Playing To Your Strengths, The Story Of Sir Richard Branson

Strength starts with the mind

Sir Richard Branson is a billionaire British entrepreneur who founded Virgin Group which is a venture capital conglomerate that includes travel and leisure, health and wellness, music and entertainment, telecoms and media, financial services, and space. He is dyslexic, which he credits as his superpower because it gave him such a strong imagination to see what is possible and that gave him a huge advantage in business because other people were not creating what he envisioned.

An interesting thing about dyslexia is 35% of entrepreneurs are dyslexic and 40% of millionaires are dyslexic. These figures make sense because entrepreneurs and millionaires are creative people where they're able to find solutions to problems that people have not figured out or have not given enough thought to it. They followed their own paths, figuring out what works best for them and are not concerned about trying to replicate someone else’s route.

They might take bits and pieces from others, but they customize things that works for them. Their ability to see the big picture is enough to get them going to make what they imagine possible. As long as they know why they are doing something they’ll later be able to figure out how.

In a world that is consumed by what is only seen by the eyes, it puts limitations on what can be done. It distracts the focus to look at the short term only for the long-term to be compromised. Sir Richard Branson’s ability to see past the present allowed him to make the things he dreamed about a reality. He could bypass the need to get results in the short term to build something massive over the long term. Because of his dyslexia he struggled in school and was seen as dumb. But he had belief within himself that he do great things.

Look to what can be done and not what can’t be done

Sir Richard’s story shows that school alone is not an indicator of how you're going to do in life. There's too much emphasis that's put on the performance of students when they're in school that it limits what they're capable of. Grades alone do not signal a person's intelligence or their want to learn and grow to be better.

Sir Richard Branson has talked about school was just unappealing to him because it wasn't relevant to what he was interested in. The traditional way of school is to learn facts but lacks creativity and engagement that does the students a disservice. For the most part school is outdated and there needs to be a reform to fit a student’s learning style to bring out the best in them instead of forcing them to be and do things that are weak in.

For many people dyslexia is seen as a weakness or a limitation simply because of struggling to read or write. Some of this might come from our constant comparison of each other where if the majority are reading and writing at a certain pace or level, anything behind that is seen as a bad thing. We're looking to see if we keep pace with everyone else, trying to keep up with the herd.

If we remember being able to keep up with the herd means that you're able to survive, that you don't get left behind for a predator to get you. This then trickles over into school where we get a grade for our abilities in a test form. So the grade that is received is a reflection on the student, the better the grade the better the student, but this misguides many of those magnificent students that are capable of great things.

It’s just that they're not given the ability to use their strength. When it comes to facts you can measure that in a straightforward way through the tests that are given. But how do you measure creativity and resourcefulness because they're very intangible things that are very difficult to try to physically see. Dyslexia can be seen as a weakness that might keep those who have it behind in a school environment.

Recognize what is best for you

Sir Richard Branson realized that the best environment for him was to venture off on his own and he dropped out of high school at the age of 16 to start up a magazine called “Student”, which he launched in 1968 and it was created to provide an alternative to the boring publications of the magazines in those days. It was made for the youth to be able to express themselves on a wide range of topics that included pop culture, music and many issues that were going on during that time.

He did have opposition to starting up the magazine because the knock on it was that it was too revolutionary, but Sir Richard saw the need for it and had a belief in his vision and himself to carry it out. He started the magazine with only 100 pounds at the time, which just emphasizes that when you have a conviction in the idea that you have, take action to make it happen instead of waiting for the right time or the right amount of money to get started. Things like this are very difficult to measure in an exam or school in general.

We can use stories like this to show us that we can make things happen but it's up to us to take the action to get started. There's never going to be the right time to do something, waiting for circumstances to change or waiting to get better in whatever abilities that you might be lacking. By being able to just go through with it you're going to learn along the way.

According to the cone of learning we only retain about 10% of what we read and 20% of what we hear but we retain 75% when we do something. Mistakes and failures will happen but that's just a part of the process. There's no need to wait for a set number of years of experience or of some sort of certificate to get going because if that happens the risk is the constant need for validation or approval that you can do it. Constantly needing a signal that you can. Sir Richard shows us that what we lack in knowledge we can make up for it in the desire to make things happen.

Know where to focus your energy on

He even talks about how his dyslexia allowed him to better delegate things because he knew that writing was not his strong point. He was able to have others do it for him, but he set the course that would be taken. Surrounding yourself with the right people is key to achieving what you want. Those areas that are lacking are where others makeup for it. This also allows to listen better because others will have great ideas and they are made possible when they are given the freedom to pursue them.

His high level of self-awareness to put people in the right place so they can excel at what they do and he can focus in on the big picture facilitated things to come together. He didn't need to know how to do everything or think that he could do it, but he recognized to have a successful business it required the right people, passion, and a good product. His ability to see the things that were simply important allowed him to move forward with what he envisioned.

A lot of times in trying to make our dreams a reality it can be too overwhelming because the thinking might be all the moving parts required to make it happen. Trying to view things as a whole can make one freeze trying to figure out where to even start. But when you can focus on the things that are important and make it simple it gives you the ability to digest things in a better manner so you can move forward. Eventually what you do is you build that momentum that carries you to a new level that allows for stabilization and growth of what you've worked on.

