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VOLUME 13
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Welcome to Volume 13 of The Mark of a Leader E-zine. Thanks to the MPI Chapters in New England, New Jersey, and South Florida, where we have done keynotes and breakout sessions in the last month or so. We were also thrilled to kick off MPI's International Leadership Conference in Dallas this year. MPI is a tremendous organization which truly helps its members maximize the power of face to face meetings, something we obviously believe in strongly. Congratulations also to the Buena Vista Home Video team at CIM who just had another successful "moonshot" and set another world record in their industry. You are an inspiration to us! And thanks again to the leadership team at Frito Lay for inviting us to be part of a another great event and their tremendous industry-leading story. This month, a story from one of the world's most successful entrepreneurs - a man whose sense of fun and adventure permeates not just his business, but his whole life. We hope you enjoy and are inspired by his story. Yours in leadership.
Please visit our website at www.themarkofaleader.com |
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FEATURE
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QUOTABLE QUOTES "What's the quickest way to become a millionaire? Borrow fivers off everyone you meet." Richard Branson "Having been poor is no shame, but being ashamed of it, is." Benjamin Franklin |
VIRGIN: THE FUN BRAND THAT LOVES RISKThere was a time when doing business was fun. Yes, folks, fun. Today, Politcally Correct rules most companies. People are focused on not offending anyone, instead of on hitting home runs. The Virgin Group is a notable exception. 
Led by flamboyant founder Richard Branson, Virgin owns the "young upstart" brand position - the hip Don Quixote fighting against large entrenched players on behalf of better customer service, lower prices, and, yes, fun. Branson is the archetypical entrepreneur. Handsome, fit, a million dollar smile, smart, passionate, seemingly unafraid of anything. He is he front man for a multibillion dollar business, yet he strikes you as the kind of guy who would make a deal with you on a napkin, at a pub, shake your hand, and that would be it. A dyslexic kid, at a time when dyslexia wasn't understood, he was taunted through school in his native England because he couldn't read and write. It only set his resolve to prove himself. In high school, at 17, he started a small magazine, and soon was selling 50,000 copies a month. His understanding of what people wanted was uncanny, and his instincts guided him to doing what the established magazines would not. Inspired by a co-worker who said "we're all Virgins at business" he stumbled on the name for his little publishing empire. At 18, he and his friends started a mail order record business, and again went where no one else would - into the emerging punk and glam music scenes. He signed Culture Club and the Sex Pistols, who no serious record labels would touch, and Virgin Records was off. He was always the brash young adventurer with the flair for the dramatic, who the establishment only took moderately seriously. Until one day he signed The Rolling Stones, at the time the most coveted act in rock and roll. Amidst the gasps and cried of "unfair", the establishment knew suddenly that Branson was a force to be reckoned with. From records it was on to Airlines, Trains, Cola, Telecom and many other businesses. |
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DID YOU KNOW? More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call. |
Today The Virgin Group is made up of over 250 companies, many of them very small but amassing more than 8 billion dollars a year in sales. All of them think and act as fiercely independently as he does. He has had more than his share of failures, but that has never slowed him down. Trying is as important as winning in his world. "I believe we should do what we do with a sense of fun and without taking ourselves too seriously, too! If Virgin stands for anything, it should be for not being afraid to try out new ideas in new areas." Branson is an adventurer through and through. More than once he has come close to death while trying to circumnavigate the earth in a balloon or similar stunt. And his sense of adventure permeates his company. Virgin is brash, fun, and prone to taking risks. Its greatest PR weapon is its founder, who typically launches new products with high risk, high profile, and politically incorrect events. He jumps, he flies, he climbs, he dances. The bigger, the crazier, and the more fun, the more likely he is to do it. There is not another CEO of a major corporation on this planet who would do what Richard Branson does as part of running his business. In a world gone mad with political correctness, the media eats it up, and the Virgin name gains ever increasing global visibility. |
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QUOTABLE QUOTES "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure." Helen Keller |
But this sense of adventure is not just a PR ploy. Virgin likes nothing better than to take on a giant and out think them, out hustle them, and out work them for customers and market share. "I think one of the reasons for our success is the core values which Virgin aspires to, like providing quality service. However, we also promise value for money, and we try to do things in an innovative way, in areas where consumers are often ripped-off, or not getting the most for their money." And what is the Mark of Sir Richard Branson? With all respect to the world's business schools, you can't teach passion. The history of the world has been written by people who were unafraid to take risks and who touched other people in their hearts not just their heads. Logic may give you the reason to try something new, but it's your heart that will make you get off the couch and do it, and then will keep you doing it when success seems impossible. Branson has shown that you can run a smart business, be passionate, and have fun at the same time. Fun and passion are contagious. And most businesses could learn a lot about both by watching The Virgin Group in action. |
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Please visit us at www.themarkofaleader.com. Copyright 2006 Mark of a Leader |
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