It was fitting that I was flying high on a United Airlines flight to San Francisco when I read the new book by Tony Fernandes, group CEO of AirAsia, as he told his story from the low cost airline to QPR (Queen’s Park Rangers, for those who may not be familiar with soccer).

It’s a great inflight read – it’s easy to read, it uses simple, clear language to tell a linear narrative, and it did feel like I had Tony sitting next to me, telling me his story.

That’s the sign of a good book – like having the storyteller next to you – and I finished it in one sitting, an accomplishment these days when the human attention span is said to be now less than that of a goldfish’s 8 seconds.

While I had known bits and bobs about his story, it was interesting to have the layers peeled back on a man who, through a combination of luck, talent, courage, audacity and persistence has somehow not only lived out his dreams but went one better.

He wanted to be a pilot, he built an airline. He wanted to be a racing car driver, he bought a Formula One team; he wanted to be a footballer, he became chairman of QPR.

His love for music also comes through in the book, with each chapter having a song choice that influenced that period of his life. I could almost hear each song played out as I read the book.

Tony Fernandes at the launch of “Flying High” in Kuala Lumpur last month (Image credit: AirAsia Facebook page)

Here are the lessons I took from “Flying High”.

Read the full article here.