Comparing Leadership Styles: Steve Jobs vs. Richard Branson

This project report examines the leadership traits, abilities, attitudes, personalities, and values of two leaders: Steve Jobs, the former CEO of Apple Company, and Sir Richard Branson, the CEO of Virgin Group. The report concludes that Richard Branson is regarded as a successful leader because of his inclusive and charismatic approach. He possesses a range of leadership, managerial, and entrepreneurial skills and qualities. In conclusion, this project report offers suggestions for leadership styles and characteristics that organizations should adopt.

* Leaders must adapt their styles to the situation at hand, as there is no one-size-fits-all approach to leadership.

* Qualities of an effective leader include honesty, loyalty, responsibility, excellent communication, enthusiasm, motivation, and competence. * Successful leaders are needed to handle conflicts, make appropriate decisions, think strategically, empower employees, and establish team-based structures (Mind Tools Ltd 2013). * Steve Jobs and Sir Richard Branson both embraced a transformational leadership style and emphasized factors like quality and innovation in order to build thriving and enduring businesses.

Steve Jobs, the late CEO of Apple Company, was an autocratic and transactional leader with excellent communication and technical skills in applying them to new technologies.

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However, he lacked interpersonal skills.
Richard Branson, CEO of Virgin Group, is considered a participative, charismatic leader. He possesses skills such as interpersonal, communication, negotiation, and persuasion for diversifying several brands under a single Virgin Group.
Comparing and contrasting certain attributes such as personality, values, emotions, and leadership qualities, Sir Richard Branson is found to be more effective than Steve Jobs.
Table of ContentsPage No

1.0 Introduction

In the realm of global business, influential individuals who possess distinct qualities and styles are considered leaders. These leaders demonstrate traits such as honesty, responsibility, loyalty, enthusiasm, determination, creativity, adaptability, effective communication skills, empathy, competence, respectfulness, and the ability to motivate others. By embracing these leadership attributes in today's era of globalization, leaders gain a competitive edge over their rivals.

1.1 Purpose

The purpose of this project report is to compare and contrast two global leaders, Steve Jobs and Richard Branson. The report will highlight the similarities and differences in their leadership styles, with a specific focus on the superior leader's qualities as well as the effective skills and qualities that contribute to their success. Additionally, the report outlines the factors that can lead to success for a leader, manager, or entrepreneur in any given situation. From a business perspective, this project report defines Steve Jobs and Richard Branson as leaders and compares their leadership attributes. Ultimately, it identifies one of these leaders as the most effective through an analysis and contrasting of their leadership traits.

2.0 The definition of a Leader

To begin the discussion, it is crucial to offer a comprehensive definition of Leaders. As stated by Macmillan Publishers Limited (2012), Leaders are individuals who take the lead and have the capability to influence others in accomplishing tasks successfully. Within an organization, Leaders play a vital role in conflict management, decision-making, strategic thinking, employee empowerment, and team-based structure design. Leaders possess diverse knowledge, skills, and expertise in various fields. There are several Leadership styles available for Leaders to adopt including participative, directive, charismatic, transformational, and transactional styles. Participative leaders provide support to employees by offering resources and assistance while directive leaders exhibit autocratic characteristics and expect timely completion of tasks from employees.

Charismatic leaders possess the ability to inspire employees and create a vision for an organization, while transformational leaders can motivate employees by instilling self-interest in achieving objectives. Transactional leaders focus on helping employees reach set goals and targets.

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of leadership qualities and styles used in the global business environment. It emphasizes that there is no universally superior leadership style and highlights the importance of adaptability in adjusting leadership approaches based on circumstances (MGR Consulting, 2006).

However, various examples demonstrate that organizations can develop leaders through implementing leadership development programs.

3.0 Discussion

3.1 Two influential figures are Steve Jobs and Richard Branson

This project report examines the leadership of Steve Jobs and Richard Branson. Steve Jobs, who was the CEO of Apple Computers Inc (Leadership with You 2012), was born in 1955 in the US and also served as a board member at Walt Disney Company. Known for his innovative thinking and critical reasoning skills, Jobs achieved immense success. He established one of the world's most valuable companies and had a passion for experimenting with electronics, which led to the creation of a specialized market for Apple products. Apple is a prominent brand in iPods and iPhones, particularly popular among younger individuals. Following their product launches, Apple's competitors swiftly adopted re-positioning strategies.

Richard Branson, born in 1950 in the United Kingdom, is the chairman of Virgin Group. He started off in the music industry and later became the owner of Virgin Airlines. He is commonly known as "Sir" and is regarded as one of Britain's richest entrepreneurs. Virgin operates in more than thirty countries across different industries, which has contributed to its esteemed reputation as a brand. Both Steve Jobs and Richard Branson are globally acknowledged leaders celebrated for their unique leadership qualities and approaches.

