JT leaving Virgin this week

[MickG0105]

AerialPerspective: The Lee-Grant Comparison

I understand the point that you were trying to make but I thought that it was poorly illustrated by the Lee-Grant comparison. I do not think that Gettysburg can be seen to define Lee's generalship any more than Kursk or El Alamein define the reputations of von Manstein and Rommel respectively. As to whether Lee was a traitor, well, the decision as to who is traitorous to whom (or what) in a civil war is generally determined by who won; was Cromwell a traitor?

My point was that most military historians rank Lee as a superior general, and most assuredly a superior leader, to Grant. You certainly can't say that Lee was any less a substantial military figure than Grant and he was most assuredly no less substantial for his professional deportment.

As to the argument of substance over image, you get no argument from me on that front. Having worked with both AJ and JB at different times in my career I frankly don't view one as any more or less "flashy" than the other. However, I think that to understand the differing fortunes of QF and VA you need to also look above and below the CEOs; at their boards and their C-level teams.

Knowing a few of the players at both QF and VA, my observation would be that VA, despite an influx of some quality QF people when JB joined as CEO in 2010, now lacks quality and depth at the general manager/manager level whereas QF fares much better in that regard. When AJ outlines a new strategy he knows that there's a good to very good chance that his team will achieve around 80% or better of what he wants them to achieve; when JB outlines a new strategy it's probably only a 50-50 bet.

Now, it may be coincidental, maybe not, that Leigh Clifford is Chairman at QF. Prior to that Leigh's entire 37 year career was spent in one business; Rio Tinto (formerly CRA). I cannot comment from personal experience on too many businesses but, having spent a fair chunk of my civilian career at Rio, I can say that it is one of the very few businesses I have seen that has, by design and considered effort, outstanding talent at the general manager/manager level. I have no doubt that Leigh brought that approach/thinking with him to QF. Again, it may be coincidental, maybe not, that Leigh became Chairman of Qantas in 2007 and Alan Joyce became CEO in 2008; that's a decade of stability.