What Richard Branson & Tony Robbins Taught Me About Leadership

“… It’s their power of listening that makes them so special. We all know what we think, so we don’t need to hear our own voices.” – Sir Richard Branson.

“Leadership is the capacity to feel and care. It is what makes you a leader.’ – Tony Robbins.

If you have seen some of my latest posts, you would know that I have spent the last three weeks consuming content from the Virtual Success Summit. This has been an extraordinary, virtual event covering all aspects of personal breakthroughs, business entrepreneurship and leadership. If you are interested in learning from some of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs and thought leaders, you can still gain free access for a limited period of time simply by clicking on the link here.

The Virtual Success Summit has been a three part series. The focus for series three is on business entrepreneurship. I was particularly interested to hear from Sir Richard Branson and Tony Robbins, as they are two of the world’s greatest thought and business leaders of our time. Here are some of my key takeaways:

1. SIR RICHARD BRANSON

YOUR BRAND IS YOUR REPUTATION

According to Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin empire, your brand is your reputation. It is a manifestation of you, and a representation of you and your culture. If you can build and protect it, you can carry it with you and make it last for many years to come.

MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF A LEADER

Sir Richard Branson says the most important characteristics of being a leader are:

• Be a good listener. There is power in listening well.
• Be a tremendous motivator of people.
• Look for the best in people. Praise them, don’t criticise them.
• Create a company that is the best in its field.
• Culture is key. Create a company and culture that everyone is proud to be a part of.

2. TONY ROBBINS

LEADERS GO FIRST

If you can’t lead yourself first, you won’t be able to lead others effectively – not in the long term at least. To lead means to go first, open up, connect and to care for others. You must have the ability to influence and motivate others. According to Tony, nothing is more important than the state that you cultivate as a leader – to care and create a sense of community.

LEADERS CREATE CERTAINTY

What leaders bring to the table is a level of certainty. Leaders just step up. Their job isn’t to create fake certainty, but to tell the truth about things. It may not be the popular opinion and people may not like it, however telling the truth is what creates certainty. Motive matters.

LEADERS GET TO THE ROOTS

The most powerful forces in our life are invisible. Forces like gravity, radiation, love, hate, beliefs, values, needs and rules shape our world. We tend to notice the visible (the flower), when the invisible (the roots) are the most important thing in keeping the flower alive. The invisible forces are the ones controlling everything. Leadership is made up of:

• 80% psychology – why we do it.
• 20% mechanics – how we do it.

In order for you to become a more effective leader, focus on what needs to be changed or enhanced inside of you.

SIR RICHARD BRANSON & TONY ROBBINS ON LEADERSHIP

Whilst this is just a short summary of some of my key lessons and learnings from Sir Richard Branson and Tony Robbins, I highly recommend watching the Virtual Success Summit for yourself. There was so much wisdom, insights and knowledge packed into the event, and you can still gain free access for a limited period of time, simply by clicking on the link here.