Qualities of Good Leadership: Richard Branson - Case Study Example

Leadership is the ability to bring people together and assist them come up with individual goals that mirror the organizational goals without feeling obliged to follow any particular path other than personal intuition. Richard Branson is one of the most brilliant minds in the entrepreneurship world, having built successful multi-billion enterprises in eight different industries. He has shown through his work that an individual can make good strides in any area of life provided they make the right choices and choose a path rarely followed. He is an exceptional leader because he gets involved in every activity that is taking place in his businesses, allowing each employee to have a chance to make certain recommendations on ways of improving different projects and activities. Branson is an exceptional servant leader who leads from the front and works to benefit both his employees and clients.

Sir Branson does understand that failure is part of life. However, he urges all his employees to fail because that is the only way they can learn to correct their mistakes. So often, as Branson notes, people fear failure yet the only way one can learn to do anything is by learning how to do it. If everyone is fearful that the mistakes may cost him or her job, Branson opines that that is a sure way of failing in becoming successful (Scouller, 2011). He tells of his past as a good way of learning how to deal with life because the rules sometimes hinder people from achieving their best in life. However, if one looks beyond what the rules offer, the success of the company will be nesting on that particular end. The regulations in place do not hinder the success of the company but are a boost towards rising above the status quo. Branson urges all his employees to be bold enough to challenge themselves by taking up new challenges and working towards realizing their goals. The aim is to build an enterprise that points towards success rather than remain etched in the confines of one’s fears (Howell, 2012).

Many people also fail to understand that concentrating on a goal is the best way of overcoming any fear. At a young age, Branson was diagnosed with dyslexia and performed poorly in normal classroom structures. However, that did not kill his dream (Howell, 2012). He went on to start a magazine that gave the youth a voice, and since then, he has never looked back in regret. He shows his employees that what makes them fail is their inability to get past their failures and fears. He shows them that the best way of dealing with these fears is to do that which they were told they could never do (Scouller, 2011). This way, they will prove themselves and give themselves the moral to be better at all times.

Branson is a perfect example of a servant leader. He understands that the employees will not motivate themselves, and will only succeed if they get the chance to see themselves as winners. The goal is to provide a new method of attaining their goals through exercising their creative skills as Branson terms them. If the work is not interesting, people will fail, and that is not his idea of success.