Leadership Style And Characteristics Of Richard Branson, Virgin Group

Elements of leadership styles of Richard Branson and their impact on the success of his business

Branson is known as a transformational leader who bridged change in his business through commitment and inspiration to improve the productivity of every worker. Branson uses rule-breaking approach to encourage his employees to be innovative to add value to the business and to them (Oke, Munshi, & Walumbwa, 2009). He selects the right people in his business and does not only focus on monitoring productivity and organizing. He understands the importance of thinking differently. His leadership style is democratic and collaborative making it optimize the available talent. He looks for talents in his employees before hiring them to ensure they have the necessary experience, skills, and drive. He sets a positive company culture which supports a positive work environment for his employees.

Another element is his ability to delegate duties helping him and his senior workers reduce their workload hence giving the ambitious employees an opportunity and a space to thrive (Robbins, 2014).  As a business leader, he has the willingness to listen and learn as he understands that success comes from working and learning from others even their juniors (Dess & Lumpkin, 2015).  He uses the approach of hands-on by engaging with the employees and the business to ensure his employees perceive him as part of their team. Another element is a passion for your job hence leaders can build the team, make strategic decisions and motivate employees hence improving the success of the Virgin group. He maintains a good leader-employee relationship. He is a risk taker and very good at handling situations.

Richard assumes diverse styles and methods of leadership depending on the situation he is currently dealing with. He applies changes promptly in Virgin group. For instance, when he fails in competition he alters his business strategy, management, and products location. Working in a Virgin which is a multi-faceted organization Branson supports business expansion as he is very creative, opportunist, risk-taker, fast, competitive, negotiator workaholic, friendly and adventurous (Robbins, 2014).  Branson’s leadership style follows all the attributes described in trait theories of leadership hence he engages in the basic virtues to boost Virgin’s success. Richard Branson has unique leadership qualities, vision, and passion which shape his exponential entrepreneurship.

The structure of the organization and the leadership style which Richard Branson applies sets as an example to other multifaceted organizations as it contributes to the success of Virgin. Richard’s leadership style encourages innovation as the group operates in a competitive hence it can Virgin group apart from other options available to customers (Hackman, & Johnson, 2013).  The leadership style builds a network which is very beneficial to the Virgin group and different facets can borrow strategies, ideas and share resources hence being an attribute of the multifaceted organization. Such organizations like Virgin, use Richard’s leadership style which encourages it to develop foresight, forecasting capability and insights giving it a competitive edge and increases its value (De Vries, 2008).    

Richard Branson motivates and encourages workers by involving them in decision making and giving them chances to attempt new work areas as he inspires them on risk-taking. Employees get the opportunity to prove their competency through their endeavor into new fields of the world. Through this motivation, employees put in more efforts and use all their abilities, skills and experiences to attain their employers’ trust hence promoting the achievement of the goals (Choi, 2016). Involving workers in decision making improves appreciation in them hence motivating them to achieve the organizational goals. The workers give their best performance to attain success in the Virgin group. Motivating workers to explore new areas is important as it challenges them and gives them a chance to apply innovation hence they can be promoted on merit as well as achieving Virgin’s goals.

How the aspects of the leadership styles of Richard Branson mesh with multifaceted organizations’ attributes

Richard’s leadership styles provide flexibility to workers hence allowing them to apply unconventional approaches thus increasing Virgins productivity. Employees get an opportunity to invest in Virgins objectives and they will consider Virgin’s success as their personal gain (Robbins, 2014). Through this motivation, workers perform their best to achieve virgin’s goals as they are involved in all activities and they have a feeling that they are part of the group.  This approach will not fit in all organizational settings. The motivational strategy used in Branson’s leadership styles is not applicable to organizations without different areas of work. The approach cannot be used on employees working on the rigid structure of workflow with hierarchical working structure.

Branson’s vision for Virgin emphasizes on reducing global warming. Branson realized the benefits of communicating effectively to all departments in a company. Sharing the vision will align all tasks towards achieving the company’s goals. Branson ensures that all employees and stakeholders gen information on changes and future plans hence contributes to Virgin’s success. Branson way of exchange of information about his companies vision is effective to the company stakeholders and employees. He mentioned in his exchange of information and diction that he will engage in important initiatives to achieve the required changes.

Branson applies Cammock’s model which is based on; enacting, envisioning and engaging (Choi, 2016). The three aspects give clear orientation to the stakeholders and the employees. Branson took a step to identify the required changes to be taken after changes in the economic environment and engaged all stakeholders through communication. The step sets a mindset in the employees to align projects with visions even when external changes affect the company. He communicates his visions through talks, meetings, and seminars encouraging employees to share their ideas hence leaders can also learn from the employees (Sosik, & Dinger, 2017). From effective communication employees and stakeholders understand their role, identify gaps in strategies, and find their solutions and hence strive to accomplish Virgin’s vision (Hackman, & Johnson, 2013). Employees and stakeholders are encouraged to address undesired business outcomes through effective communication.

