Stepping Into Flow: Leadership, Joy, and the Energy We Carry

As many of you know, my job affords me the chance to visit some amazing places and spend time with fascinating people. I just returned from spending a week on Necker Island. Necker is Sir Richard Branson’s private island in the Caribbean. Every year, he hosts a summit of entrepreneurs and thought leaders to explore a variety of subjects, from artificial intelligence to diversity and inclusion. I’ve now spoken there a few times, and for some reason, I keep getting invited back. 

For most of its history, Necker Island has been uninhabited, with little foliage and no access to freshwater. Richard Branson bought the 74-acre island when he was just 28, having started Virgin Records a few years before. To hear him tell it, Richard was only going island-shopping as a way to impress his girlfriend. (Joan eventually became his wife, so perhaps the tactic worked…) They were immediately captivated by the island’s wildlife and decided to make a bid. As luck would have it, Necker was then owned by a British aristocrat who had found himself in urgent need of cash. Richard bought the island for $180,000 and a commitment to the government of the British Virgin Islands that he’d build a resort there to help employ people and drive the economy. In Richard’s mind, Necker would make a great place to party with the rock stars he sought to attract to his record label. 

Of course, something far more interesting happened. As his fortunes grew, so did Richard’s sphere of concern. The world he cared about expanded. The young man who wanted to impress his girlfriend started to see the greater impact he could have. A record label could become the brand platform for an upstart airline that thumbed its nose at the establishment. And a wealthy entrepreneur could grow into a philanthropist and champion for peace and progress. Rock stars would indeed visit the island, but so would social activists and heads of state. Artists like Peter Gabriel would convene meetings with leaders like Bishop Desmond Tutu, talking about how they might bend the arc of the moral universe towards justice. 

Necker is a place like no other, and I have a hard time describing why. There’s an energy there. A kind of real magic that reveals itself in layers. The closest comparison I can use is to an ancient Indian temple. Hindu architects used to design their mandirs to offer the right setting for everyone independent of what stage of life they were at.

The temples were designed like step pyramids, not unlike in Babylonia or Mesoamerica. And every step focused on a different stage of development. Surrounding the base of the temple were statues of elephants, lions, and bears. The point was to entertain children who might be visiting with their families. If that level amused them, they need to go on no further. The next step up was designed for young adults. That level of the temple was decorated with beautifully graphic carvings of people having sex. Men having sex with women. Women having sex with women. Men having sex with animals…ancient Hindus passed no judgment on what might get you excited. The next level up was covered with many of the hundreds of gods and goddesses from the Hindu pantheon. Here was the level for people in the prime of their life. This was the place for active religious devotion. To help householders find comfort in the midst of their busy commitments. The final steps led up and inside the temple. That level had no carvings at all, just walls of smooth black stone, unadorned and free from distraction. A place for contemplation and reflection, to be free of the illusions of reality. No level was better than another. What mattered was that you spent your time at the stage that was right for you. 

That’s very much like Necker Island. 

The place operates on multiple levels. At the first level, it’s a physically beautiful place. The water is warm, and the sand is white. Having dug wells to find fresh water, Richard has populated the island with flowers and palm trees. Flamingos and lemurs roam free. He’s recently brought two baby kangaroos to Necker. I often think that if you can’t be happy in the sunny weather of the Virgin Islands, it may be time to seek out professional help. 

But that’s just the start. Because the next thing you discover is how much effort has been put into creating a lovely resort. The rooms in Richard’s Great House compare favorably to any of the finest luxury hotels. And while the island only has room for forty guests, there are another one hundred and fifty people who work there: bartenders and waiters and tennis pros and DJs and kite surfing instructors… Let’s face it. Richard ran a record company. The guy knows how to party.

But even that isn’t everything. 

From the minute you set foot on the island, you are hit with a wave of energy. A tangible feeling of optimism and possibility. The kind of vibe that puts a smile on your face and makes you turn to the person next to you and ask, “Is it me? Do you feel that?” This is harder to explain, but I have a theory. You see, Necker Island was uninhabited until Richard bought it. So every person who has been there has come by invitation. And that list of people is quite special. Jimmy Carter and Nelson Mandela and Kofi Annan… the list goes on… Richard has framed some of the many thank you notes that he receives from friends. In his kitchen, next to the Nespresso machine, is a small handwritten note on stationery from Kensington Palace. And while I can only paraphrase its sentiment, it says something like, “Richard, thank you so much for giving Dodi and me this week of peace away from the chaos of the world. Love, Diana.” And right next to it is another note. It says something akin to, “Richard, thank you for letting us stay with you. We’ve been so heartbroken by the death of Diana. I’ve decided to rewrite ‘Candle in the Wind’ in her honor. I include the new lyrics here. Tell me what you think. Love, Elton.” And seeing these notes, and hearing Richard’s stories, I can try and find some explanation for the energy of the island. Because, as best as I can surmise, these wonderful people full of love and joy and possibility have left their karmic wake on the place.

But that’s not the highest level of this temple.

Because that level is a very personal one. If you were to ask me, “Dev, make a list of all the things you love to do. The things that you were meant to do. The things that you were put on earth to do…” I could make that list. It would include teaching a class. Providing counsel to a leader. Writing my ideas. Playing the drums. Dancing with abandon… Friends, I inevitably end up doing all of those things when I’m on Richard’s island. Not some of them. All of them. Not by planning. It just occurs in an uncanny way. 

I share all of this with you not as some Instagram-style vacation brag, but as a call to what’s possible. I’m just a guy. I’m not anyone special. But when I do what I’m meant to do, I feel joy. I feel in flow. And good things just seem to happen. For months after coming back from Necker Island, I carry that positive energy with me, and I share it with everyone I can. 

Because you deserve to be in flow, too. You deserve to step into what’s possible. The people in your sphere of concern are counting on you, as well. Richard has always responded to the challenges of the world with a playful sense of opportunity, in a way that creates a container for other people’s creativity. That’s what great leaders do.

You don’t need to fly to the Virgin Islands to feel that beautiful energy. It’s all around us. Sure, it’s easier to connect to that truth in some places more than others, but maybe you can feel it without straying so far from home. Or even get a sense of it sitting down on a Saturday morning reading a letter from someone who cares about you. 

We are more than what we understand. And now, more than ever, we are being called to step into that reality. Enjoy your day.