What I learned from Richard Branson
Prior to going to South Africa, I spent a great deal of time thinking about what it is that makes a great entrepreneur, and specifically what makes Richard one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs. Having spent time with him in South Africa I can attest to the fact that nothing excites Richard more than a great adventure. Certainly he’s intelligent and great with people, but he is simply obsessed with exploring the great unknown and expanding his boundaries. Everyone is excited by the glory of being a successful entrepreneurial leader, but to enjoy the process of getting to that point, you must have this drive to venture when no man has gone before, and defy those who say you’re crazy to do so!
I believe that in Richard’s life, his adventurousness laid the seed for the great empire that he has today, but his views on corporate culture and his understanding of what drives people is what has allowed him to build such a thriving group of companies. As a leader, you depend heavily on great people to carry forth your vision, and in order to do that you need a clear understanding of what brings the best out of people. This philosophy is at the heart of Richard’s leadership style.
More specifically, he stresses the importance of building great teams and developing the skill of delegation, so that you, as a leader, can be free to focus on the bigger picture. He emphasises the importance of commending people on their good work as well as removing any barriers in ‘traditional corporate culture’ that may impede people’s spirits and enthusiasm for what they do. He is strongly against neckties as they are a symbolic representation of unnecessary and useless rules in today’s work culture. He is also strongly against the nine-to-five office culture and believe people should work in arrangements that inspires them most. He himself works from his beautiful island, often sitting in his hammock.
In a nutshell, Richard is where he today because he ventures the great unknown in defiance of conventional wisdom and he does not venture it alone, instead he inspires others to journey with him on his quest.