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Ask Richard: How do you train your brain to think inventively?

Austin Tang — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 14:44:59 +0000

How do you train your brain to think inventively? What a fantastic question. Thanks to Aden from Sydney for sharing it. Here is the question in full, as I’m sure all of us can relate to his thoughts:

“G’day Richard, thanks for this opportunity. Mate, I’m a positive, creative guy – in business and in life – but after a year of committing to a specific agenda, I find I’m stuck in a slump struggling to channel new, great, inventive ideas. My question is: how do you reignite your brain to think inventively? What techniques or strategies do you use to fire up these areas of the mind?”

I’ve had many moments like this throughout my life. Sometimes the ideas roll in thick and fast, and other times it feels like your mind is churning through concrete! I think the big issue here is the narrow agenda you’ve been focusing on. It’s difficult to be inventive when you’re looking down. It reminds me of a time when a Virgin CEO came to me with a cohesive strategy for the brand – something I’ve never been too focused on.

It was a brilliant strategy, so I told him to go for it, but I did warn him to not get too bogged down in it. It’s easy to get tunnel vision when you focus on a very specific agenda. Then it becomes difficult to spot unique opportunities that might not fit into your strategy/agenda, but do fit into the big picture. I always say that business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming. Still, it sure feels good to run and jump on the first bus. If you want to spark some creativity and make exciting decisions, zoom out from the strategy, and keep your eyes peeled on the big picture (and the big buses!)

Here are a few other things that help me stay creative and inventive:

1. Constantly ask questions and remain curious about everything. Wherever I go and whoever I’m with, I ask dozens and dozens of questions a day. I’m an innately curious person, and I’ve learnt to really harness this throughout my career. I try to observe everything I see and think deeply about the things I hear. It’s a great way to develop better products and services (because you’re more tuned in than your competitors), and it’s a wonderful way to generate ideas. No ChatGPT required!

2. Listen, deeply. I say this a lot, but it is one of the most simple yet effective ways to spark creativity and come up with new ideas. The key here is to listen deeply to everyone. It’s not about only tuning in to motivational speakers, CEOs and shareholders. It’s also listening deeply to neighbours, baristas, employees, customers, and so on. If you want to open up your eyes, you’ve got to speak to people with different perspectives. Whenever I’m on a Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Australia flight, I chat to our passengers and ask them plenty of questions. It’s a great way to hear genuine feedback and refine your product. When I was on a Virgin Voyages ship recently, I sat down at the chess table and played back-to-back games with a bunch of sailors. I’m certain I learnt more from them than they learnt from me.

3. To be inventive, don’t try too hard to be inventive. My best ideas often come when I’m on holidays, or when I’m hiking, cycling, hitting a tennis ball, reading a book, sitting around the dinner table (or dancing on it), and playing with my grandkids. You’ve got to look up and out if you want to be visionary.

4. Surround yourself with interesting people and give them the confidence to share their most abstract ideas. Then repeat steps 1 and 2.

5. Write everything down. This is another piece of advice I share often, but I can’t stress it enough. I carry a notepad with me everywhere I go, and whenever I hear or see something interesting or unusual, I write it down. When you look back through your notes, you’ll often piece together the bones of a good idea. You’ll notice patterns that spark a line of thought that would have never occurred if you hadn’t recorded all these tiny moments and pieced them together.

6. Have fun. If you’ve stopped having fun, stop what you’re doing, and figure out how you can do it in a more fun way. Just by doing this, you’re being inventive. And you can’t be creative if you’re not having fun. People don’t focus on this enough!

Aden, I really hope this helps. It’s been a good reminder for myself too.

Until next month,

Richard

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Virgin Hotel New York Grand Opening Celebration.

Austin Tang — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 14:44:39 +0000

Listen to “Virgin Hotel New York Grand Opening Celebration.” on Spreaker.

Hosted by

Lin Jianzhong, (John Lam)

the chairman of the American Hotel and Real Estate Chamber of Commerce and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Lam’s Group

Sir Richard Branson

the legendary British billionaire and Founder of Virgin Group, who is ranked 12th on the British rich list, also came to the scene to participate in the event and attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

#virginhotel #johnlam #richardbranson #britishbillionaire #linjianzhong #host

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HBO Original Docuseries BRANSON Debuts December 1

Austin Tang — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 14:57:19 +0000

Listen to “HBO Original Docuseries BRANSON Debuts December 1” on Spreaker.

