Treat failure as a lesson on how not to approach achieving a goal, and then use that learning to improve your chances of success when you try again. Failure is only the end if you decide to stop.
Richard BransonRead
When hiring somebody, I never ask to see a curriculum vitae. I feel that since I didn't have one myself, it would be a bit presumptuous to ask to see anyone else's.
Interpretation
What this quote means
It emphasizes valuing personal experience over formal credentials in hiring.
Richard Branson's quote highlights the importance of real-world experience and personal character over traditional qualifications such as a curriculum vitae. He expresses that he prefers to assess potential employees based on their capabilities and qualities rather than relying solely on formal documentation, which he himself did not possess at some point in his career.
Themes
HiringExperienceLeadershipCredentialsPersonality
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared at a leadership conference to inspire managers to rethink their hiring practices.
More from Richard Branson
All quotes →It's a common misconception that money is every entrepreneur's metric for success. It's not, and nor should it be.
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Some 80% of your life is spent working. You want to have fun at home; why shouldn't you have fun at work?
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Values cannot be speedily forgotten if it is inconvenient or commercially expedient. Values have to have meaning and longevity; otherwise they are valueless. You cannot embrace innovation up to a point or only sometimes. Branding demands commitment; commitment to continual re-invention; striking cords with people to stir their emotions; and commitment to imagination. It is easy to be cynical about such things, much harder to be successful.
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Please don’t get hung up on this question of whether you need to have experience in an industry before you launch your startup.
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What's the most critical factor in any business decision you'll ever have to make? Basically, it boils down to this question: If this all crashes, will it bring the whole house tumbling down like a pack of cards? One business matra remains embedded in my brain - protect the downside.
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