dispatches from the new world of work

Life Is Good

Richard Branson has a big ego, which can be off-putting. (My one contact with him was unpleasant; it gave new meaning to the word "condescending.")

But God bless him!

Branson has succeeded again and again, and is often on the side of the saints. For starters, his idea of fun is going head to head with someone who has him by 100,001 pounds. As the New Yorker explained in a wonderful profile ("Branson's Luck: The Business World's High Roller Is Betting Everything on Biofuels," by Michael Specter, May 14), "Branson likes to enter a market controlled by a giant ... British Airways, say, or Coke or Murdoch. Then he presents himself as hip alternative."

He gets pissed off at something stupid (pathetic airline customer "service") and on a dime starts an airline, or whatever. (NB: I happen to believe that all, as in ALL, successful innovation, product or process, is the product of pissed off people.) With a fortune measured in the billions, he commands a payroll of about 55,000 feisty folks in 200 very independent companies. (E.g., Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Blue of Australia, Virgin Limousines, Virgin Money, Virgin Active health clubs, Virgin Galactic space travel.)

Branson is his brand, but as told here he enjoys his nutty stunts, and engages in them even when out of camera range; going back to his hotel after a recent party that included the Google founders, half Branson's age, said car was full, so Sir Richard simply hopped in the trunk. The profile also calls him the "anti-Trump." Around the office, "Branson's nickname is Dr Yes, largely because he has never been able to bring himself to fire people, and often has trouble saying no to even the most ridiculous and unsolicited ideas."

As I read the Branson profile I not only let my mind wander to DaimlerChrysler (see immediately above), but also to Howard Schultz, Starbucks founder. I like Schultz and his company. But it seems to me that when one hears of its future, it's almost always in terms of Howard's goal of making it to 100,000 shops, or some such. Branson is surely happy when his businesses succeed and grow (though not awash in tears when one fails, as long as it was a good try), but his primary goal is the fun of doing something cool to twit a giant or, more recently, saving the world.

In short (and long), I wish there were many more like him.

Tom Peters posted this on 05/18/07.

Comments

There's no doubt that Richard Branson has pots of fun in his companies.

As a consultant I've probably visited hundreds of business people in many companies and the list of people who appear to be having fun wouldn't make it past double figures.

jim

Posted by Jim Symcox at May 21, 2007 3:51 AM

Schultz has always seemed to me much like Janus. One face says, "More growth! More growth! We must have more growth!" The other face says, "Starbucks is all about the experience and besides, I want to run a company my dad would be pround to work for."

Posted by Wally Bock at May 21, 2007 4:51 PM

Businesses surely need mavericks or what others would call people with high 'entrepreneurial spirit'. Large corporations seldom nurture this within their employees and their leadership is usually discouraged from venturing into uncharted waters. I would tend to add Steve Jobs to that list even though he founded only two such ventures, Apple and Pixar. Indiaâ€™s very own Branson, Vijay Mallya, also shows signs in the way he has gone about expanding his spirits business and treading into airlines, entertainment and recently Formula 1.

Posted by Rahul Chaudhari at September 4, 2007 5:12 AM