"However tight things are, you still need to have big picture at the forefront of your mind."
In a telling true story of Richard Branson and Virgin Airlines, he talks about the importance of keeping the big picture before you even when things are tight. He's referring to the recession in 1992 when he was having difficulty raising $10 million to get seat-back video terminals installed in Virgin's planes. He wasn't able to raise money anywhere for the purpose.
With nothing to lose he called up Boeing (BA) CEO, Phil Conduit, and asked if Virgin were to buy ten new Boeing 747-400s, would they throw in the seat-back videos in his economy section. Conduit quickly agreed being surprised that anyone was thinking of buying planes at that time.
Branson took it a step further by calling up asking the same question of Jean Pierson at Airbus. The answer was yes there as well.
What was amazing to Branson as he went around inquiring about the availability of money, was it was easier for him to secure $4 billion to buy eighteen new planes than it was to get a $10 million credit line for seat-back video devices!
It's extraordinary to think that by keeping his eye on bigger things he was able to take care of the little. If he would have continued in the pursuit of the $10 million, he would have never got what he wanted. So he took in the big picture and secured it that way.
Other Richard Branson Resources:
Richard Branson's Virgin Success
Thoroughly postmodern billionaire
Richard Branson's latest adventure will take Virgin into space
Richard Branson - Life - Philanthropy - Money
Richard Branson, Business Personality
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