As a manager of the Virgin group, I will use various criteria to assess the success of this leadership style. First, I will determine if the leadership style promotes the success of the company from the way it establishes its organizational visions (Rubin, 2013). The best leadership style aids in developing visions that form a working culture to employees that boosts the business activities and success. Second, I will evaluate if the leadership style promotes a conducive working environment that encourages innovation and creativity. Third, I will evaluate if Branson’s leadership styles incorporate the organization operations and resource to boost safety in work settings. I will evaluate if the leadership style supports open communication and cooperation between employees and managers.

Branson’s leadership style will fit me as a manager as it maintains cooperation between managers and employees. To achieve Virgin’s goals, as a manager I will adopt Branson’s decision-making strategies which involve employees (Boje, & Smith, 2010). With this leadership style, employees will have an opportunity to give their suggestions and express their views on matters concerning Virgin group. I can conclude that Richard’s leadership styles have a wide range of qualities and attributes which enables leaders to lead projects and employees and inspire them hence achieving organizational goals. The leadership style enables leaders to guide in sensitive and powerful ways and lead to betters decisions and efficient production from its effective communication and strategic plans (Branson, 2014).       

Two ways Richard Branson uses to motivate his employees to achieve the Virgin group’s goals

According to me, I can say that Richard Branson is a global leader. His employees and company’s stakeholders suggest that his leadership capability, charisma and power overcome external factors such as global change (Leigh & Maynard, 2012). He uses those features to improve Virgin’s performance. Branson’s actions contribute to the defeat of global crisis such as climate change and global warming. He has developed a vision in his company to reduce global warming. His initiatives and efforts prove him as a global leader as it has a positive influence on the success of Virgin group. He has created numerous organizations in different parts of the world successfully irrespective of the existing global crises but he has overcome them hence showing he is a global leader.

He has adopted a non-hierarchical structure which promotes interaction between managers and an employee hence increasing the effectiveness of his leadership as it entails compassion. He has the ability to manage global changes and manage priorities and time as a global leader. He aligns the company’s goals with the teams’ goals and clearly communicates the company’s vision, mission, and goals (De Vries, 2008). He ensures a high level of integrity in his leadership by admitting mistakes, being honest in competition and aligning with company’s core beliefs and values hence making him a global leader (De Vries, & Florent-Treacy, 2010). He shows global capability by tolerating ambiguities, handling complexities, working across and allowing cultural flexibility (Branson, 2014). He operates his companies in multicultural and international contexts showing his curiosity about the global world.

I suggest that Richard Branson will be a successful leader even in the next five years. His leadership approach is relevant to the upcoming global concerns that may challenge his success. His innovative nature clearly suggests that he will be still successful in the next five years. He gets employees support through their open interaction and involving them in decision making and this will boost his success (Boje, & Smith, 2010). Richard has a global mindset that enables him to view issues in a positive way and he can achieve their solutions through a collaborative approach. He has core competencies that will promote his success in the future and they include; inquisitiveness, self-awareness, and transformation (Mullins, 2017).

His motivation to engage in an international environment, optimism nature and his ability to accept complexity and seek solutions will boost his success. Besides his functional skills, he is an effective communicator who understands the importance of collaboration with employees and stakeholders in business success. Richard Branson is a strategic thinker and this confirms his success in five years times as he will develop strategies to set his directions in the future. In his leadership style he considers diversity issues ranging from operating geographies, the pace of growth and culture as Virgin group operates in different parts of the world hence he will manage it effectively even in the future (De Vries, 2016).

References

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Choi, J. (2016). A motivational theory of charismatic leadership: Envisioning, empathy, and     empowerment. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 13(1), 24-43.

De Vries, M. F. K. (2008). Charisma in action: The transformational abilities of Virgin’s Richard     Branson and ABB’s Percy Barnevik. Organizational Dynamics, 26(3), 7-21.

De Vries, M. F. K., & Florent-Treacy, E. (2010). The New Global Leaders: Richard Branson,        Percy Barnevik, David Simon and the Remaking of International Business (JB US non-   Franchise Leadership). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 14(4), 115-138.

De Vries, M. K. (2016). Leaders who make a difference. European management journal, 14(5),   486-493.

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Leigh, A., & Maynard, M. (2012). Leading the way: The seven skills to engage, inspire and    motivate. Pearson UK, 45(6), 213-243.

Mullins, L. J. (2017). Management and organisational behaviour. Pearson education, 24(6), 126-            142.

Oke, A., Munshi, N., & Walumbwa, F. O. (2009). The influence of leadership on innovation        processes and activities. Organizational Dynamics, 38(1), 64-72.

Robbins, S. P. (2014). The Truth about Managing People: Proven Insights to Get the Best from        Your Team. FT Press, 17(5), 111-136.

Rubin, E. N. (2013). Assessing your leadership style to achieve organizational objectives. Global      Business and Organizational Excellence, 32(6), 55-66.

Sosik, J. J., & Dinger, S. L. (2017). Relationships between leadership style and vision content:     The moderating role of need for social approval, self-monitoring, and need for social          power. The Leadership Quarterly, 18(2), 134-153.