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I was born in 1950 and educated at Stowe School. It was here that I set up Student magazine when I was 16. In 1970 I founded Virgin as a mail order record retailer and shortl! afterwards I opened a record shop in "#ford Street $ondon. In 197% we built a recording studio in "#ford shire where the first Virgin artist &i'e "ldfield recorded ()ubular *ells+. In 1977 we signed the Se# ,istols and we went on to sign man! household names from -ulture -lub to the .olling Stones helping to ma'e Virgin &usic one of the top si# record companies in the world. /ith around %00 companies in o0er 10 countries the Virgin 2roup has now e#panded into leisure tra0el tourism mobile broadband )V radio music festi0als finance and health and through Virgin 2reen 3und we are in0esting in renewable energ! and resource efficienc! In 3ebruar! %007 we announced the Virgin 4arth -hallenge 5 a 6%5 million prize to encourage a 0iable technolog! which will result in the net remo0al of anthropogenic atmospheric greenhouse gases. In 7ul! of the same !ear I had the honor of 8oining m! good friend ,eter 2abriel 9elson &andela 2race &ichel and :esmond )utu to announce the formation of )he 4lders a group of leaders to contribute their wisdom independent leadership and integrit! to tac'le some of the world+s toughest problems.
I am also 0er! proud of the wor' of Virgin ;nite our not5for5profit entrepreneurial foundation which continues to focus on entrepreneurial approaches to social and en0ironmental issues and en8o! supporting their wor' in e0er! wa! I can. Visit 0irgin.com for more info.
Posts by Rich
Richard Branson
AKA .ichard -harles 9icholas *ranson
Born: 1<57ul51950 Birthplace: Shirle! 2reen Surre! 4ngland Gender: &ale Religion: =theist Race or Ethnicity: /hite Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: *usiness Nationality: 4ngland Executive summary: 3ounder of Virgin chain 3ounder of Virgin =irlines .ecords etc. Father: 4dward 7ames *ranson i!e: >risten )omasz ?m. 1969 di0.@ i!e: 7oan )emple man ?m. 19<9 one son one daughter@ Aigh SchoolB Stowe School Virgin =tlantic 3ounder ?19<C@ -linton 2lobal Initiati0e 4nerg! 3uture -oalition Steering -ommittee International =cadem! of :igital =rts and Sciences >night of the *ritish 4mpire 1999 3uneralB :iana ,rincess of /ales ?1997@ .is' 3actorsB :!sle#ia 3ormer Smo'er
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
Superman .eturns ?%<57un5%006@ =round the /orld in <0 :a!s ?1157un5%00C@ :ere' and -li0e 2et the Aorn ?"ct51979@ Author o! "oo#s: Losing My Virginity ?1998 memoir@
New!
NNDB MAPPER
.ichard *ranson
Executive Summary;
The prime movers and shakers are the business people who created mighty companies built great !ortunes innovated with new products, services, methods and markets ;
They make their own rules, and seldom obey anybody else;s, which is one of their most important qualities
The most successful retailer Sam Walton of Wal-Mart expressed this perfectly in principles distributed to his staff The last rule was !reak all "ules Walton wanted people to act and think more like entrepreneurs than hired hands, where the entrepreneur usually works in a context where nothin# is fixed
ob$ective is basic, and the ur#e to succeed carries #enius throu#h all obstacles and setbacks like the early bankruptcy of %enry &ord ' a man of narrow intellect, but broad vision who embraced new concepts as revolutionary as the assembly line
)he place 5 the ;>. )he period 5 the late si#ties. )his is the stor! of a 175!ear5old bo! who was a rebel at school. )he schoolDs rules were rigid and it made the bo! claustrophobic. )he bo! wanted to brea' free his mind. )his bo! soon started an amateur studentsD paper which circulated not 8ust in his own school but also among students of other nearb! schools. Ais mother ga0e him four dollars to start with. )he paper Euic'l! became popular among students of other schools too. )he bo! sold ad0ertising space to ma8or corporations. Ais paper carried articles on roc' stars mo0ie actors politicians and intellectuals. )hough it was not of an! literar! 0alue it reflected the !oung bo!Ds enthusiasm and entrepreneurship.
