Abstract: My submission discusses the ways in which Richard Branson is seen as a leader.It shows which leadership theories that are used by him, in order to lead those that follow him, either through work or general enthusiasm for his leadership style, and how effectively those theories are applied. This submission covers details of Richard Branson’s early life and the beginning of his leadership. It then goes on to explain how his leadership style emerged as he began to run the Virgin Group. I then explained how Richard Branson is seen by the public, and how he has followers in the public that don’t work for him. After this, I consider which technical leadership theories are used by Richard Branson. I review how successful Richard Branson has been as a leader, by looking at how his followers respect him and follow in his footsteps. To conclude, I review Richard Branson from my own perspective. The leader that will be analysed in this essay is Richard Branson. 2000: 48). The fact that Branson had to work hard to get to the top of his game is relevant to him as a leader.' However. when he set up a student magazine. While the magazine never made any money. His main reason for setting up Student was to make money. He has demonstrated his leadership skills from the early age of just seventeen. Branson led his team by getting them to work for no payment. The Emergence of Branson’s Leadership Style . one must define what leadership is. It’s an intrinsic trait which is hard to define. 2000: 49).Introduction Before a leader can be analysed. This means that at the age of just eighteen. Even earlier than this. and Eva Huntley-Flindt. It was through hard work and perseverance that helped Richard Branson become one of the UK’s most recognisable leaders and a renowned business leader worldwide. His business ventures have not always gone to plan. although these plans failed (Grint. This is hard to do. nor did he inherit a family firm. that was aptly named. he managed to get businesses to part with £6. Even though the magazine failed in terms of profits. 2008: 590). but we certainly know it when we see it. Richard Branson was born. growing Christmas trees and selling budgies. the first of three children. 2000: 50). who runs and owns the Virgin Group. an air hostess (Grint. Jackson and Parry (2008: 5) say that ‘leadership is like beauty – it is difficult to describe. a barrister. the general consensus is that leadership is influencing people in order to attain goals (Daft. Student. he showed entrepreneurial skills. in July 1950 to Edward Branson.000 for advertising space. Branson was demonstrating leadership skills typical of someone far beyond his years. simply by incorporating fun into this business venture (Grint. as shown above through his selling of Christmas trees and budgies. But Virgin is more than that. so that everyone. (Grint. at this stage he was heavily in debt. From there. which consists of many companies. rather than just one company within the group. 2000: 50). he expanded the business quickly. a clothing company with his then wife. ranging from senior managers to retail staff and air hostesses work with this philosophy in mind (Grint.000 feet’ (Grint. one must consider how Branson leads an entertainment corporation when there are good ranging from books to cola and services such as satellite television and space tourism. and in order to pay it off. Virgin began as a simple mail order company selling records. then. it is a corporate one. he launched Virgin Rags. 2000: 51). he must offer all his products and services with entertainment in mind. Branson himself claimed ‘we’re still in the entertainment industry – at 25. it is harder to define what type of organisation the Virgin Group is. all bearing the infamous Virgin logo. the business went from strength to strength. However. Because Richard Branson leads the Virgin Group. Following on from this. Certainly. After this. eventually setting up shops and a recording studio. Richard Branson in the Public Eye . 2000: 50-51). If we assume that Branson considers himself still to be in the entertainment industry. Kirsten Tomassi.Richard Branson is the CEO of the Virgin Group. obtaining a record deal with the Sex Pistols and launching Virgin Atlantic Airlines. His style of working for fun that is work-driven rather than fun for fun’s sake has been leaked through the company. Being the leader of a huge organisation in the entertainment has greatly affected Branson’s leadership style. Upon starting Virgin Atlantic Airlines. Branson’s employees obviously love him.Richard Branson is one of the UK’s most famous and successful business leaders. His staff only ever has praise for him because. simply because of the way he motivates people. . sensitive to the needs of others. According to Dearlove (2007: 13). He is perceived as a socially conscious entrepreneur. energetic. innovative. working for Branson is an adventure. The results of a survey that first appeared in the Financial Times explain how Richard Branson is seen as ‘a maverick. to managers who strive to lead like him. from those who are led by him as a matter of their job. This is a key skill to have as a leader. he has been voted Britain’s favourite boss. Today. hard working. and risk taking. many people speak of how Google and Facebook are great companies to work for. he has organised bonding sessions with his employees in order to encourage staff loyalty. because of the laissez-faire leadership style and the laid back approach to working. decisive. 