However, I wonder how much of an inspirational leader WW really is?
In my experience, there is a number of Senior Managers who are very capable of taking costs out of an organisation; sometimes, when there is a real question of survival of the Company, very ruthlessly.
There is a far fewer number of Senior Managers who are able to build and grow an organisation so that it has a sound and self sustaining future, able to adapt rapidly to market changes and stay ahead.
Very rare birds indeed are the Senior Mangers who are gifted with the ability to do the latter having done the former.
The problem of rebuilding BA to “The World’s Favourite Airline – Once More” requires nothing short of Inspirational Leadership; in my book, that’s getting people do achieve things that they didn’t know they could do. And that Leadership has to be visibly in place throughout the Company: there seem to be lots of Managers in BA at the moment, but there’s a big difference between ‘Managing’ and ‘Leading’.
For Willie Walsh, the problem is compounded by two factors.
1. He hasn’t got long to do it: there are the Competitors breathing down his neck, and there is the fundamental profitability of the Company to address. Others already have commented on the needs for Fleet Renewal, Product Upgrades, etc., and the shareholders, quiescent at the moment, will soon start to ask fundamental questions about the return on their investment.
2. He is running a virtual organisation: whether the customers’ experience of BA anywhere in the world is exactly what he wishes it to be is in the hands of individual, and often quite junior, staff. If one runs a team of people all at the same location, one can see continually what’s going well, what’s not going well, and discuss and adjust accordingly. If one is running a virtual team, where there is no chance to meet around the coffee machine, then one had to be very clear up front as to what’s important to us, and how stuff gets done by us, and one has to take every opportunity to give reinforcing feedback, and to check any errant behaviours
It would be impudent of me to make a judgement on whether WW has the qualities of an Inspirational Leader that will enable him to achieve Phase 2 of the rebuilding of BA. The only other thought is that the Board may have already considered this in their discussions about who becomes the MD of BA when WW becomes the CEO of the New Company.
As a long standing customer, and observer of the Company’s fortunes, I sincerely wish WW and his team all success in putting the organisation back on a sound footing.