It is crucial to take into account the similarities and differences when comparing and contrasting two leaders.

This paragraph focuses on comparing and contrasting Steve Jobs, the former CEO of Apple, with Sir Richard Branson, the owner of Virgin Group.

According to Richard Hughes, R Ginnett, and Gordon J Curphy (2009), Steve Jobs was an autocratic leader who preferred working with like-minded individuals. He wanted to be involved in every aspect of the work process to ensure desired outcomes from his employees. Additionally, Jobs exhibited traits of both a transformational and transactional leader. As a transactional leader, he established a vision for Apple Company and motivated employees to align their performance with set goals. As a transformational leader, Jobs emphasized Apple's technology and inspired employees to develop a personal interest in making it a globally recognized and valued brand (Conceivably Tech 2012).

The undeniable lasting impact of Richard Branson and Steve Jobs in the field of technology is evident. Both individuals passionately dedicated themselves to their work, leaving a legacy that will be remembered for years to come. Like Steve Jobs, Sir Richard Branson also prioritized collaboration with others to make a significant difference. They both aimed to create exceptional products and services that they could take pride in. As transformational leaders, they inspired their teams to strive for excellence, positioning their organizations globally and establishing a strong brand image.

Contrast between Two Leaders

The text provides bullet points listing the differences between the Leaders and their Leadership styles:

• Steve Jobs was an autocratic Leader and followed an Authoritarian Leadership style. He believed in getting excellence from his employees.
• Richard Branson is participative and delegative in nature, providing complete autonomy to his employees for better performance.
• Steve Jobs had a personality that sought to be the center of attention for getting any activity done at Apple.
• Richard Branson believes in listening to others to avoid mistakes, acting as a good communicator.

(Finnie, Scot 2011)

Steve Jobs and Sir Richard Branson have differing approaches to power and leadership. Jobs believed in centralizing power in his own hands, while Branson believed in distributing power to diversify his business. Jobs would use techniques such as firing and forcing employees to deliver desired outcomes, whereas Branson believed in creating and developing an organization through the contributions of its people. While Jobs focused on managing a business with great ideas, Branson emphasized the importance of creating a fun work environment and rewarding employees for their ideas. This project report will evaluate the effectiveness of Branson's leadership based on the skills, qualities, and attributes required of a leader.

3.3 One of the qualities of an effective leader is

Both Leaders agree that Sir Richard Branson is an effective leader and his leadership qualities are being extensively studied. Sir Richard Branson serves as the figurehead of Virgin Group. Researchers have identified three key factors that highlight his leadership traits: having a friendly and smiling demeanor, enjoying a fun work environment, and appreciating employee ideas. According to (Paul Beeston 2010), Richard Branson possesses certain attributes that contribute to his success. These attributes are listed below:

• Personality: Richard Branson is described as charming, caring, sensitive, frank, and enthusiastic.
• Values: He applies certain attributes to his value system when growing the business at Virgin Group. These attributes include quality, teamwork, competition, reliability, fun, and innovation.

Emotions: Richard Branson is emotional and applies attributes such as being a good listener, encourager, and communicator.

Leadership Attributes: Richard Branson is a charismatic, participative, and transformational leader. He can create a vision for Virgin Group and diversify it by being participative. He also applies the principles of time management and values the contributions of employees at Virgin Group. He has the ability to find the right talent and create an environment where they can thrive. Learning, according to Branson, happens through making mistakes, and negotiation occurs through persuading others. He is a true motivator for employees at Virgin Group by encouraging informality. He believes in building interpersonal relationships and accepting challenges by experimenting with new things.

Based on the highlighted attributes, it can be stated that Richard Branson is more effective than Steve Jobs in applying leadership qualities. However, we will further explain the skills possessed by both Steve Jobs and Richard Branson in this project report.

Both leaders demonstrate a range of skills.

Leaders in the business environment must possess certain skills to establish themselves as leaders. Effective communication is crucial for business growth. Steve Jobs, an entrepreneur and leader, demonstrated exceptional communication skills and was a proficient team leader who implemented strategies with his team members. His dedication and focus on delivering quality products contributed to the success of Apple, a globally recognized brand. Jobs also had innovative and technical abilities that allowed him to design new technologies. He emphasized the importance of continuous learning for both leaders and employees in building a valuable brand. Hiring loyal individuals showcased his ethical approach towards Apple. However, interpersonal relations were an area where Jobs lacked due to his autocratic leadership style. Nevertheless, his entrepreneurial skills empowered him to take risks at Apple (Mansueto Ventures LLC 2013). The Virgin Group is another renowned company worldwide.

