The Leadership Style Of Richard Brannson's Leadership Model

There is a great importance put on business leadership, this is directly due to how a business not only functions but in how fruitful the company can become. A great leader essentially can take a business plan that is weak yet turn it into a success, whereas a poor leader stands a higher chance of ruining the best of business plans. That is why it is essential to develop effective leadership throughout a companies entire management program at all levels. How does one develop or retain strong leadership? Companies must be focused on hiring strategies that encompass very specific parameters, building from within whilst creating a strong foundation for employee development and succession planning. Leadership is essential in any organization. The style and theory embraced determines whether the company will or will not achieve their goals. in all cases theory must be embraced, as a companies theory, style, and strategy is greatly dependent on the industry the company is in (Sadler, 2014). “The behavioral theory is one of the widely used theories of management. It suggests that leaders are made and not born. It gives room for training to install leadership traits in leaders at the expense of denying them a chance. There are various leadership styles embraced by companies (Cyert, & March, 2005).”  This paper takes a look at the management styles of two specific

(2006, 05). Leadership Styles: Richard Branson. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 05, 2006, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Leadership-Styles-Richard-Branson-88459.htmlBlustein, A. (2013). What kind of leader are you?. Inc, 35(8), 58-59.

Virgin group limited is world largest british multinational company founded by Richard branson.it has various core business like travel,entertainment and life style and it includes 400 companies world wide.

Virgin is a U.K-based company led by Sir Richard Branson and is one of the three most recognized brands in Britain. The company has a vast history of brand extensions – one of which is their launch of a wireless phone service in the USA. Dan Schulman has been appointed CEO of the Virgin

Richard is not afraid to take risks and believes that his people are the foundation to his company’s success. `My philosophy is, put your employees first, your customers second and your investors third and in the end everyone will be happy’ (Inc, 2013). From researching his leadership style I would say that Richard is a transformational democratic leader, he likes to get other peoples input and develop on their ideas. Richard believes that praise goes much further than criticism in achieving results so he likes to lead his team using positive reinforcement. Richard seems to be a very caring and involved leader who listens to everyone and is very professional in his leadership style, he is definitively a relationship-oriented leader who is good at aligning people and giving them emotional support and encouragement. He seems to fall into the segment of being a participative and consultative leader whilst his strong charisma seems to make anyone listen and follow him.

Management has changed significantly over the past 50 years. The role of leaders in an organization is an ever changing thing. At one point, a manager was also the owner of the company, and thus used a carrot and a stick to get his employees to work, just like a parent personally invested in the raising of their child. Not anymore. Nowadays, leaders are there to “serve” their employees. The focus is on motivating the individual, achieving organizational goals by integrating each and every individual into the system. We no longer rely on a one size fits all approach, and management theory is no longer focused on having a winning philosophy, or motivating large groups.

Richard Branson is genuine and honest about his values and beliefs. Throughout his career as an entrepreneur, he has been able to anticipate the future trends, inspire followers to understand and embrace a new vision of possibilities. Virgin group rewards their employees with more intangible dividends like comfort, independence and healthy salaries. The staffs have the rights to renegotiate the pay scale offered to them but however for the past 10 years no one has chosen to do so. (Tannenbaum 1985) This proved that Richard Branson authentic leadership has captured his employee’s loyalty towards the company.

Business leaders can get caught up in the overwhelming pressures of preparing their companies to grow and meet the challenges in a global economy. These leaders understand the need for organizational changes and adaptations but fall short of achieving their goals when their leadership styles do not inspire or motivate their followers. It is critical that leaders understand their particular style of leadership and the impact it has on employees, peers, and company success. The need for effective leadership is just as critical in the public sector as it is in business.

This kind of leadership promotes a culture of dependency toward the leader, hence blocks the growth of creativity, skill and knowledge of the employees. This is supported by the expert, Eckerts (Beer, 2006) who further states that charismatic leadership style like Jack has lose the creative energy of the employees. In addition to that, due to this leadership style, it does not promote the culture of cooperation, teamwork and trust between the top management and employees.

1. Richard Branson's leadership style works for his particular role as visionary and figurehead of his diverse group of companies under the Virgin Group umbrella. However diversified the Virgin Group may be, Branson remains an essentially charismatic and transformative leader. His leadership philosophy is built on employee empowerment and stimulating employee satisfaction. In his own words, Branson states, ""Rather than focusing on mistakes, catch someone doing something right every day," (cited by Adonis, 2010). Likewise, Branson advises that managers "place greater emphasis on unearthing what their employees are thinking and feeling," (cited by Adonis, 2010).

The aim of this article is to explore different leadership styles and the way they influence their work outcome.

This case study will examine the strengths and weaknesses of the managerial leadership of Fletcher Jones and Continental Airlines.

The purpose of this report was to provide a strategic evaluation of the company Virgin Australia. The report begins by conducting a strategic analysis of Virgin, including an analysis of the external environment and an internal analysis of competitive strengths and weaknesses. The report then identifies the strategic direction and objectives of Virgin Australia, including the vision, mission, strategic objectives and stakeholders of the company. The report moves on to explore strategic choices of Virgin Australia by identifying the key broad business level and

Sir Richard Branson's model is a personification model of Virginia brand and explains it using his life when he was young. He uses both his life and Virginia brand to elaborate his leadership skills which is not based on any professional skills. Over the years, he is seen to recruit the best managers. Leadership is one of the strategies and strategic management. It includes planning for informal, formal and strategic planning systems by the leader. It has planning for emergent strategies, which include; responsiveness to arising threats and opportunities, increasing of changes to predetermined intended strategies, and adaptive learning and responsiveness to intended strategies. The Branson's model includes visionary leadership, which is planning, for the future. Competitiveness and competitive advantage for business services and products are dependent on strategic plans.

Virgin Group LTD is a British venture capital conglomerate that has been around since 1970. Virgin encompasses over 400 different companies located in many industries such as: financial services, transport, food and drink, media and telecommunications. Headquartered in London, this British corporation has come a very long way since it’s birth in 1970. One of the main reasons for the companies success is because of its founder; Sir Richard Branson.