Obstacles are for sissies
By Bo McDonald
How often do you bring a great idea to your management team or board, only to be shot down with a laundry list of objections? All of the concerns seem legit, but none are grounded in reality. If something is important enough to the growth, or even the survival of your organization you can find a way to make it happen. It may not be easy, and you may get a few black eyes in the process, but if you’re passionate enough about your idea and vision, be bold!
That’s exactly what Virgin Atlantic CEO Richard Branson did in trying to secure the rights to offer flights to South Africa. Branson was confident that offering service to that country would be a huge growth opportunity for his airline. Once a year for several years Branson would travel to South Africa to meet with the Transport Minister. He would leave with positive feedback, but empty promises. All communication would stop after the meetings, frustrating Branson. He knew his competitors had the market locked up, and the Transport Minister was in their back pocket.
While most CEOs would play it safe and continue to try to seal the deal, or just drop it altogether Branson had another idea. He organized a press conference announce a date that Virgin Atlantic would begin flying to South Africa, outlining how much passengers would save.
But wait—there’s more. Branson was so bold as to repeat the Transport Minister’s own words from his various meetings. Branson quoted the minister saying how much he was looking forward to the service, praised him for his belief in competition, lowering prices for the flying public and supporting new airlines.
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