Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

"Even though I'm often asked to define my 'business philosophy', I generally won't do so because I don't believe that it can be taught as a recipe."

One of the reasons it's so important to understand the principles of business and management is because of what Branson mentions about his "business philosophy" not being able to be "taught as a recipe."

A lot of great managers have varying degrees of personalities and views of life. They come from very different backgrounds and seem complete opposites at times.

What seems to be the underlying reason they are successful is that they remain true to what they envision and who they are, and wrap that around the specific principles that all successful businesses run by.

Branson doesn't want to talk about his philosophy because people will not be able to see what he's really saying. In his mind, as with all great leaders, he's adopted principles to who he is to the point where you can't tell where one leaves off and the other begins. Only the most astute could differentiate between the two.

That's why when we look for new ideas and thoughts in reference to business and management, we need to look behind the personalities and specifics of what is being done, and unveil the underlying principles behind it.

How many times do we look at people who think of success as finding the right "recipe?" What they are thinking is a series of one, two, three steps that they can use to bring them success. While the steps can be real and usable, if we don't understand the why of them, we won't know what led to create them or what to do when there needs to be adaption and change.

We don't need to learn recipes, we need to learn principles, and from there build the unique business or department that represents what the company and us is. That's why Branson has said that once you learn to run one business you can run any business. And I agree with that from experience. I've owned or run businesses across completely unrelated sectors and have found that they are all run on the same basic principles.

Learn the right principles and you'll be successful at whatever you are doing.

Other Richard Branson Resources:

Branson on Branson

The Gonzo Way of Branding

Richard Branson's Virgin Success

Thoroughly postmodern billionaire
 
Richard Branson's latest adventure will take Virgin into space

Richard Branson - Life - Philanthropy - Money

Richard Branson, Business Personality

Personal quotes

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