This should remind us why it's important to ask for help to be able to recognize that your time can be used for something more efficient if you're struggling to get going. This just starts with being able to know your strengths and weaknesses and acknowledge when what you're doing could be done better by somebody else. This should not make us feel bad that someone else can do it at a higher level, but it should give us a sense of coming together for something greater than needing to prove our abilities. It makes us more open to receive feedback to improve ourselves instead of needing to defend our actions and ourselves.

The better that you're able to embrace this type of outlook, the better leader you become because it's about putting people and things in place so they can excel. It's about being able to let go of those preconceived notions of how exactly things are going to play out and know that you're going to have to pivot during times of uncertainty or when you're struggling to get something done.

As we all know there are times where we get in the way of ourselves trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. We got to keep the ego in check and know when to get out of people’s way. Leading in an effective way is about allowing people to do what they do best and that requires assisting them in what they need and giving them the freedom to get it done. This is that soft touch to know when to teach, correct, be patient, develop, and trust to bring out the best in people.

Be active and have fun

Sir Richard makes sure whatever activity he does he has fun doing it whether it's cycling, kite surfing, tennis, whatever it might be. This is a great way to stay engaged in having that healthy lifestyle because sometimes with just a plain workout it can feel a bit like a chore where eventually the focus might not be there and you might not do it as well as other days. By having a variety of different activities or exercises to do, it gets the mind and body engaged so you can do things more purposefully because you've already primed yourself for it.

So how he starts off his day is an indicator of everything else that he does. He breaks free from restrictions and is heavily against fancy suits and ties. While the suits can signal a level of professionalism it also can feel like a lofty set of expectation of appearance and instead, he values the people. This sets the tone to be yourself and not trying to conform to a certain criteria.

This is very admirable because we're all different in our own ways and that's not a bad thing. We shouldn't try to stifle our uniqueness because that's what makes us who we are. If we feel that we have to behave or look a certain way, then that can affect how we feel about ourselves and that's going to affect the effort and performance that we give.

This might come from his creative thinking style where we know that creativity needs room to do its own thing. It's spontaneous where it happens at anytime and by physically being free to be yourself it allows for the great ideas to come. And when creativity strikes, you got to pounce on it because it is very elusive.

To go along with that, Sir Richard carries a notebook with him, and he writes down his idea as soon as they come to him. This is just a great way to capture the train of thought because while the idea might be remembered without having to write it down it can be vague when it’s only kept mentally. By writing it down it can be expanded on more later so the train of thought can be continued.

Sometimes these great ideas come about because of that environment that you're in, it's going to be very hard to simulate it where it pops back up. We've all experienced that moment where we had a thought and then something distracted us then we're frustrated trying to figure out what was it that I was thinking. So having the notebook helps retain those valuable thoughts. What writing it down also does it sharpens your memory, so it becomes more vivid.

Embrace what makes you different

What is different tends to be misunderstood because others have not yet taken the time to learn about things outside their realm and it scares them off. It can make others think how come you're not like me and when we have similarities, we share a connection but when we don't it can further the distance between opposite ends. If you happen to feel different and it makes you feel bad about yourself don't let others try to convince you that there's something wrong with you. What's the need to be like everybody else, to look, think and act the same? What's so great about that?

Come to embrace everything about yourself, especially the unique aspects. Find out how you can use your uniqueness to your advantage. It can definitely help to have others that might be going through a similar thing to connect with but if you don't, take the time to appreciate what you have. Being alone is not a bad thing, it can be used as an opportunity to understand yourself more. Knowing who you are and what drives you gives you a huge advantage because you’ll have more time to know what you are striving for and figuring out how to make it happen.

Sir Richard shows us that we can use those unique skills to work for us. That we don't have to know everything or be good at something to get started. It just requires a certain level of curiosity and desire to go after what we want. Our imaginations are extremely powerful, and we got to give it time to figure out how we envision our lives playing out. With enough time dedicated to it and taking action towards it, we'll figure out how to make it happen. Focus on why things can be done and don't let the naysayers’ put limitations on you.

Sir Richard shows us that we don't need a lot of money to get started in his case what was a business but whatever it is that you choose to do you can do something about it right now. How you perform in school and even the work environment is not the predictor of how your life is going to play out. For many it's unappealing and you just need to find what it is exactly that you’re passionate about and what really drives you. When you can figure that out you can truly excel at it because you'll have an ability to put all your energy into it. It'll get to the point where you have the initiative to do things on your own, not waiting for permission to get things done.

Final thoughts

Just because we're different from the norm does not mean something is wrong with us. We just need to figure out how we can use that uniqueness that we all have and leverage it as a strength of ours. Let's not believe what others tell us of what we can or can't do. Mistakes and failures are not a bad thing they're just an opportunity to learn something and apply that going forward. The earlier that we can experience this the greater tolerance is built up to it that allows us to be resilient and push forward.

Have that trust in yourself to go with what you think is right and if you're wrong so what you’ll figure out a way to be better for it. Let's embrace the hard things so we can condition ourselves to it where it does not discourage us but fuels our desire to be better. Enjoy the journey that we all take and with that comes the highs and lows. Remember things are never as good or as bad as they seem their consistently right in the middle so when you feel down in the dumps know that it's not the end all be all and when you're riding high understand that feeling will not last and is hard to get back to. Our weaknesses can be leveraged to work for us, and we should find out how. Use your strengths to your advantage by continuously refining it.