We held a dinner this week with new Flybe chief executive Saad Hammad as guest speaker.
He talked about the ‘Purple Way of Life’, a new company culture to retrain and inspire all employees as the airline comes out of its difficult turnaround and moves into profitable growth.
It was a passionate speech by the architect of the new vision – and bringing everyone in the company along with him on the journey seems to be yielding results.
Saad’s views echoed those of Carolyn McCall, chief executive of his former employer easyJet, who was guest speaker at a Travel Weekly Business Lunch last week, and of Barrhead Travel managing director Jacqueline Dobson, who I met in Glasgow.
Carolyn talked repeatedly about her people and about getting their buy-in and support to create the right culture for growth, while Jacqueline discussed the apprentices she’s taking on as the company seeks to create and develop its culture right from the outset when staff join.
It appears that the creation of a common culture isn’t restricted to individual businesses either.
As the enthusiasm of the attendees at the packed-out business sessions at this week’s The Travel Network Group conference demonstrates, consortia can also get everyone singing from the same hymn sheet and pulling together if their leaders convince them to share a common goal.
Of course, you’ve got to have the actions to back up the words. But if you’re truly committed, then taking the time to define and communicate your company’s culture can clearly pay dividends.