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We all know about the boom in leisure travel. But incredible as it seems, Flight Centres _corporate_ travel business is 100% back to pre-pandemic levels.

Whether its a sugar rush after two years of lockdowns and border closures or the new normal is not yet known. What is known is that, like most industries around the globe today, [Flight Centre](https://www.fctgl.com/) needs more good people, and fast.

Here we interview **Flight Centre Managing Director of Corporate Melissa Elf** about the challenges of rebuilding the company at speed, and how Flight Centre's choice of Growth Faculty as a leadership development provider is part of the solution.

[ **_Free Download_**_: 10 Leadership Qualities That Will Help Solve Challenges in 2022_](https://thegrowthfaculty.ac-page.com/monograph-leadership2022)

**Biggest challenge**

Only recently the travel restrictions were crippling the travel industry. Now, the challenges arise from a boom in travel. In the past six months Flight Centre has brought on 180 new people just for the Australian corporate division. Melissa Elf says theyre hiring Flight Centre alumni, travel industry professionals, and new-to-industry people.

_Our biggest challenge is, without doubt, that we've had a phenomenal amount of business return in such a short period of time, and well beyond what we thought that return to travel would look like."_

An unexpected surge in business is a terrific problem to have, you might say. But hiring the numbers needed to keep pace takes a lot of leadership bandwidth, as Melissa explains.

_As well bringing in a lot of new people, its also making sure that we can still_**_maintain what's unique_**_about Flight Centre and those cultural rituals that are unique to us._

**Leadership skills**

The changing business landscape means [leadership development](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/leadershipdevelopment) is more critical than ever.

Adaptive leadership skills and an ability to make quick and agile decisions are really important, says Melissa.

_Its really tough to get the candidates, so you can't delay. You can't wait. You can't ponder on decisions you know you really have to make; those quick decisions as leaders on the right candidates and getting those people enrolled._

__**_Adaptive leadership_**_is really important at the moment because_**_no two days are the same_**_and we're facing challenges that we probably haven't had to face in the past._

\(Read about adaptive leadership style in [10 Leadership Styles - The Good, The Bad, and The Dangerous](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/leadershipstyles)\)

**Leadership Development as a Hiring and Retention Tool**

Flight Centre has always promoted development of team members and Brightness Of Future \(BOF\) is part of their shared language. But Melissa says management is noting something interesting.

_Our people are saying that since COVID-19 they feel development is a_**_key priority_**_for them in terms of retention._

_But we're also hearing it in terms of people that are coming on board. They absolutely want the opportunity to grow, they want to develop, but they also want to feel that they've got a future in the company, so for us it's essential that we're focused on developing the_**_next generation of leaders_**_._

Melissa says a lot of leadership positions will present themselves in the next 12 to 24 months and beyond, so its important Flight Centre focuses on developing the talent and the leaders on ice \(['Impact Players'](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/LizWisemanImpactPlayers) as speaker Liz Wiseman calls them\).

_I think the message in Flight Centre is that no matter what role you're in, no matter how much experience you've had, you can always have the capability to learn more._

**Why Flight Centre Chooses Growth Faculty**

For many Flight Centre executives, this learning journey includes membership to Growth Faculty's leadership development platform. Melissa Elf says access to top global speakers is just one key reason Flight Centre chooses Growth Faculty as a provider of leadership development.

_I think you've got the great advantage that you have a_**_combination of learning and development_**_within one amazing platform. You've got_**_incredible speakers_**_that you would pay great money to go and see in person and \[they\] are not always available to go and see._

_"You've got great reviews on books, some of the_**_books that we even used_**_within Flight Centre, and you've got some really everyday aspects of leadership capabilities._

_I just think it's such an_**_affordable platform_**_to give you such a wide range of aspects of learning and development opportunities._

She also likes that people can go on and almost choose their own adventure and do it within a time that suits them as well.

 _For us it's been a great addition to the_**_leadership toolkit_**_for some of our people. And you know, I know a lot of our senior leaders really appreciate the membership_.

