Editor’s note: This article was first published in September 2013. The statements that Virgin Group has around 400 companies and that several of Branson’s companies recently brought in outside CEOs are from 2013.
Every time I read Richard Branson and get into the way this entrepreneur thinks, I understand much better how he built his Virgin Group empire, a group made up of some 400 companies.
For Branson, nothing in a company matters more than surrounding yourself with a good team. If you have the perfect mix of people, you have a better chance of success, Branson says in his LinkedIn article. However, we don’t always recognise the best person for a job when they walk through the door.
The first thing to look for in a great employee is someone whose personality fits the company culture. Most skills can be learned, and we ourselves as leaders, as a team and as a company can teach them, but it is very hard to train employees in personality.
(Read: 9 tips from Richard Branson for entrepreneurs)
If you can find people who are fun, friendly, caring, creative and who like to teach and help others, you will have a winning employee whose attitude spreads and turns your business into a winning company.
Personality is the key, but it is the hardest thing to see in a job interview: the candidate may be shy or introverted yet have a great personality. Or they may be very outgoing, with a strong character, and still feel lost during a 30-minute interview.
(Read: How to spot a bad employee before you hire them)
Branson gives the contents of a CV the weight it deserves: it only shows what you have, not what you will be able to do with it. Even while giving specialisation its due, Branson points out that a person’s versatility matters even more. In the same way, you should hire people with transferable skills.
Most interviewers dwell on the qualifications listed on the CV, whereas Branson says he only looks at them once he has identified everything else.
Having someone whose CV is full of great attitudes and qualifications on paper does not make them right for the job; those count for little unless they come with wide-ranging experience and a winning personality.
Hiring also means taking risks (as does business in general).
Branson urges employers not to be afraid of hiring “mavericks”, people who think very differently and can help everyone see problems as opportunities and spark the group’s creativity. Some of the best people Virgin has hired, he says, seemed at first not to fit in with the group, but ended up becoming indispensable to the team and the company.
But beware of hiring the wrong person at the “top” of the company, because they can destroy everything that has been built in a very short time.
Branson is in favour of promoting from within.
In his view, internal promotion is a good idea because the employee who is promoted inspires everyone else by showing that effort is rewarded in the company. That person also knows the business inside out and has the respect and trust of their team.
Of course, it is also good to bring fresh blood into the company, since it can revitalise creativity with new ideas. Branson says several of his companies have recently brought in outside CEOs with new ideas and experience of what the competition does well and badly, but you have to make sure these people’s personalities fit your company culture.
Above all, be patient when hiring. When a business is growing fast, a “desperate” race to fill positions often begins. Rushed hiring can throw business growth and team cohesion off balance. If we don’t find exactly what we are looking for, we simply don’t hire.
Branson ends with this line:
Better to have a hole in your team than an idiot in your team.
Further reading
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