)he bo! was 0er! eager to ma'e this paper a growing business. Ais onl! companion in this 0enture was his dear budd! 7ohnn! 7ames. Seeing his burning enthusiasm to do something the Aeadmaster of Stowe congratulated him and said FI can predict that one da! !ou will either go to prison or become a millionaire.F
In 1970 the bo! set up a mail5order business and started selling records b! mail. )he bo! was successful and Euic'l! turned his record5mailing business into a record shop. = couple of !ears later in 197% the !oung enthusiast bo! started manufacturing records. *ut what would be the name of the compan!G Ais partner in his record manufacturing business 9ic' happened to sa! F/e are all 0irgins in this business.F )he! christened the compan! (Virgin .ecordsD. I am tal'ing about Sir Richard Branson, better 'nown as the Virgin *oss. .ichard *ranson is perhaps the most charismatic indi0idual when it comes to the top corporate heads of international fame. >nown for his ma0eric' business strategies and untraditional wa!s Sir .ichard *ranson who appeared in se0eral
Swashbucklin# "ichard !ranson has brou#ht a welcome sense of fun and adventure to some traditionally staid business sectors with his many-tentacle (ir#in )roup *s a boy, he thou#ht he could make a better fist of runnin# his school than the headmaster, ran an abortive bud#eri#ar-breedin# business, and published a ma#a+ine entitled Student * mail-order record business was followed by record stores, then a record label, and then an airline 't may seem like an improbable sequence, but !ranson swiftly reali+ed that a #ood brand could be stretched, with care, to encompass anythin# from condoms to clothes, personal finance to trains
!y ,--- the value of !ranson.s unwieldy empire collected under the (ir#in )roup banner was estimated at some /0 1 billion by &orbes ma#a+ine
en8o! e0er! piece of his success li0ing life 'ing5size and adding new feathers to his crown e0er! da!.
!ranson took little interest in academic studies, and only sli#htly more in sport !ut he had a sense of confidence and self-belief This was evident from his assertion that, despite failin# his elementary moths test three times, he could make a better $ob of runnin# the school than the headmaster %e actually dispatched a memo to the headmaster outlinin# how, in his view, the school rules mi#ht be improved, includin# the su##estion2 *llow sixth-formers to drink two pints of beer a day %e was never to profit from his su##estion, since he dropped out of school at 03, keen to make his way in the world of business %is headmaster commented at the time that !ranson would end up either a millionaire or behind bars &ortunately, it was the former, althou#h a skirmish with %M 4ustoms and 5xcise meant it was a near-run thin#
If we use the anal!tical s'ills of Sherloc' Aolmes and tr! to sol0e the abo0e m!steries we will soon realize that the basic difference between these two categories of people is in their minds in the wa! the! thin'. In more technical terms the difference is in their mone!5map the map that guides e0er! human being either to =laddinDs magic lamp or to financial doom. It is something that e0er! human being has within him. ;nfortunatel!
0er! few people are able to decipher this map. =nd this is the reason wh! 90M of people fail to achie0e financial freedom. Aow man! people do not need to thin' twice before ordering the choicest dishes at a decent restaurant on a wee'end with the famil!G =nd show me those who do not bother to loo' at the price tag while shopping who 8ust smile and instruct the salesgirl to F8ust pac' it pleaseF. Such people are uncommon because the! come in the other 10M. )he! are the ones who ha0e been able to decipher understand and follow the hidden mone!5map of their minds. >ing5size and ordinar!5size people do not loo' different and are not made of an! special material. )he good $ord has made us all the same the onl! ma8or difference between the two categories is in the wa! the! handle the mone!5map that is in their minds.
It is the same mone! blueprint that pulls them up when disaster stri'es. :o !ou thin' 'ing5size people ne0er run into financial troubleG -hances are that the! run into deeper financial trouble than most others. :ealing with their millions and billions the! are li'el! to face financial crises of towering proportions. $et us ta'e for e#ample Sir .ichard *ranson. /as his financial 8ourne! a smooth oneG I wish it had been so but it wasnDt.
.ichard *ranson was often ridiculed b! the media especiall! the print media for his irrational strategies. Ae had launched Virgin -ola and Virgin Vod'a which recei0ed cold response from the mar'et. *ut his greatest failure was Virgin )rains that ran into a lot of trouble with bad timings and dela!s 5 it badl! damaged the reputation of the Virgin brand which was established after so much pain and effort. Virgin $otter! was also one of .ichard *ransonDs brands that failed. *ut what is it that helps 'ing5size people win bac' the millions the! loseG It is the same mone! blueprint hidden within the brain. It is intangible something that canDt be seen or felt !et strange as it ma! sound it is the guiding spirit behind all ma8or de0elopments of the world. ItDs something that cannot be seen or feltB the mone!5map. Nour mone!5map is the in0isible cause that leads to !our wealth which is the 0isible result. )his is the map which guides e0er!one 8ust li'e a road5map to the goal of mone! and wealth.
Persistence" '
4ntrepreneurs are willing to wor' longer and harder than others. )hat outloo' is crucial to o0ercoming the challenges the! face. )he true 4ntrepreneur has the discipline to complete the less en8o!able tas's properl! and on schedule.
