Why did Sir Richard Branson polish Guy Kawasaki’s shoes?

You may ask about the amazing backstory that brought Sir Branson to his knees. Well, there is no political propaganda here between the Americans and the British. On the other hand, the story is more inspirational than one would imagine.

Long back Mr. Kawasaki met Sir Branson in Moscow at a conference. During their tête-à-tête, Branson asked if Kawasaki had ever flown Virgin. Guy replied “Richard, I’m (with) United Airlines Global Service. I don’t know how you get to be Global Service, but I don’t want to jeopardize it”. Hearing this, Sir Branson got down on his knees and started polishing Guy Kawasaki’s shoes with his jacket. His actions may seem extreme but converting an influential customer, who is already loyal to a competitor, requires extra-ordinary measures.

Reality generally is simple, yet the actions are complicated.

“This is the moment I started flying Virgin,” Kawasaki reminisced on a podcast about his formula for enchanting customers. The alchemy of such, starts with “Being Likeable”. Humility is an understated, yet a critical trait of a successful leader. Fast company in a 2019 survey, found out that more than 50% millennials look for humility in their leadership.

The X-Factor of Leadership is not Personality. It is Humility. — Jim Collins