I believe a good leader brings out the best in people by listening to them, trusting in them, believing in them, respecting them and letting them have a go.

People who think and say we more often than I are a lot more likely to succeed.

A company is people … employees want to know… am I being listened to or am I a cog in the wheel? People really need to feel wanted.

Too many companies want their brands to reflect some idealised, perfected image of themselves. As a consequence, their brands acquire no texture, no character and no public trust.

What we are trying to do at Virgin is not to have one enormous company in one sector under one banner, but to have two hundred or even three hundred separate companies. Each company can stand on its own feet and, in that way, although we've got a brand that links them, if we were to have another tragedy such as that of 11 September - which hurt the airline industry - it would not bring the whole group crashing down.

My mother always taught me never to look back in regret but to move on to the next thing.

When people screw up, give them a second chance.