HBO
The Series Chronicles The Many Adventures Of Businessman Richard Branson

The HBO Original four-part docuseries BRANSON, directed by Chris Smith (HBO’s “100 Foot Wave”), debuts THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. New episodes will debut at the same time on subsequent Thursdays.

Synopsis: Sixteen days before Richard Branson is scheduled to make a potentially historic flight as the first passenger to reach space in his own spacecraft in July 2021, the billionaire entrepreneur sits down for a conversation with acclaimed filmmaker Chris Smith, in light of the risk that lies ahead. Smith ultimately takes us on an expansive and intimate 70-year journey, from Branson’s upbringing as the son of a spirited, tough-love mother in Britain, to his pursuits of extreme, personal daredevilry that serve both to grow his businesses’ brands and feed his insatiable, lifelong thirst for high-stakes adventure. With added insight from family members, business associates, and journalists, and illustrated by decades of archival and home video footage, BRANSON reveals the ups and downs of a man driven by risk taking in both his business and personal life, reflecting on the costs and rewards of his lifelong, relentless optimism and boundary-pushing.

After dropping out of school where he struggled with dyslexia, Branson began his entrepreneurial career as a 15-year-old publisher of a student magazine and went on to become a millionaire by the age of 22 with the booming success of Virgin Records. His launch of the airline Virgin Atlantic soon followed, along with a myriad of other Virgin branded businesses with varying levels of success, culminating in the launch of Virgin Galactic, his commercial spaceflight company in 2004. His record-breaking, transoceanic boat and balloon challenges, and now his crusade to bring customers to space, have all been positioned by Branson with the Virgin brand front and center. Branson remains a complex figure, committed to both philanthropic initiatives and his own bottom line.

Participants: Alongside exclusive interviews with Branson himself, the series features his colleagues and employees, as well as insights from both business journalists and industry experts. Also included are intimate interviews with his family, including revealing excerpts from conversations with Joan, his wife of 33 years, his sisters, his daughter Holly and son Sam, and an extensive personal archive of his late mother Eve, whose lively presence in Branson’s life continues to loom large.

Episode Descriptions
Episode 1:“Words and Music”
Debut date: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
The series premiere explores Branson’s early years and the influence of his iconoclastic mother. As a dyslexic teenager, he leaves school at age 15 to create a magazine called Student, leading to a mail-order record business and eventually Virgin Records and Virgin megastores.

Episode 2: ”Atlantic“
Debut date: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
The episode tracks the launch of Virgin Atlantic and Branson’s efforts to attract media attention to his brand, including an attempt to break the trans-Atlantic speed record in a boat, and his death-defying balloon adventure across the Atlantic in 1986.

Episode 3: “Fight or Flight”
Debut date: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
The episode chronicles Virgin Atlantic’s battle with British Airways, ending in a libel suit win for Branson. From outsider to wealthy capitalist, Branson continues to push for world records and promotional attention for his company, setting off on a nail-biting Pacific Ocean balloon voyage. He announces plans to develop a spaceflight company to take commercial passengers into space, beginning a decade long pursuit.

Episode 4: “Space”
Debut date: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22 (10:00-11:30 p.m. ET/PT)
The series finale tracks the arduous history of Virgin Galactic, from conception to test flights, and the controversial bid from Virgin Atlantic to obtain government support for the airline during the Covid-19 pandemic. As the first passenger flight of Virgin Galactic approaches, Branson defends the benefits of privately funded space exploration and the paradoxes around Virgin’s eco-messaging. Set for July 11, 2021, the launch day follows 17 years of research, testing, accidents, and setbacks, culminating in a successful flight in which Branson realizes his ultimate dream.

Credits: HBO Documentary Films presents BRANSON. Directed by Chris Smith; executive produced by Kate Noble. For HBO: executive producers Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller, senior producer Tina Nguyen.

#branson #hbo #words&music #richardbranson #atlantic #fight&flight #space #chrissmith #risk #family #businesslife #personallife #virgin #nancyabraham #lisaheller #tinanguyen #eve #joan #holly #sam

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