Sir Richard Branson:
An Effective Leader
Kyle Smigelski
University of Maryland University College
MGMT 615, 18 June 2016
Abstract
Although he was struggling to excel in school, Sir Richard Branson was special in many other ways. His mother and father raised him to be a man that put others before himself. They taught him how to survive by focusing his efforts on the present moment rather than dwelling on the past. Branson used these attributes to his advantage and started a student magazine in high school, which eventually morphed into a global phenomenon now known as the Virgin Group. As a servant leader and one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world, this paper will examine Richard Branson’s upbringing and the characteristics that make him successful at the multicultural level.
Sir Richard Branson:
An Effective Leader
Throughout Richard Branson’s childhood, he struggled to excel in academic institutions. His severe case of dyslexia caused him to fail in math and reading. But what made Branson so successful was his attitude and approach to life. His adventurous and positive outlook can be attributed to the wisdom passed down from his mother and father. Branson’s parents served as great role models during his up bringing and their lifestyle played a big role in making the person he is today.
Branson’s Childhood
During his childhood, the Branson family was on a fairly tight budget. To make ends meet, the family was always involved in money-making projects for extra cash. This ranged from things like making and selling wooden tissue boxes to raising and selling animals as pets (Preston, 2013). Because of these projects, Branson learned key lessons that he carried on later in his life. The first lesson was teamwork and putting others first. Many of the household projects involved all of the family members efforts in order to reap the rewards of living a good family life. What Branson also learned from these projects was how to live in the present moment rather than falling victim to living in the past. Instead of dwelling on the past, he understood that a person always had the ability to focus ones efforts toward the here and now.
Branson’s parents raised him to become a quick and creative problem solver. In one instance when Richard was just five years old, he and his mother were on their way home from the grocery. Richard was in the backseat causing mischief. So as punishment, his mother kicked him out of the car and told him to find his own way home. But her intent was to teach him a larger lesson more than just how to behave in the backseat. It was her way of teaching him how to get over his shyness by asking others for directions and of course how to problem solve (Preston, 2013).
Richards Branson’s entrepreneurial achievements took off at the age of sixteen. Having a knack for journalism, he began a youth culture magazine entitled, “Student.” The publication expanded and was sold across the UK to many schools. The magazine got so popular that big name music artist agreed to have interviews done for the publication. Branson eventually dropped out of high school and worked full time in his business ventures. He started his own record label named Virgin and worked with various artist such as the Sex Pistols, Culture Club, the Rolling Stones, and Janet Jackson. The Virgin record label was one of the top six record label companies in the world (A&E, 2016).
The Success of Virgin
However the Virgin group did not stop there. “Branson’s Virgin Group now holds more than 400 companies in more than 30 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada, Asia, Europe and South Africa. He has expanded his businesses to include a train company, Virgin airlines, a luxury game preserve, a mobile phone company and a space-tourism company, Virgin Galactic” (A&E, 2016). Other achievements of Branson include, being knighted in 1999, owning two private islands, and being listed in Forbes magazine as the 4th richest man in the United Kingdom (A&E, 2016). Today, Richard Branson lives his days working towards a greener more sustainable future and finding ways to help evolve the human condition.
Servant Leadership
In the Northouse text, Robert K. Greenleaf coined the term servant leadership. In this type of leadership, leaders tend to put their followers first, helping them to develop to their full capacities. Servant leaders are empathetic and contribute to society at large always in ethical ways (Northouse, 2013, pg.219). Greenleaf identified ten characteristics that conceptualized what a servant leader was. Many of these characteristics are identifiable in Richard Branson’s personality. The characteristics are listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, and building a community (Northouse, 2013, pg.221).