Book Review of “The Virgin Way” — (7/52)
CEO Richard Branson shares the leadership lessons he’s learned from running the Virgin Company
“Unlike Unilever, General Mills or Procter and Gamble, we are not a ‘house of brands’ but we are a truly ‘branded house,’” writes Richard Branson, the CEO of the Virgin Company, in a book on his leadership style titled, “The Virgin Way: Everything I Know About Leadership,” [affiliate link] which was published in September 2014 (Branson, 236).
Branson’s life story is an interesting one because he was diagnosed with dyslexia and “borderline ADD” at an early age, which made school all the more difficult. The side effects of these two conditions — restlessness, inability to focus, and not fitting into your surroundings — were key contributors in 16 year old Richard’s decision to drop out of the prestigious Stowe School in Buckingham, England.
The ironic part of this scenario is that while his decision caused his parents grief (as it would for any parent), the same sides effects of dyslexia and ADD that prevented Richard from excelling at school were actually now helping him become a budding entrepreneur. In essence, Branson “dropped out of high school” in order to “drop in” on one of the greatest learning opportunities life has to offer: Experience.
Learning What School Didn’t Teach Him
Mark Twain has a brilliant quote that always resonates with me about school and education: “Don’t let schooling interfere with your education.” Twain is implying is that while formal education is important, we must never let that type of education dictate what we learn from life’s experiences. He’s asserting that the most important schooling one does in life won’t be in the hallowed halls of our nation’s finest universities, but in the nitty-gritty circumstances of daily life.
For Branson, dropping out of school was illuminating. He already had his “early-stage entrepreneurial juices starting to flow” and he had “mentally moved on already” (Branson, 4). But, the ironic part was the moment he dropped out of school, he actually spent the rest of his life from that point on cultivating a “thirst for learning about new things, businesses, people and cultures,” which aligns with the essence of Mark Twain’s quote.
Student
While he wasn’t the “ideal” student in the school system of England, Branson, upon dropping out of Stowe School, created a magazine called Student, which required him to interview luminaries such as John Lennon or John le Carré. The Student interviews he conducted caused him to “rapidly acquire the art of simultaneously listening, writing and thinking about [his] next follow-on question” (Branson, 5). Interviewing those who were more knowledgeable than him also gave him the interest, and, simultaneously, the ability, “to lock in and listen,” which is a skill that has “served [him] well in life” (Branson, 5).
Listening
Being able to truly focus to someone during a conversation and understand what they are saying is a difficult skill to acquire because most of us are so focused on wanting get our say and our opinions/facts into the conversation. Too many times, I, too, have been guilty of this phenomenon. It’s simply our internal hubris and pedantic nature preventing us from showing the other people you are conversing with the time and respect they deserve to contribute to the discussions.
Having grown up with a “desirable difficulty” such as dyslexia, Richard Branson had to learn how to intently listen because, otherwise, he would not take in anything the other person was saying. The late and great Nelson Mandela, according to Branson, was also an individual who embodied this skill of the “unfailing willingness to listen to what others had to say” (Branson, 37).
Watching others, one of the first things you will be aware of is that listening while keeping your mouth shut and saying nothing is a whole lot smarter than not listening, speaking up and saying nothing. As opposed to really listening, a lot of people get totally hung up on frequently interjecting with comments and questions they mistakenly think make them look smart.
- Branson, page 39
A key aspect to being a good leader is having the ability to listen to the thoughts, concerns, and feedback of those you lead. Running your mouth and tuning these people out will only compound the problem. Additionally, as one moves up the leadership chain of command within a company or an organization, having the ability to listen well is indispensible because “the fact that a senior person (you) cares enough about [your followers’] opinions to actually ask for them — and then take the time and attention to listen to them — is of unbelievable value to all concerned” (Branson, 42–43).
Customers are Important
Branson’s company, Virgin, oversees a sub-company called Virgin Atlantic, which is an airline based in the UK. But, what separates the company from its competitors is that the company’s top CEO, Branson, takes the time to call some of his customers once they’ve landed safely from a Virgin Atlantic flight. Needless to say, most customers are surprised to get a call that starts with a cheery Branson saying, “Hello, this is Richard Branson, I’m just calling you to welcome you to England and ask if everything went well on the flight” (Branson, 67).
After their initial shock wears off, the customers are more than happy to strike up a conversation with the CEO himself and, according to Branson, “it was always time incredibly well spent” on his part (Branson, 67). If things had gone wrong during the flight, Branson would apologize for the inconvenience(s) the customer suffered and would pledge to immediately remedy the situation. If all went well, then Branson would end the call by thanking the customer and telling them how much Virgin appreciated their loyalty.
The Attributes of Good Leaders
Clearly, becoming a good leader is a never-ending work-in-progress. But, there are certain key characteristics that good leaders possess and bad leaders do not. For instance, a good leader is not afraid to “strike out” with his ventures and aspirations. So many times, we are too afraid of what others will think of us that we become to0 paralyzed to do anything. Basically, paralysis by (over)analysis.
Good leaders follow the rules, but they are not afraid to break the rules if these established guidelines don’t fit with their vision. Bad leaders will wilt when it comes to accomplishing ground-breaking things partly because they are too entrenched in the fear of failing. As the late Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, has said multiple times, “You have to be willing to crash-and-burn…if you’re afraid of failing, you won’t get very far.”
A poor leader, on the other hand, “typically tends to be static, much more about protecting the status quo and, if there are any around, resting on laurels” (Branson, 122). At other times, poor leaders are “frequently guilty of shying away from anything that might result in an altercation in the mistaken impression that this will make them more likeable to their employees” (Branson, 123). This inability to confront people will be one of the key reasons why poor leaders “crash-and-burn.” They just don’t act.
My Thoughts
Branson’s 378 page book was a very illuminating read for me. I had heard of Richard Branson in passing, but never really found time to dig deep into what has made him such a successful entrepreneur. He’s an example of someone who came from nothing, failed a ton, worked hard, and now has some positive remnants of all that effort in the form of money, clout, and celebrity status.
But, that’s not what drives Branson every day. Above all else, Richard Branson wants to “make a positive difference and do some good” because if “you aren’t making a positive difference to other people’s lives, then you shouldn’t be in business” (Branson, 375). Sound a bit harsh?
Maybe.
But, that’s just the true essence of ‘The Virgin Way.’
Sources
Branson, Richard. The Virgin Way: Everything I Know about Leadership. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Notes
This is the SEVENTH post (out of 52 in total eventually) that is a part of my 2015 Book Reading Challenge.
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