INDUSTRY INSIGHT: 
Sir Richard Branson
by Michael J. Herman
At first look, you may think Sir Richard Branson has it all. It’s only partly true. Give him time. He’s just warming up. A maverick in aerospace, retail, music, entertainment and now telecommunications, Branson wants to transform the world with new fuels, new ways of communicating, and collectively reach our human potentials. How can this intrepid billionaire attempt such lofty goals? The same way he has built one of the world’s most identifiable logos and brands, one person at a time.
For Branson, it’s about family and teams. He treats all those in his company like extended family members and it shows. “The key to my success,” offers Branson, “is that I care what other people think by asking for their input. Then I incorporate what they say into my decision-making processes. They can’t run the company, but with all of us contributing, we can do it together. At the end of the day, I’m still the boss.”
Branson succeeds in ways other CEOs and entrepreneurs fail because he has big dreams and little plans. He investigates and evaluates before he makes a decision. He tests a market for at least two years before the company will foray into that field. If they can’t own the market, he doesn’t want to be in it. It’s not just fun and games though. Branson is out to change the wrongs of recent generations. A bit of a hippie at heart, Sir Richard is perhaps the most approachable and amiable of billionaires. He genuinely cares in big ways, and perhaps right there is the key to his global appeal.
As welcome in Jerusalem as he is in Jersey, as popular in Shanghai as in Sydney, Branson criss-crosses the globe with his unique style of fun, management insight, and charisma. “For me, it really comes down to having fun with my family.” He is the eternal optimist and boy does it show!
Branson’s entire mind set is to exceed his and others’ limitations. “Why buy into a limit as the truth? Maybe it is,
but maybe it’s not.”
Branson’s stellar excellence and near perfect outings into every industry The Virgin Group touches stems back to his childhood when he and his best friend formed their first corporation while still in school. He saw an untapped market and he dropped out of school to pursue his entrepreneurial dream.
When asked if there’s anything he would change, Branson glibly insists he’s never had a bad day.
© 2005-2007 Michael J. Herman and The Motivational Minute ® Publishing Company.
