Two years ago, Daniel Houghton made a sensation after he successfully become the CEO of the iconic 40 years old-travel website Lonely Planet in the age of 24, right when NC2 bought the company from BBC Worldwide back in 2013.
“When we bought Lonely Planet, I didn’t even know what I’m going to do with it,” Houghton said, “I’m just glad to be a part of it”.
He admitted that the most difficult thing to handle was that the company sorely desired a change of leadership while he himself still needed to learn from his team. One of first things he did was to get rid of 20% of Lonely Planet’s employees all over the world, and made the event as a turn point of putting a modern media landscape.
“I decided upfront that I wouldn’t be worried about things I can’t handle. I can’t control my birth date, nor my background,” he said.
Given his young age, how does Houghton lead his way older teammates?
Houghton’s leadership strategy
For years, Houghton ran a business with only four other people. Now, he is the head of hundreds of employees. Along the way, he has developed a number of key strategies which have guided him running the show.
1. Focus on human
“You have to like the people you work with. When I run my business, I spare time to write notes, spend more on clients to show them things they don’t know or invest on helping them.”
2. Delegate the tasks
“My working days are highly organized, I kept doing it and got exhausted. The key is, start trusting people around you to do important jobs, while putting your eyes on any development they make.”
3. Pick the leadership team wisely
“A good executor is not always a good leader. It is your responsible to choose the right man for the right position.”
4. Surround yourself with experts
“There’s a saying: Being young isn’t a matter, but being lack of experience is what matters. Remember, I don’t run the business alone, I am surrounded by a group of helpful and supportive experts.”
5. Listen to opinion, but trust your instinct
“Every single person has opinion. In the end, you’re the one to decide. Listen to their opinion, but trust your instinct.”
6. Be open
“Treat people respectfully. You must always be honest. It’s true that you can’t tell everything to your colleagues, but try to be open as much as you can.”
7. Be fair in distributing time and tasks
“In life, everyone has exactly the same time amount. Don’t ask others to work harder than yourself. I’m pretty sure that I also work harder than all my staff.”