Analyzing Leadership

Most real change leaders come from the group of front line and middle level managers. Modern day companies are engaged in wrenching change programs that require the input of change leaders. The demand for real change leaders fall far way below its supply. Real change leaders are instrumental to the success of an organization because they appreciate that it is a change in the people system, and not core concept redesigning or revision of concepts, that fuel the success of the organization (Bodsworth, 2011). A successful change in people behaviour can only be accomplished by the real change managers embracing correct attitudes and abilities. The paper that follows will seek to distinguish between a real change leader and a manager.

Managers are not in a position to effect organizational change, only leaders can achieve this. Leadership achieves organizational change by eliminating or reducing organizational barriers, holding employees and other accountable for their actions, relocating and providing the necessary resources. Leadership is the best anecdote for any project that seeks culture change (Bodsworth, 2011). The essence of leadership lies in its ability to inspire and motivate others to act on a common vision. It is the duty of leadership to direct the organization towards the desired path of success.

Different spheres of the society are affected by leadership. Leaders employ different leadership styles to achieve the desired change. The styles employed may be either authoritative, coercive, coaching, or pacesetting. Effective leadership requires the leader to be highly adaptable to the environment around him or her. This is because as leaders they need to be able to find a way of working in the said environment before inspiring the teams to venture therein (Bodsworth, 2011). This assertion is informed by the truth that leaders cannot take people where they have not been before.

Sir Richard Branson, the founder and CEO of Virgin Group, is a good example of real change leaders. According to DuBrin 2010, a leader is the figurehead for his or her organization. It is the leader’s role to serve as spokesperson for the organization and entertain clients. Sir Branson fits perfectly in DuBrin’s definition; he is both the figurehead and spokesperson for Virgin Group. As a figurehead, Sir Branson has often times been regarded as the brand behind Virgin Group. Sir Branson’s hands-on leadership style has seen him build a giant business empire from a humble beginning. The story of this mega entrepreneur and business icon starts in 1967 when he dropped out of High school to start his own magazine publishing business. Many people including his head teacher advised him against such a move but the teen entrepreneur had his eyes focused on the big prize, which is the international leisure and entertainment empire we see today.

Sir Branson is a passionate leader and as thus, he has often relied on his passion to fuel his success. Sir Branson’s model of leadership has been one that removes the bureaucracies of hierarchical organizational structures. This model of structure followed by employees at Virgin Group is one that allows them communicate directly to Sir Branson on matters related to change, innovations and development. Sir Branson’s company operates on the premise that the staffs come first followed by the clients then the shareholders (DuBrin, 2010). This therefore means that the company works hard in ensuring that a good working environment is established and that the welfare of the employees is closely monitored.

Under Sir Branson’s leadership, Virgin Group has experienced immense growth. The Group has continuously acquired or started new companies. Sir Branson opens up companies, holds their hands, and walks them through the stages of organizational developments. The successes recorded by Sir Branson stems from the fact that he has never shied away from challenges. When the business environment turned unfavourable, he wittingly adjusted his approach and made steered the Group right through the storm. Countless are the times in which Sir Branson exemplified his ability to survive hostile business environments. One such occasion is when in 1982, his record selling business was under threat occasioned by change in consumer preference from LP’s to CD’s. Instead of seeing this as a threat, Sir Branson approached it as an opportunity and launched into the CD business. Additionally, Sir Branson also hired different bands to perform live music from some of the CDs sold at his megastores (DuBrin, 2010). This move saw the stores outcompete their closest rival by registering high record sales.

Another personality trait that characterised Sir Branson’s success as a leader is courage. This trait came to play when Sir Branson ventured into untapped business fields such as space tourism. Sir Branson’s courage allowed him to take a risk and initiative by starting Virgin Galactic. As an entrepreneur, he took the initiative and sold Virgin Records to save his airline business, Virgin Atlantic. By doing this, Sir Branson portrayed his ability to go through obstacles in the business field. At some other point, Sir Branson discovered that his bank had given him some bad advice. To deal with this obstacle, Sir Branson opted to move his accounts to a different bank (DuBrin, 2010).

In conclusion, Sir Branson has been portrayed as a good ensample of the modern day leader. He has continuously been the figurehead of his group of companies and has relied on his personal traits to lead his organization. His personal traits have also been instrumental in helping him circumvent the obstacles he meets in the course of leading his organization.

References

Bodsworth, C. (2011). Leadership and management differences. Institute of Leadership Management.

DuBrin Andrew J (2010). Leadership: Research Findings, Practice, and Skills. Southwestern Cengage, OH, USA