states:
"Don’t use the no word too much, don’t mollycoddle them too much. Falling on your face is good. That’s what we have to do as adults as well. Let young kids learn from their mistakes, get dirty climb trees, rescue cats. Let them have free reign. Now my kids are doing things that worry the hell out of me, but I am satisfied with what they are doing now.”
What was the vision for Richard’s legacy in the beginning of Virgin and how has it changed?
When you start something, you don’t think about legacy. You just think about creating a brand that’s making a real difference. After 50 years of doing that I have been able to create something that will last when my ballon bursts through my children and a wonderful team at Virgin. I used to use myself to promote the brand, now we push virgin rather than pushing myself. Virgin can stand on its two feet without me doing foolish things all the time. The real legacy is the kids and the family you bring up, the family and friends and memories with them. It’s not what you have done in your life necessarily,it’s how well you’ve brought up your family, how close you all are, I’m lucky to have been together with my lady for 40 years.
Evolution is important in a business. While Richard started and relied heavily on himself as the brand he eventually had to fire himself from the business. He has to employ others who were smarter than him to do the things that he could not. In the beginning the skin in the game aspect is of dire importance but business grows you must find ways to have the company thrive without your presence. While you are the reason your company is around and people may still associate you with it, you have to think of ways to grow the company without you having to be there. You will find more about this in Richard Branson’s story about not having a conventional office in the virgin group.
How important is it to cultivate the entrepreneurial spirit within a company?
It’s so much more exciting if the company encourages that. Companies need mavericks, they need square pegs. Square pegs should be encouraged. I’ll give you one extreme case where someone in my company stole from the company and stole records. I told him that it wasn’t a good thing to do and gave him a second shot. Afterwards, he ended up being a huge benefit to the company and signed phil collins, the rolling stones and some of our biggest acts. Every company needs mavericks, a company without them can get very boring . A skill of a great company is to encourage employees who could be entrepreneurs in their own right to stay within the company and work within to improve the company.
Everyone is not going to be an entrepreneur and I definitely agree with Richards statement and would be bold enough to say this should be a call to millennials to think about their entrepreneurial spirit even within a company(Intrapreneurship). This can be the ticket to avoiding regrets from not asserting yourself or valuing your ideas enough to share them. Your idea could potentially revolutionize your industry and change the live so others for the best. You can start by thinking about your superpowers. What do you do well? What do others recognize you for? What is something that you do effortlessly and turn heads when you think it wasn't a big deal? Recognizing this will allow you to open doors to think about ways to solve the problems that are taking place around you. Change is not designated for CEO’s and people at the top of an organization. Be a maverick, be different , be daring. Who else but you...why not you? One of the reasons that Richard Branson has been a disruptor because he has entered into spaces that he has not particularly been familiar with. He entered the space with a different eye than those who were veterans in the space and had fancy titles. Let that marinate and see where the advice fits in your life. Do you have a company? How are you making sure that your employees are being given opportunities to be intrapreneurial and increase their happiness and YOUR bottom line?
Why are second chances so important?
Through research on the Virgin company I stumbled across a story where an employee was stealing records and selling them. He not only took him back but allowed him to flourish in the company. I’m not sure about you, but i’m pretty sure that when I worked at McDonalds as a teenager, if I was caught taking away too many big mac’s I would have been fired… QUICKLY! It’s easy to count people out when they make mistakes. However, a great leader shines in circumstances like this when they are given an opportunity to give grace. Why?
1. You have have been given grace in your life.
2.) You want to be given another chance. Richard shares why he felt it to be important to give another chance.
I messed up when I was a teenager. I exported some records in the UK and didn't pay the taxes on them. I could have gotten into a lot of trouble but I was able to settle on the case. There are an awful lot of people in prison today who are not supposed to be in prison. An awful lot of minorities. I am anti the war on drugs. My new slogan is Just say KNOW. Know the facts. What we have found is that when we take someone who has been in prison and employ them within virgin they never reoffend. That benefits society, it benefits the individual. We re trying to get as many companies as possible who come out of prison a second chance. We’ve got somebody who is in charge of credit control who is an ex-prisoner. Trouble is america has the reverse psyche. If you mess up its almost impossible to turn things around. That is a problem.
How has change changed you?
It has given me a lot of freedom. You can work from anywhere. I used to have to lug suitcases of letters and live laboriously. It made it possible to live, work anywhere and experience your company, other peoples company, spend time with family, friends. gave me freedom.
Interestingly enough the access to online and tools has imprisoned many. It’s just a reminder to use the tools more effectively in pursuit of your mission. When change happens look for ways to have it benefit you and your mission. Theres typically many ways to do so if you search for it in most situations.
Sir Branson is a reminder that it’s important to live life challenging your norms, have fun and pursue experiences that are new and unconventional. This can be done through daring yourself to say yes more than you say no. He also reminded me that the journey is not solely about money, fame or legacy but more importantly the moments that you are able to share and create for others who matter to you. The people who you bring along with you will help your adventure to be more enjoyable and meaningful. Remember that you were given chances for redemption throughout your life’s adventure, practicing forgiveness and grace connects you to the human experience and allows us to live a life with less burden. Through forgiveness you are now able to move freely through life and with less qualms. Change surrounds us, be mindful that with all the change going on, it is easy to move with the crowd and being a slave to trends without looking for ways to benefit from change. Be diligent in looking for ways to make change work for you. These are some of the many thing that you will need to be aware of in your life and business. Business can sometimes feel like a roller coaster with the ups and down and the sense of thrill that you experience afterwards. Business can feel like you are stranded in the wilderness looking for your next meal and then you make a decision that allows you to find your way back to civilization. Business can feel like trying that new food that seems like it’s not your type of dish and being blown away by the new found tasty treat. Business can feel like a bungee jump where the thought was attractive but when you actually take the leap you wondered why you were crazy enough to take the risk and then you treasure the experience . All of the adventures I just mentioned contain an element of risk and discomfort. There are great rewards at the end of each if they challenge your comfort, beliefs, and as a result allows us to live a fuller life and reminds us that Business is an Adventure and a risk worth taking. Have fun doing it, get in trouble along the way and make it count.
Can’t wait for my next flight on Virgin!