2005: 454). On several occasions. (Dearlove. In addition to this. setting up Virgin Unite to look at entrepreneurial methods when it comes to environmental and societal issues. Robbins and Judge (2009: 419) describe Branson as ‘fun loving. He refers to everyone who works for him as his ‘family’. Branson also leads other business leaders. encouraging people to do things differently’ (Boddy. 2012). he has also set up the Virgin Green Fund which deals with renewable resources (The Telegraph. 2007: 65) Branson and his Followers His followers include many. charismatic. enthusiastic. since the beginning of Virgin.’ The above traits that Branson possesses have proved him to be a great leader of such a successful organisation. He believes that companies should work for something beyond mere profits. stating that ‘these days. Zuckerberg has followed Branson in this train of thought. According to Robbins and Judge (2009: 453). In addition to this. intellectual stimulation and individualised consideration. Thus. ways. Idealised influence ensures that leaders are trusted and respected by their followers because they are active in the leadership process. Intellectual stimulation . 2012). Leaders can show followers important goals and strategies in simple. Branson is definitely trusted and respected by those that follow him.’ They are proud to follow him because he is such a great leader. Branson is renowned for his socially conscious way of thinking. inspirational motivation allows the leader to communicate what their expectations of their followers are. This can be further described as idealised influence. inspirational motivation. transformational leaders are ‘leaders who inspire followers to transcend their own self-interests and who are capable of having a profound and extraordinary effect on followers. As for Branson’s followers. where people announce in pubs ‘I work for Richard Branson.However. yet effective. one only has to look at the declarations in Dearlove’s book (2007: 65). because as previously mentioned. I think more and more people want to use services from companies that believe in something beyond simply maximising profits’ (The Telegraph. Again. In addition to this. those that are in employment in the Virgin Group frequently declare their love for Branson. it can be said that Branson had this in Virgin before Mark Zuckerberg was even born.’ This style of leadership gives followers a vision to work towards alongside a sense of pride. Branson’s Leadership Style Richard Branson’s leadership style is definitely that of transformational leadership. he led the way to this style of leadership. This is definitely true in Richard Branson’s case. It’s also seen in how he has managed to set up a corporate empire.com.allows the leader in question to promote cognitive abilities. He has influenced thousand’s of followers. This is shown in how willing people are to declare that they work for him. Of course. individualised consideration means that the leader can treat each employee personally with individualised coaching and advice (Robbins and Judge. the co-founder and CEO of Apple would be an example of a charismatic leader (Robbins and Judge. Finally. but simply great interpersonal skills. 2005: 699). there are many other styles of leadership. Branson’s Success as a Leader Richard Branson is a successful leader. An example of a transactional leader is the founder and CEO of Amazon. Branson never succeeded in academia due to dyslexia. He allows the managers of each of the companies in the Virgin Group to manage on their own merit. 2008: 590). such as problem solving and rationality. 2008: 605). If we think back to the definition of leader at the beginning of this analysis. 2009: 448). . He also treats each company within the Virgin Group as a totally separate entity. Branson does this by delegating work as much as possible. 2008: 605). giving followers what they want if they do what their leader desires’ (Boddy. He doesn’t have an MBA. but he has a profound ability to connect to other people and to get them to do things his way. with a globally recognisable brand without any prior knowledge of any of the industries that he has moved into. including transactional leadership and charismatic leadership. Jeff Bezos (Daft. Whereas Steve Jobs. which can be defined as ‘one who treats leadership as an exchange. 