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The Virgin Way, How to Listen, Learn, Laugh and Lead – Richard Branson – 2014

Richard Branson’s starting point to everything is having a good time doing it and it also applies to writing a book. Because, as he says, « if you don’t have fun writing it, chances are that people won’t have fun reading it ». So true! So right! The result is a great book about business, but more so about being human and doing what you enjoy in order to give the best of you.

The Virgin Way is a perfect exemple of a human centered approach deeply rooted at every level in a company. Both the staff and the customers are central points. Care about your employees and they will care about the customers. Listen to the people who are daily in contact with customers, the employees. Care about what could make the customers feel better and how you can offer them a better service, something they will remember. Some very basic and simple facts, part of how Virgin does business and making a huge difference.

It’s also a book about a kind of bold spirit, the « Screw it, let’s do it! » attitude. It emphasizes the courage to follow your inner voice and to start right there. It’s also about being ready to make mistakes, because it is part of the game and it’s all right, as long as you learn from them and as long as you don’t repeat them again and again.

Written based on Richard Branson and Virgin’s more then 40 years experience in business, the book displays the Virgin Way by sharing concrete exemples and stories and it is a lot about praising and thanking people by telling their stories and showing how they incarnate the Virgin Way. That makes it’s one of these not-so-common-books that vibrates with life and gives energy, enthusiasm and inspiration.

Timothée Tosti