An In-Depth Analysis of Richard Branson's Leadership Strategies

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Richard Branson's leadership style, focusing on his role as CEO of the Virgin Group. It explores key elements of his leadership, including his autonomy in decision-making, his ability to foster an open and trusting environment, and his emphasis on employee motivation through clear communication of the company vision. The report examines how Branson manages a multifaceted business by hiring the right employees and creating a culture of innovation. It also assesses the effectiveness of his communication strategies and discusses his fitness as a manager, offering a perspective on his global leadership. Furthermore, the report predicts Branson's continued success over the next five years, based on his entrepreneurial attributes and adaptability to challenges. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of Branson's leadership qualities for current and future global business success.

Running Head: LEADERSHIP OF RICHARD BRANSON 1
Leadership of Richard Branson
Name
Date

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Executive Summary
Successful leadership in business is one of the key aspects that the world economy needs. The
leadership style determines the growth and success of business enterprises. This paper focusses
on the business leadership of Richard Branson, the CEO of the Virgin Group. The paper
discusses his leadership aspects; how he motivates the employees and his ability to communicate
the vision of the company. Further, the essays discusses my view on his leadership and also my
prediction of his business in the period of the coming five years. Therefore, the report is
important in unveiling important business leadership aspects.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Key Elements of Branson’s Leadership...........................................................................................2
Unique Aspects of Branson for Managing a multi-faceted Business..............................................2
Key Aspects of Branson that Motivates the Employees..................................................................3
Effectiveness of Branson’s Communication of the vision..............................................................3
Determine the Fitness of Branson’s Leadership as a manager at the Virgin Group........................3
My Position on Whether Branson is Global Leader........................................................................3
Prediction of the Success of Branson over the coming five years...................................................3
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................3
References........................................................................................................................................4

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Introduction
Richard Branson is among the great entrepreneurs of the time who have grown in the
business world. Richard has made many entrepreneurial attempts, among which his main
company the Virgin Group emanated. The organization operates in the airways sector running in
various countries of the world. Under the Leadership of Branson, the company has managed to
be mentioned among the fast growing businesses in the world (Murphy, 2012). Therefore, the
leadership of Branson has a lot for business leaders to learn.
Key Elements of Branson’s Leadership
Richard Branson as one of the most successful entrepreneurs has various leadership style
aspects that he has applied to attain business leadership success. One of the most important
aspects of Branson’s leadership is him being the founder and the chairman of the Virgin Group
business. This position has given Branson an opportunity to make primary independent decisions
that are not influenced by any other party in the business in any way whatsoever. Also, the
independence of business leadership gave him a chance to collect comments and opinions from
the workers. Such kind of feedback has helped him build the business and also made the
employees feel respected in their capacity (Branson, 2010b).
The ability of Branson to the lead the business without the influence of other parties has
enabled him to have control over the entire business. He regulates the idea implementation
process through selection and managing the execution process (Blustein, 2013). Branson can set
any objective and work towards achieving it at the proper speed. Therefore, this autonomy has
helped him move his business to a greater level since there is no interruption nor resistance to his
views and plans.

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Unique Aspects of Branson for Managing a multi-faceted Business
Various aspects come out of the leadership of Branson that matches the successful
management of the multifaceted business. Firstly, the leadership style of Richard Branson as the
aspect of creating an open of environment of trust. This aspect has helped Branson to keep the
employees motivated, and this has contributed to the successful management of his multifaceted
business environment (Altman, 2009). Branson allows employees to make comments, give
suggestions and opinions and then plan for their implementation. Therefore, this has helped
Branson to achieve the aspect of respecting the views of the worker which is an essential aspect
of the successful management of the business (Chung, 2009).
Also, Branson has managed to lead the multifaceted business through hiring the rightful
employees successfully. He always looks for the best talent to work with, and this has been key
in helping the successful management of the business. Besides, Branson is always on the
frontline to create a culture that fosters innovation (Branson, 2010a). Culture is one of the most
powerful ways to influence people in a given business organization and thus, has helped him to
manage the business (Cong & Yu, 2009).
Key Aspects of Branson that Motivates the Employees
Branson has always worked to motivate his employees. Branson has used the aspect of
company vision to communicate to the employees in a way that motivates and increases their
feeling of belonging to the company. He has been able to incorporate the direction for the by
integration into its organizational culture in the vision of the company. The vision of this
organization communicates clearly to employees on where they are expected to go and also
points out what they are required to do to reach theirs. Therefore, in his management, Branson

