Business

We, Not Me: Bringing Value out of Your Team

Lesson time 12:13 min

You’ve assembled your team, but how do you get the most out of them? Richard shares examples of constructive feedback, ways to keep your team nimble, and keys to retaining top talent.

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Topics include: You’ve assembled your team, but how do you get the most out of them? Richard shares examples of private, constructive feedback, strategies for keeping your team nimble and strong, and how to retain the great talent you’ve put resources into growing.

Richard Branson

Teaches Disruptive Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneur Richard Branson teaches you how to turn your wildest dreams into successful businesses—and have fun doing it.

Preview

RICHARD BRANSON: Dyslexics find other people to help them with the things they're not good at. EAMONN ANDREWS: You enlisted the help of a part-time, unpaid secretary. And it was she who typed out your letters to many VIPs. MAN: President Lyndon B. Johnson, the White House, Washington, USA-- Dear Mr. President, Robert Kennedy and many others have advised me to write to you to ask if I might have missed your support for a new national student magazine I'm launching this summer. EAMONN ANDREWS: Your secretary and typist was, in fact, your grandmother, Dorothy. And Dorothy, did Richard get a reply from President Johnson? - No, Eamonn, but it really was worth a try. [MUSIC PLAYING] RICHARD BRANSON: I didn't find out that I was dyslexic until I was in my 20s. But I knew my weaknesses well before then. And so dyslexics are great delegators. They're great at getting wonderful people around them. They're great at not interfering with those people, because those people are better than them. And so I think that I embrace the fact that I was dyslexic, because I became one of the best delegators I know. And a lot of entrepreneurs are not good delegators. They want to do it all themselves. So whether you're dyslexic or not, I think you can learn from us dyslexics. And that is realize that if you're starting a business, surround yourself with great people. Give them the freedom to make mistakes as well as to do good things. Inspire them. Do not second guess them. And your business is likely to excel as a result. If you give people a big say in what they're doing, they will flourish. But you will flourish too. Most things are run by teams. I mean, it's very, very, very rare that one individual is responsible for anything. It's the collective of people that make something happen. And so it can be quite grating if suddenly somebody in charge of a team talks about I have achieved this or I have achieved that. People who use the "I" word too much I think put people, put people off, and rightfully so. If you're in a team of people, it's very important that you talk about "us" or "we" and try to avoid the "I" word unless it's absolutely necessary. I do think it's very important that people, that teams get feedback and that teams can give feedback to the manager that gives them feedback. It should be a mutual thing. And it's important. It's important for a leader to realize that if they say something, it is magnified in the brain of the person they're saying it to many, many times over. So you do have to be very, very careful not to criticize people, and certainly not to criticize people publicly. There was a politician recently who just talked for-- talked until everybody was wanting to go to sleep. And after he'd finished, I said, can I have a word with you? And I said, look, I'm old enough to be a dad and I'm a sort of elder. But if I could give you some advice, and that is a s...

About the Instructor

Sometimes, making it big is all about following the fun. Ask Richard Branson. The founder of the Virgin Group built a business empire by solving the problems that fascinated him, disrupting every industry he touched, and pursuing dreams that seemed impossible. The adventure took him from humble beginnings to the stars. Learn how you, too, can find ideas so good they’re scary, lean into your fear, and achieve liftoff.

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Richard Branson

Entrepreneur Richard Branson teaches you how to turn your wildest dreams into successful businesses—and have fun doing it.

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