Richard Branson's autobiography details his experiences as an entrepreneur overcoming challenges through risk-taking and thinking big, while prioritizing fun, family, and his employees. Some of his entrepreneurial lessons include effective task delegation, using problems as opportunities for growth, and having the courage to stand up for his beliefs. Branson exemplifies traits of extraversion that helped promote his businesses through assertiveness and seeking opportunities. The presentation discusses how Branson serves as an effective leader through communicating well, creating value, taking tough decisions with a long-term perspective, and building circles of influence rather than power.

1. Losing my Virginity : How I survived, Had
Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business
my Way
By Richard Branson
GROUP 13
Individual and Group Dynamics
Presentation by-
Nikhil

2. Themes
• Entrepreneurship – This theme runs through the course of Richard Branson’s life. His first foray into
entrepreneurship was at the age of 17 and he has continued it till this day.
• Survival – This book shows that it is challenging to start something but more difficult to survive. Not
everything he created survived, but what mattered was that his vision survived.
• Risk Taking – Risk is involved in everything you do, and Richard took huge risks but he knew how to
protect the downside.

3. Themes
• Thinking Big – Through his personal experiences and decisions he shows us how to think big and look
at the bigger picture.
• Family and Friends – Richard shows us the importance of family. He holds his family, friends and
employees as the most valuable aspects of his life.
• Fun - Through out the book, the fun aspect is always there from taking attempts at round the world
trips in Hot air balloon to even getting into businesses just because they seemed fun.

4. Employee-oriented leader
• He believes in putting employees first, then customers and shareholders at last. His policy is that if
you keep the employees happy, they will automatically keep customers happy which results in
profits and satisfaction of shareholders.
• All his businesses are built on this belief where he always puts the welfare of employees first like
after winning the BA case and being awarded 500,000 Pounds as damage money, he shared it
among the Virgin Atlantic staff as he realized that even they suffered a lot of pressure during the
past few years.

5. Using problems as opportunities
• Richard Branson was arrested in 1971 for evasion of custom and excise duty.
Rather than allowing it to be a breaking point in his life, he used it get on the
right track. He worked hard for the next 3 years to pay of his bail money.
This way he developed his business and became a matured leader.
• The BA dirty tricks campaign against Virgin Atlantic from 1990 which was an
attempt to stamp out Virgin from the airline industry by British Airways. At
that point Virgin was still a minnow against the giant BA. He used this event
to push the Virgin brand into the spotlight though he had to sell of Virgin
Records to fight on.

6. Effective Task Delegation
• He knew his weaknesses and his strengths, so he
correctly delegated work to someone who could
do it better and allowed others to work of his
strengths. Examples are Nik for the magazine
Student, Simon Draper allowed the freedom to
choose music for the Virgin Store.
• Today he treats his Virgin Group of companies as
an amalgamation of many companies rather than
a big company allowing the freedom for experts
to run the company in the right way.

7. Courageous
• One of the most courageous leaders in the world,
he way of doing business or even living his
personal life exemplifies this trait.
• Standing up to the UK Government and forcing
them to change an outdated law even though
facing pressure from the local authorities.
• Foraying into businesses from different spectrums
just because he saw an opportunity which others
could not.
Launching of Student
Advisory Centre and
forcing the government
to change a law.

8. • Richard Branson had the trait of Extraversion where he
was more outgoing, looking for opportunities, warm,
assertive and confident.
• He leveraged himself as a brand to promote his
business and being an outspoken person in nature.
• He always stood for what he felt right like speaking out
to end the War against Drugs or pulling of a stunt by
driving into Times Square in a Tank to promote his
business.
Extraversion

9. Messages to become an effective
Leader
• Believe in your Business – Richard is where he is because of his strong belief in his business. No
one can become successful or lead people if that person cannot believe in what he or she does.
• Communicate – To become effective, one has to communicate. One does not need to limit
themselves to just communicating for the sake of business, but one needs to know the followers
personally and form a strong relationship with them.
• Create Value – Leading by Example and leading by enabling people are true hallmarks of a
leader where one creates value over and above what the team creates.

10. Messages to become an effective
Leader
• Do what needs to be done – There will be times when it gets hard. But to become an effective
leader one needs to have the ability to take the tough decisions.
• Have a long range perspective – One needs to Take a step Back to look at the big picture. If
the leader does not do this, the team would lack direction over the long term.
• Circles of Influence – Create Circles of Influence rather than circle of power, it would go a long
way in perceiving you as a leader.

11. Insights to Implemented
• B

12. Thank You