*reativity"'
-reati0it! is needed to de0elop inno0ati0e products and ser0ices to sol0e problems.
Intuition"'
Intuition is the abilit! to see be!ond the ob0ious. )he intuiti0e entrepreneur has an uncann! abilit! to predict how a situation will affect his business and to ma'e the right decisions in ad0ance.
Self *onfidence"'
4ntrepreneurs belie0e in their abilit! to ma'e their business prosper e0en when those around them do not. )he! are optimistic and ha0e faith in their own ideas allowing them to be realistic and open to change.
)ard +or!in :$
4ntrepreneurs are in0ariabl! hard wor'ing people.
%he &nvolvement o! other aspects o! Behavioral Sciences and OB in the li!e o! Richard Branson;
!y hirin# livin# composers and payin# for their products, you, Richard Branson, assi#n value--cash value--that others can wonder about, consider The 6ne Thin# ' 7earned &rom Richard Branson 't reminds me of 8avid 6#ilvy9s famous quote that :Perception is reality
:eng Oiaoping was born :eng Oin#iang in ;gandan Sichuan ,ro0ince on =ugust %% 190C. Ais parents were :eng /ending a relati0el! well5to5do landowner and the second of his four wi0es :eng :anish. :eng grew up with one sister two brothers and the children of his father are other wi0es. Ae 8oined the -hinese -ommunist ,art! ?--,@ in 19%C while on a high school wor'5stud! program in 3rance. ?-ommunism is a political s!stem where goods and ser0ices are controlled b! the go0ernment.@ *efore returning to -hina in 19%6 he went to &oscow where he studied for se0eral months.
:uring the fabled $ong &arch of 191C and 1915 when -ommunist -hinese tra0eled si# thousand miles to set up a home in inland -hina :eng ser0ed first as director of the political department. =fter the war with 7apan began in 1917 :eng was appointed political commissar ?part! official@ of the 1%9th :i0ision. )he force grew into a large militar! machine and became one of the four largest -ommunist arm! units during the war. It was renamed the Second 3ield =rm! in 19C6 when the ci0il war began.
:eng rose Euic'l! in the leadership hierarch! after his transfer to ,e'ing -hina in 195%. Ae became --, secretar!5general in 195C and a member of the ,olitburo ?ruling part!@. :uring the 4ighth --, -ongress in 1956 :eng was ele0ated to the si#5man ,olitburo Standing -ommittee and appointed general secretar!. *! then he had become one of the most powerful men in -hina.
Early life
:eng Oiaoping was born :eng Oin#iang in ;gandan Sichuan ,ro0ince on =ugust %% 190C. Ais parents were :eng /ending a relati0el! well5to5do landowner and the second of his four wi0es :eng :anish. :eng grew up with one sister two brothers and the children of his father are other wi0es. Ae 8oined the -hinese -ommunist ,art! ?--,@ in 19%C while on a high school wor'5stud! program in 3rance. ?-ommunism is a political s!stem where goods and ser0ices are controlled b! the go0ernment.@ *efore returning to -hina in 19%6 he went to &oscow where he studied for se0eral months. :uring the fabled $ong &arch of 191C and 1915 when -ommunist -hinese tra0eled si# thousand miles to set up a home in inland -hina :eng ser0ed first as director of the political department. =fter the war with 7apan began in 1917 :eng was appointed political commissar ?part! official@ of the 1%9th :i0ision. )he force grew into a large militar! machine and became one of the four largest -ommunist arm! units during the war. It was renamed the Second 3ield =rm! in 19C6 when the ci0il war began. :eng rose Euic'l! in the leadership hierarch! after his transfer to ,e'ing -hina in 195%. Ae became --, secretar!5general in 195C and a member of the ,olitburo ?ruling part!@. :uring the 4ighth --, -ongress in 1956 :eng was ele0ated to the si#5man ,olitburo Standing -ommittee and appointed general secretar!. *! then he had become one of the most powerful men in -hina.
