Inside The Mind Of Richard Branson & What We Can Learn From It

What makes us who we are?

Naturally, it’s a mixture of our genetic makeup and our nurtured experiences.

Some of our responses are based on our genes, but many of them are learned as we go along in life, conditioned in the main by who we meet, what we do and how we interpret what happens to us.

Learning from others’ experiences is a key component of our conditioning, and it’s good to listen to people we admire to see how they deal with certain challenges and what they do to overcome adversities.

One of these is Richard Branson.

Born in London in 1950, Branson has long been admired by people wanting to know how to be successful.

This is especially true when you contemplate what adversities he had to overcome in younger life, including being dyslexic and surviving having to squat in London in the mid-sixties!

What can we learn from this multi-billionaire that, if applied in our world, could contribute to our success?

As success is often put down to a specific mindset, we can learn a lot from this successful entrepreneur.

Richard’s Purpose

Much has been said about Branson’s purpose in life, and its effect on his results.

All his choices, decisions, behaviours and results have been driven by his desire to make a difference in the world.

Richard’s Values

Our daily choices are driven by our value systems, subliminally contributing to the way we see the world and respond to what happens to us.

They help shape the circumstances and situations in our life, so should be planned for and lived by, rather than just going through life with hope and faith.

Branson has a hierarchy of values that sum up how he thinks and what actions he takes. In no particular order, they are:

• Contribution
• Family
• Adventure
• Teamwork
• Fun
• Entrepreneurialism
• Competition

By living with these values in mind, Branson has driven his performance to the highest level.

Richard’s Qualities

The qualities we display have an effect on everything we do every day.

They build us as a person and makes our character.

Richard’s qualities include:

• An attitude that focuses on solutions
• Passion for getting results
• A competitive and resilient nature
• An enthusiastic, curious and fun-loving approach to life

Whenever Richard is seen in public, he shows these qualities in abundance, appealing to a wide sector of society and delivering inspirational and energising speeches that drive home his key messages.

Richard’s Beliefs

Our belief systems along with our values build who we are above anything else.

They lay the foundations for our actions and shape us as people.

Richard’s belief system includes the positivity to keep him going even under pressured circumstances.

They also include things like:

• We can control our own destiny
• Anything is possible
• Business is a fun and creative way to live
• Lead from the front
• Develop people
• Build teams
• Have integrity, respect and trust

All of these contribute to a way of living that drives success because they are all about helping him to help others, and no-one can complain about that.

Richard’s Quotes

Richard Branson is renowned for his quotes and viewpoints on life. Here are just a few to prove a point:

• A business has to be involving, it has to be fun and it has to exercise your creative instincts
• I cannot remember a moment in my life when I have not felt the love of my family. We were a family that would have killed for each other – and we still are
• We’ve got an engaging, edgy, vibrant, fun product. It may or may not work, but we’re going to give it our best shot.
• Well, I’m somebody who is just living…living life, and if I get frustrated by something, then I like to try to put it right,
• It has been like hitting up against a solid brick wall. All day and all night long, we battled to get through it.

What we learn from Richard

There’s no doubt that Richard has a character that has driven successful enterprises and businesses globally.

Are there ways we can model him so that our attitude can take us further in business and in life?

Well, it may not be possible for us to achieve the status of multi-billionaire from our positions in life, but we can certainly learn a great deal from how he approaches life.

Imagine if we were able to share those beliefs or build on those values?

Imagine if those quotes could drive us forward to achieve more in our businesses?

Richard provides us with a unique blueprint for living life in a special way.

We can learn much from his attitude and his approach.

His patience and his passion over the years have certainly paid off, and if only some of that ingenious spirit can be dissipated throughout leaders in business, we will have shared in the success of someone whose dynamism and charisma has inspired many to become successful in their own individual field.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat

Managing Director

MTD Training