Richard Branson effectively manages Virgin Group, which encompasses more than 300 brands. He values the contributions of his employees and excels in actively listening to them. Branson believes in learning from past mistakes to prevent future ones and empowers his employees through people management skills. In addition, he possesses strong interpersonal skills that enable him to build relationships with customers, stakeholders, and suppliers. Furthermore, Branson is flexible and has expertise in sales, negotiation, and leadership. Specifically, he showcases participative, charismatic, and transformational leadership styles. Ultimately, both leaders employ distinct skill sets to navigate the global business environment; nevertheless, Richard Branson's extensive range of skills significantly contributes to the remarkable growth of Virgin Group.

3.5 Reasons making successful Leader, Manager’s & Entrepreneur However, certain factors affect the business environment, such as changing customer demand, technology, and economic fluctuations. To cope with these factors, organizations need to develop leaders who can sustain and grow their business by embracing challenges. Steve Jobs and Richard Branson both became successful leaders in their respective fields by creating ideas and visions for their companies, respecting customers, stakeholders, and employees, communicating transparently, making sound decisions in critical situations, ensuring accountability, promoting teamwork, fostering a culture of continuous learning for themselves and their employees, and adapting to technological changes (Donald Patterson 2009). According to Henry Fayol, managers are individuals who possess the ability to plan, organize, coordinate, and control activities to achieve organizational goals.

Steve Jobs and Richard Branson achieved success as managers by implementing strategies such as coaching and counseling employees, appropriate delegation of work, valuing and motivating the team, developing a corporate culture, effective time management, and analyzing risks (Management Advisory Service UK Ltd 2011). As entrepreneurs, Jobs and Branson possess qualities like willingness to take risks, passion for their work, promoting their ventures, understanding their customers, experimenting with technology, gaining a competitive edge, seizing opportunities, negotiating with stakeholders, and efficient time management. Branson particularly admires Jobs and believes in hiring employees based on need. He also stresses the importance of recognizing unnoticed opportunities that can be turned into reality (The Branson Centre of entrepreneurship 2011). These factors contribute to the success of Jobs and Branson as leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs in their respective businesses.

4.0 Conclusion

From the given report, it can be inferred that leaders play a significant role in influencing their employees in an organization. In the current age of globalization, businesses are constantly facing changes in demographics, technology, culture, and economic factors. To effectively handle these challenges, leaders must possess qualities similar to those of leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs. This project report compares and contrasts the leadership qualities, styles, skills, personalities, values, and emotions of two prominent CEOs - Steve Jobs from Apple Company and Richard Branson from Virgin group - in relation to specific attributes.

Steve Jobs was known for being an autocratic and self-centered leader who prioritized technical skills. On the other hand, Richard Branson is regarded as a charismatic, participative, and transformational leader with strong interpersonal skills for managing business. While Steve Jobs emphasized work, Richard Branson finds enjoyment in the workplace. As a result, Sir Richard Branson is considered to be an effective leader due to his diverse business ventures under the single Virgin Group, showcasing his leadership, managerial, and entrepreneurial qualities.

5.0 Suggestions

However, great and effective leaders are those who can accept criticism and adapt to change. The recommendations are listed in bullet points.

• There is no one best style of leadership. Leaders must possess a range of qualities and be able to adapt their style according to the situation.
• An effective leader possesses qualities such as honesty, loyalty, responsibility, excellent communication, enthusiasm, motivation, and competence.
• Successful leaders are needed to manage conflicts, make appropriate decisions, think strategically, empower employees, and create team-based structures (Mind Tools Ltd 2013).
• Both Steve Jobs and Sir Richard Branson adopted a similar approach as transformational leaders and valued factors such as quality and innovation in order to build successful and sustainable businesses.

According to the project report, Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple Company, was an autocratic and transactional leader. He had excellent communication and technical skills, which he applied to new technologies. However, he lacked interpersonal skills. On the other hand, Richard Branson, the CEO of Virgin Group, is a participative and charismatic leader. He possesses skills in interpersonal communication, negotiation, and persuading, allowing him to diversify multiple brands under the Virgin Group umbrella. Sir Richard Branson is compared and contrasted with Steve Jobs in terms of personality, values, emotions, and leadership qualities. He was found to be more effective compared to Steve Jobs. Despite his admiration for Steve Jobs, Branson believes that creating fun is important for bringing new ideas into business.

6.0 References

R. L. Hughes, R.C. Ginnett, G.J. Curphy, 2012, Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience, 7th edn, McGraw-Hill Irwin, New York. MGR Consulting 2006, "Why we need Leaders". Leadership with You 2012, "Steve Jobs Leadership Case Study". Conceivably Tech 2012, "Defining Leadership: Sir Richard Branson". Richard Hughes, R Ginnett, Gordon J Curphy 2009, Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience, vol.6, pp-189. Finnie, Scot 2011, "Steve Jobs’ Indelible Mark," Finnie, Scot 2011, vol.45, no.19, pp 49. Paul Beeston 2010, "Belief Model for the Leadership of Richard Branson," Change in Mind Ltd".