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has managed to provide a vivid direction to both the employees and also the stakeholders
through integration in the corporate culture.
Branson has adopted a simple style of leadership which has helped him to become one of
the greatest business leaders in the entrepreneurial world. This type of leadership has enabled
Branson to create a vision for direction and incorporating it into the organizational culture of the
company which provides a guide on the way the employees execute their tasks. Therefore,
Branson’s leadership promotes a good working climate which essential in the success of
businesses.
The simple leadership style of Branson is likely to also work in other organizations. A
continuous communication between the managers will promote better working relations. There
will be a good relation between the managers and the workers. The leadership helps the
managers to get the best suggestions from the employees which can be helpful. Besides, the
approach makes it for the managers to execute and communicate their minds because most of the
employee expectations are embedded in the organizational culture. Therefore, the leadership
aspects of Branson can successfully work in other organizations.
Effectiveness of Branson’s Communication of the vision
Branson is efficient in the way he communicates his company vision to the employees
and also the other stakeholders in the company. Branson seeks to get every opportunity to use for
getting input to his business from his employees and other stakeholders. He is always ambitious
and works towards breaking all the barriers that exist in the company by advocating for the
parties and other related events to increase the openness of the employees so that they can air out
great ideas. Branson uses such events to humbly listen to ideas of his employees (Busine, Watt,

LEADERSHIP OF RICHARD BRANSON 7
Wellins & Boatman, 2013). He has gone ahead to participate in such events thus playing a big
role in the communication of the vision in the company.
It is clear that Branson has managed to effectively communicate the vision to the
employees and other stakeholders in the organization by breaking down all the barriers that exist
between the people in the company. His willingness to sit down with every level of employees
has helped him to communicate the vision effectively. He believes that the CEOs are defined by
the team, and thus they must respect and value every person in the group (Yukl, 2013).
Determine the Fitness of Branson’s Leadership as a manager at the Virgin Group
If I become a manager at the Virgin group where I will have to work with Branson, I will seek to
evaluate and understand certain aspects of leadership. This will be mainly regarding his
treatment of employees and also his entrepreneurial mind. A look at various aspects of Branson’s
leadership reveals that he is one of the great business leaders to work with. He values employee’s
comments and suggestions and has always tried to implement them in his business (Richard,
2011). This openness personality and a continuous search for new lucrative ideas for
implementation make Virgin Group be a great place to work. Given that am an ambitious
employee, working with Branson will one of the best ways for me to learn and move to another
level.
Besides, Branson does not only stay innovative but also treats his workers in a good way.
As a manager I will find it a good idea to work with Branson at the Virgin group because he will
treat me well, respect my ideas and opinions and thus, I will find an ideal environment for
growth. In as much as working at Virgin seems to a good deal, there are also certain aspects that
I dislike. This includes the fact that there hierarchical leadership at Virgin which brings about

LEADERSHIP OF RICHARD BRANSON 8
bureaucracy in the way of operation. Such factors can lower my performance due to many steps
expected in doing things (Boatman & Wellins, 2011). I can conclude Branson's leadership that
success in leading business lies in the culture that leaders create in the company.
My Position on Whether Branson as Global Leader
A look at the Branson's leadership has driven me to take a position that Branson is indeed
a global business leader. He has all it takes to lead the company to produce quality and at the
same time satisfy the employees (Robbins & Judge, 2010). Branson has a personality that is
suited to stand the current needs of the economy in the business world. Branson has a clear
vision and uses the best ways to communicate it to the employees and the stakeholders. He uses
every opportunity to interact with all the people at different positions and ranks (Lirong &
Minxin, 2008).
Besides, Branson is innovative in all aspects of the business. Success in the global
business demands for leaders to embrace entrepreneurial creativity and innovation. He gets the
comments, suggestions, and opinions of his employees and other stakeholders and then puts in
practice (Oladipo, Jamilah, Abdul, Jeffery & Salami, 2013). This virtue makes Branson one of
the able global business leaders who can stand competition through innovation.
Prediction of the Success of Branson over the coming five years
Over a period of five years, Branson is likely to remain successful. In fact, there is more
likelihood of him grow further. He has what it takes for success in business leadership and also

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what will be needed for the coming days (Johansen, 2009). Through his entrepreneurial
attributes, Branson is likely to come up great ideas which will drive the business to another level
over the coming period of five years. Therefore, his leadership style will make him stand various
kinds of challenges in the business over this period of five years.
Conclusion
In conclusion, driving business enterprises to great heights demands for great business
leaders. Richard Branson is one of these great business leaders have been successful with his
leadership style. Humbleness and ability to listen to people at different ranks, and the willingness
to stay innovative is key for great business leaders. Therefore, these are the attributes that are
required for the global business for now and even the coming days.

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References
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4(2), 80-81.
Blustein, A. (2013). What kind of a leader are you? Inc., 35(8), 58-59.
Boatman, J., & Wellins, R. (2011). Global leadership forecast 2011: Time for a leadership
revolution. Pittsburgh, PA: Development Dimensions International.
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