Want to Be as Successful as Richard Branson? Here Are a Few Lessons about Success You Can Learn from Him.
Hello Aluxers! So Richard Branson beat -Jeffery, Jeffery Bezos in the space race. But why people seem to hate Jeffery but have nothing against Richard? Is he doing something different? Both billionaires, both build big business and both highly successful.
Let’s see what success really means for Richard Branson.
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Now, let’s dive into Richard Branson’s Most Valuable Lessons About Success:
1
Focus On Making a Difference
Doing business means providing people with what they need sometimes even before they know they need it. In Richard Branson’s words: “I believe that a business is nothing more than a group of people trying to make a difference”. What do you think people need these days? Food for thought!
2
Walk the Talk
Would you trust a doctor telling you to stop smoking while he’s having a cigar? Probably not! The same goes for business: you have to embody the message that you want your business to convey or you’ll come through as fake.
As Branson said: “Ever since my mentor showed me the benefits of leaders being the visible fronts of business, I’ve been comfortable with this”. Get comfortable with who you are and what you want your business to be, and practice what you preach.
3
Delegate
“Delegation has been a secret to my success for five decades. Asking for support is a strength, not a weakness. If you try to do everything yourself, you won’t succeed and will make yourself miserable along the way”. So writes Branson in his book Finding My Virginity, and we couldn’t agree more! Stretching yourself too thin won’t do you any good.
Learn to delegate and free your mind for bigger projects. By the way, you can listen to Richard Branson’s audiobook for free if you go to alux.com/freebook thanks to our great friends at Audible.
4
Keep Track of Progress
We’ve always advocated for the importance of planning and following up on our projects. It helps staying focused, being proactive and promptly course-correct if needed. Turns out, Mr. Branson agrees with us: “Making lists is both a way of remembering things and ticking off achievements to mark progress. I take notes in every meeting. I edit as I go along, and follow up with dates and tasks in order of importance”. Well?! Did you take notes??
5
Listen to Advice
Nobody was born knowing everything. We cannot ignore the experience of those who’ve been there before us, if nothing else so as not to repeat the same mistakes. Listening to what others have to teach us is a fundamental skill for Richard Branson too: “As I discovered from my dad, nobody ever learned anything by listening to themselves speaking”.
6
Small Steps Go a Long Way
Richard Branson likes to quote a famous saying: “Mighty oaks from little acorns grow”. We can trust he knows what he’s talking about: no matter all the difficulties he’s had to overcome, from his dyslexia to some particularly burning business failures, Branson has always picked himself up and, little by little, built the success he enjoys today.
7
It’s All about People
“As ever in business, it’s all about people”. The Virgin Group founder is a people-lover, there’s no doubt about that. He believes that success comes mainly through the competence and drive of the people you work with. Finding the right people for the right roles is fundamental. We explored the topic of job interviews in our video:
8
Stay Curious
One of the biggest risks of success is becoming lazy. Many people tend to get comfortable once they reach a certain goal. They don’t understand that once you achieve what you want, you need to keep working to maintain it and also to improve it. As Branson says: “With a sound investment strategy and a great team, our success rate should keep going up – but only if we keep sticking our necks out”.
9
Tell a Good Story
We all know how important marketing is. Two companies may sell exactly the same product, but how they sell it makes all the difference between success and failure. A good entrepreneur must also be a good storyteller: “Having the facts on your side is one thing, but telling a great story with just enough charm and chutzpah can make all the difference”.
10
Believe In Your Team
One of the most difficult tasks for an entrepreneur or a leader is managing people. Branson believes in a rather relaxed approach when it comes to this: “By letting them make mistakes and enjoy their triumphs – chipping in whenever necessary, instead of being on the phone every day second-guessing their decisions – the team have grown a worldwide brand that people love”.
11
Take Risks
The word “entrepreneur” shares the same root of the word “enterprise”, which originally meant ‘adventurous disposition, readiness to undertake challenges, spirit of daring’. It is the nature of an entrepreneur to take risks in order to grow. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Or, as Richard Branson puts it: “Regretting not doing something is worse than regretting doing something. It means I can sleep with a clear conscience”.
12
Be Resilient
For Richard Branson: “Developing mental toughness isn’t just about being resilient. It’s about accessing your reserve tank when you think you just can’t go any further”.
In the recent Olympics, the topic of mental health has emerged strongly. From the withdrawal of Simone Biles because of her twisties to many athletes publicly recognizing the fundamental role of their mental coaches in the preparation for the competition.
No one can deny the importance of taking care of our mind to achieve success. At Alux, we’ve been pioneers in this. Go to alux.com/courses/meditation and enrol in our spectacular Mind Mastery course: you’ll thank us later!
13
Look For the Best in People
We’ve already talked about how important his team is for Mr. Branson. As we said, he has a somewhat relaxed approached to leadership, which is summed up in his statement: “The way to become a great leader is to look for the best in people – seldom criticise – always praise”.
If you want to learn some leadership qualities, check out 15 Leadership Lessons from Tim Cook.
14
Never Stop Learning
A sure way to fail is to think that you have arrived, that you are the top, that you have nothing more to learn. Huge mistake! According to Branson: “It is important to realise I still have a hell of a lot to learn. I will never completely get to the truth, but I want my life to be one long strive to get there”.
15
Have Purpose
Back to where we started, nothing really important can be achieved in life if there isn’t a pure flame constantly burning within us. Remembering his father, Richard Branson said: “Dad died a happy man. The only way you can do that is by filling your life with purpose and love: what you give, what you do, how you treat people and how you make them feel”.
Question:
Here’s the finish line, Aluxers! Now you be the judge of it: Which one of these lessons do you think is most valuable? What else do you think is there to reach success?
Let us know in the comments: we will engage in discussion with the first few of you who will write.
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