NILIT UT LIISUIS TUNNILINE WL
Richard Branson became famous as a 'hippy' businessman in the 1960s when he set up a record
company. Today he runs the successful Virgin airline and he's still breaking many of the traditional
rules of management So how does he do it?
1. He regularly works an eleven-hour day, starting around eight and finishing around seven at night
2. He spends a lot of time talking to people on the telephone but he never sends memos.
3. He rarely holds board meetings. He makes decisions on the phone or on the tennis
court
4. He has a good memory and he writes people's names on his hand so he doesn't forget them.
5. He invites every single one of his 10,000 employees to a party at his home in Oxfordshire every
year. The last party cost around £100,000.
6. He continually questions his employees about every aspect of the business and he tries to pick
holes in their arguments to find out whether their ideas will work.
7. If he becomes annoyed in meetings, he leaves the room. He hardly ever loses his temper.
8. He employs people he likes personally. This is more important to him than qualifications
9. He has had several business failures in the past and nearly went bankrupt several times but he has
always survived. He puts his success down to good ideas, good people, and good luck
10. He didn't go into business to make money. He went into business because he wanted a
challenge