**How Flight Centres Senior Leaders Get the Most Out Their Growth Faculty Passes**

So, we asked Melissa to share how senior leaders maximised the benefit of their Growth Faculty Leadership Pass.

\([Growth Faculty Pass](https://join.thegrowthfaculty.com/#plans) is our curated leadership development platform, with access to 40 live virtual events featuring the worlds brightest business minds, as well as an On Demand leadership library.\)

Melissa says Flight Centre leaders use their Leadership Passes both for their own development and in L&D planning days.

_We have a great L &D team who give us a summary every month of some _**_great learnings_**_that are coming onto the platform within the next month.jump onto this or jump onto thatso that's been really helpful._

She says Flight Centre encourages its leaders to use the platform to drive their own learning and development, using the feedback from their own leaders to pinpoint areas of opportunity to improve.

 _Were making our leaders_**_accountable for their own learning and development_**_and their own journey of developmentwere really positive and proactive about that._

_And then, you know, also from time to time we use some of the modules within our owndevelopment and leadership planning days.so that's been really helpful as well to learn as a group._

**How Flight Centre Executives Find Time for Leadership Development**

Perhaps the most extraordinary part of Flight Centres leadership training is that it happens at all. Given the busyness of every executive in the organisation, how is it they can still find time to become better leaders?

Melissa says its _because_ of the busyness that leadership development is so important.

_Regardless of the time that we're in right now, I think_**_people always feel too busy_**_to step away, to do personal or professional development training. You know there's always something going on in business and there's always a reason why you can't make something._

_\[But\] the opportunity to step away and develop or attend training actually gives you the opportunity to_**_stop, reflect and refocus,_**_and without doubt you always come out of it with better outcomes and clarity._

**Melissas Journey of Personal and Professional Development**

Melissa says her 16 years at Flight Centre have given her enormous opportunities, both personally and professionally.

_If I look at professionally first, you know, one of the core elements of Flight Centre is really_**_taking ownership._**_That's one of our philosophies and really being able to essentially feel like you're running your own business within the organisation._

Melissa says shes been taught skills in leadership, finance, communication, culture, and strategy, to name a few.

But personal growth has been even bigger. As a young mother she was full of self-doubt but was lucky to have a fantastic mentor and a brilliant leader at Flight Centre.

_Having a supportive leader, that really enabled me to work part-time for many years. So, I now work in a Managing Director role and it's only four years ago that I started working full time\!_

_Prior to that, I was part-time for my entire career and that really gave me the ability to feel like I was being_**_a great mum_**_, but also it never stopped me from applying for roles._

_That was really important to me to have those one or two days a week to spend time with my children, but also be fulfilled in my career. And so, if I guess, I look at the biggest growth I've had is probably that personal growth of feeling like that. You can do both and that you can_**_be successful at both._**__

**Invest in Your Learning With Membership to Growth Faculty**

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Discover your potential by learning from the best with [Growth Faculty annual membership](https://join.thegrowthfaculty.com/#plans).

- Unlimited access to dozens of **live virtual masterclasses** on trending topics around work, career, leadership, and culture; such as psychological safety, burnout, difficult conversations, strategy and execution, micromanaging, accountability and more, with opportunities to chat, ask questions of the speaker, and interact with your peers.

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Join a community of knowledge seekers who are inspired by the best. See our [latest program of live virtual and in-person events](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/event.php?eventId=a1J4G000008xoC7&promoCode=Blog&utm_source=TGF&utm_medium=blog).[ __](https://growth.lightning.force.com/lightning/r/Blog_Post__c/a1d4G000004oYwKQAU/view)

Flight Centre Corporate head Melissa Elf on Leadership Development

Our case study interview on challenges arising from a surge in corporate travel

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Flight Centre Corporate head Melissa Elf on Leadership Development

Our case study interview on challenges arising from a surge in corporate travel

Keep informedStay Inspired

Keep informed
Stay Inspired