Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. HOMEPAGE

Richard Branson Explains Why He Is The Opposite Of Steve Jobs

Richard Branson says that delegation and compassion are the keys to running his $18-billion-revenue Virgin empire.

Advertisement

In this regard he considers himself the opposite of Steve Jobs.

Branson says in an interview on his blog:

I admired Steve Jobs, although he was completely different from me. He used to shout at employees that made mistakes. He did not delegate much, and broke all the rules I believe in. Somehow it worked for him. Apple is one the best brands in the world.

Richard Branson Bengal Tiger
Wildaid

This philosophy is why Branson has so much time for games and charity:

Advertisement

I devote most of my time to activities like The Elders [A South-African NGO], but I make it a point to take care of things that are important to Virgin, like hiring its key executives. I interviewed Josh Bayliss, the Group’s CEO, in the back seat of my car while waiting in a traffic jam that lasted almost two hours. Now, he makes money so I can spend it. Learning to delegate is vital in business. You have to be willing to let people do good things and let make them mistakes...

I think that criticising people is counter-productive. A good leader is someone who praises a person for his or her best efforts, not someone who criticises. People know when they make mistakes. Of course, sometimes I just can’t resist and end up saying something, but never more than once. The secret of success is finding good people.

Check out the awesome life of Richard Branson >

Richard Branson
Advertisement
Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.

Jump to

  1. Main content
  2. Search
  3. Account