Sheralyn's Blog

Richard Branson is renowned for his successful approach to empowering and leading great teams so it was a real privilege for me to be able to listen to him in the flesh about a week ago. Ever since I read “Losing My Virginity” I have been inspired by Branson’s leadership style and believe the way HRhelp encourages its clients to manage their people is very similar to the Branson style. Here are the key take outs for me from what Branson had to say:

Right person, right role – when people don’t work out in a role it’s often not because they are a bad person but more likely that the role doesn’t suit their strengths. If people aren’t working out in a role Branson will try them out in other roles to find the right fit.

You’ve got to have passion – when looking for new team members he looks for people with passion. Being passionate
about what you do is important and the Virgin brand has been so successful because they have often been more passionate about delivering superior service to their customers than their competitors.

Delegate and give them a stake in the business – Once you get the right person in the role give them the breathing space to run the business like it is their own and with key roles give them a share of the profits so they are motivated to be successful.  

Party with them, listen to them, take notes and take action – If Richard Branson is in town then at the end of the day you’ll almost surely find him partying with his team members. He believes that when people are out relaxing and enjoying themselves it’s often when the best ideas are born. He carries a note book with him to make sure he captures those ideas. Equally important, Branson says is taking action, so that people know you are listening to them.