Deng Xiaoping. de0elopment and other policies. &ao disappro0ed of :eng for ma'ing decisions without consulting him. In 1966 &ao launched the 2reat ,roletarian -ultural .e0olution ?2,-.@ and mobilized the !outhful .ed 2uards ?the -ommunist arm!@ to rid the part! of Fcapitalist powerholders F such as :eng. 3rom 1969 to 1971 :eng and his famil! were e#iled ?forced to lea0e@ to rural 7iang#i to undergo reeducation during which time he performed manual labor and studied the writings of &ao and >arl &ar# ?1<1<Q1<91@. In the spring of 1971 :eng was brought bac' to ,e'ing and reinstated as a 0ice5premier after a ma8or realignment of political forces. :engDs abilit! and e#pertise were highl! 0alued in the -hinese leadership and he Euic'l! assumed important roles. In late 1971 he carried out a ma8or reorganization of regional militar! leaders and was ele0ated to the ,olitburo. =s ,remier -hou 4ntail was hospitalized after &a! 197C leadership increasingl! fell on :engDs shoulders. In 7anuar! 1975 :eng was ele0ated to a part! 0ice5chairman the senior 0ice5premier and the arm! chief of staff. Aowe0er :engDs eagerness to carr! out political reforms ?impro0ements@ pushed awa! &ao and other radicals and :eng was soon forced from power. =fter &aoDs death in 7ul! 1977 :eng began his political comebac'. Ais first tas' was to destro! &aoDs followers and to downgrade &aoDs lasting authorit!. =nother powerful measure of de5&emorization was to put the F2ang of 3ourF on public trial which began in ,e'ing on 9o0ember %0 19<0. )hese four radical leaders including &aoDs widow -hiang -hDing were the late chairmanDs most de0oted supporters. )he trial s!mbolized the triumph of 0eteran officials led b! :eng who had fallen 0ictim to &aoDs radical changes between 1966 and 1976.
Reform leader
:engDs economic policies reEuired opening -hina to the rest of the world in order to attract foreign in0estment and to educate students abroad in the latest technologies. =ccordingl! the ,.- in 197< signed a )reat! of ,eace and 3riendship with 7apan. In 1979 :eng obtained the nationDs official recognition from the ;nited States. -hinese5 So0iet relations were graduall! impro0ed o0er the ne#t decade and he achie0ed the long5 cherished goal of reco0ering the *ritish colon! of Aong >ong through an agreement implemented in 1997.
/hen the -hinese econom! began to crumble :eng reduced in0estment in hea0! industr!I increased prices paid b! the state to farmers and arranged a series of bonuses to raise wor'ersD incomes. 3armers were encouraged to sell more produce pri0atel! and a rapid growth of free mar'ets for farm produce occurred.
/inal years
/orldwide criticism of the massacre in )iananmen SEuare and the uneas! domestic peace that followed brought a tightening of controls o0er the -hinese people but did not sha'e :eng from his dedication to the -ommunist ,art!Ds dictatorship. .ecognizing his ad0anced age :eng sought to continue his Fopen doorF polic! and other political and economic reforms b! putting --, 2eneral Secretar! Au Neoman ,remier Phao >iang and man! other !ounger officials in positions of responsibilit!. In 9o0ember of 19<9 :eng resigned his last official position as head of the -entral &ilitar! -ommission. In his last !ears :eng started debate within the -ommunist ,art! on the need to balance economic reform with political stabilit!. =s :engDs health declined he became further remo0ed from his duties of dail! decision5ma'ing. Ais last public appearance was during lunar 9ew Near festi0ities in earl! 199C and on 3ebruar! 19 1997 he died in ,e'ing -hina at age ninet!5two.
&ntelligence:$ -ogniti0e abilit! to thin' clearl!. Flexi"ility:$ =bilit! to ad8ust to different situations. Sensitivity to Others:$ It means to understand the difference between handling indi0iduals and groups.
/e ha0e read the success stor! of .ichard *ranson and also read the article carefull!. /e ha0e come to 'now that he was the great lo0er with the wor'. Ae was a hard wor'ing personalit!. Ae was energetic and his health was good and ideal. Ae was creati0e and inno0ati0e. :ue to his creati0e Eualities he e#panded his business a lot and alwa!s thought about customer satisfaction but ne0er thought about profit. Ae was a cool and calm person. Ae was the abilit! to handle an! 'ind and sort of pressure easil! and sensibl!. Ae was the full abilit! to ta'e decisions before time. Ae was a self confident personalit!. So conclusi0el! he was fulfilling all the traits which are written in the article. -lear cut change management concept is present here. Ae was also the abilit! to handle conflict and also the abilit! to percei0e correctl!.
/e ha0e seen in the stor! of :ang Oiao ,ing that he was totall! fulfilling the Eualities of an effecti0e leader. Ae was an e#tra0ersion personalit!. Ae was the great lo0er of his nation. Ae ne0er left his people but wor'ed for them and gi0e them progress gift. Ae was a great achie0er. Ae was totall! willing to change elder concepts into new concepts. )he concept of change management full! applies here. Ae was the abilit! to ta'e charge.
Re!erencing
httpBJJwww.in0esting0alue.comJin0estment5leadersJrichardbransonJinde#.htm www.google.com the success stor! of .ichard *ranson www.wi'ipidia.com the success stor! of .ichard *ranson the organization beha0ior boo' the stud! pac' of ob both pre mid and post mid www.google.com the success stor! of :ang Oiao ,ing+