2009: 453). Transactional leadership. A charismatic leader is one ‘who ahs the ability to motivate subordinates to transcend their expected performance (Daft. a leader is someone who influences people in order to attain goals (Daft. constantly building on his empire and ensuring that those that work for him remain loyal to him. He manages to ensure that his followers get things done his way through his transformational leadership. Richard Branson is the Virgin brand. He has been so influential. Branson can also be described as a good leader because he has been in business for more than forty years.both those that are employed by him and those that follow him because he is so successful. Robbins and Judge (2009: 452-454) state that he is a transformational leader. They then go on to explain how only those leaders who are transformational can motivate their followers in such a way that they perform above and beyond expectations. so that it has become the philosophy for all those who work for Branson. In addition to this. while maintaining high standards across all the companies within the Virgin Group. There are numerous reasons that explain why Branson is a good leader. . his own philosophy of working for fun has filtered down throughout the company. For example. he can be described as a good business leader because he has managed to make Virgin Atlantic Airlines a success in a market that was full of longestablished firms such as British Airways and American Airlines. that he managed to get those that worked on Student to do so for no payment. He is as closely associated with the brand as Steve Jobs was with Apple. In addition to this. and this is because he has been so successful at how he has led the company. Essentially. Personal View of Richard Branson After analysing Richard Branson as a leader. I think that he is a leader who gets his ideas across quite well. From my research. As well as this. I have analysed Richard Branson’s leadership style.I respect Richard Branson as a leader simply because he is so good at it. While anyone can read any of the numerous leadership books out there. There are many things I could learn from Richard Branson’s leadership. His leadership style is built into that title. gets the right things done. well-known leaders that could offer that. I think that his interpersonal skills are excellent. I would like to work for Richard Branson. with a net worth of $4. Conclusion In this essay. motivational. it would not come without the rewards of working for such an inspirational leader of a recognisable company. He is all those things that come to mind when someone tries to define a leader: inspirational. there are some skills that leaders require that can only be learned by being led by a leader who already has those skills. he is so much more than that. While Branson’s style of leadership has been classified into a transformational leader. it would be hard for anyone to take over that position without being constantly compared to Branson. I believe that Richard Branson is one of the few successful. and many challenges to face. I believe that while there would be hard work involved. which is invaluable trait to have as a leader. I believe that Branson is an inspiration to everyone as he was listed as the fourth richest citizen in Great Britain.2 billion. without ever going to university. I have given a short biography of his early life. While his official title may be ‘CEO of the Virgin Group’. And because of that. I explained the company that . This will give hope to younger people who can’t manage to get into third level institutes. I believe that he brings something extra to that style of leadership. Following on from this. Branson leads in and how he is viewed as the leader of that company. I have shown what Branson’s followers think of him. I have also explained that Branson is a transformational leader and how he is successful. Finally. I have given my own personal opinion of Branson as a leader. both those that work for him and those that follow him in terms of how he leads. . explaining why I think he is a good leader and what I believe I could learn from him. co.telegraph.P. • Robbins. Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book About Studying Leadership. Essex: Pearson Education Ltd. Chichester: Capstone Publishing Ltd. B. Oxford: Oxford University Press • Jackson. 05/03/2012) • http://blogs.A. 3rd ed. (2008) New Era of Management. New Kersey: Pearson Prentice Hall • http://www. K. R. 13th ed.co. D. T. & Parry. D. 3rd ed. • Grint.html [accessed 19:32. 2nd ed.uk/sponsored/earth/the-age-ofenergy/contributors/9066571/Richard-Branson-profile. (2007) Business the Richard Branson Way. (2000) The Arts of Leadership.Bibliography: • Boddy. (2009) Organizational Behavior. 10 secrets of the Worlds Greatest Brand Builder.telegraph. 05/03/2012] . (2005) Management: An Introduction. (2008) A Very Short. 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