A Mom’s Recipe For Leadership

Richard Branson tells the story of something that happened when he was four years old. He and his mom were on their way to his grandma’s home. They were still about three miles away, and he was restless, throwing a tantrum and getting angry for no good reason. His mom told him to get off the car – and find his way to her home. Branson the inspirational, trail-blazing CEO of Virgin, attributes his adventurous spirit and his fearless risk-taking to the early influence of his mother. “My mother wanted me to stand on my own two feet, and not be mollycoddled!” he recalls. And that made all the difference.

We live in a world where leaders and organisations are constantly grappling with the challenge of growing leaders. Maybe we can all take a leaf out of Mrs Branson’s book. Here then are three lessons:

1. *Call out bad behaviour, early. Great organisations spell out the values they hold dear. And any violation is dealt with swiftly. Branson’s mom didn’t want her son to be a petulant, spoilt brat. So, when he misbehaved in the backseat of the car, the reprimand was swift. She pushed him out and asked him to find his own way. Young managers in their formative years need to get that rap on the knuckles if they do something that’s not right. If the organisation turns a blind eye, and tolerates it, they will think it’s okay to do the wrong thing. That can come back to bite them later. And as the years roll by, changing behaviour becomes hard. Very hard.
2. *Push them out of their comfort zone. Don’t hesitate to throw young leaders into the deep end. Struggling to survive, not knowing what to do, and even the occasional failure will make them stronger leaders. Help them overcome their fear of failure. The earlier they learn that it is okay to fail, the better they will be at handling the failures they are bound to encounter in their careers. Resist the temptation to spoon feed your future leaders. Throw a problem at them and let them figure a way out. As a four-year-old, Richard overcame the fear of getting lost and found his way. No surprise then that the grown-up Branson is never shy of taking risks, foraying into new businesses and even planning inter-galactic ventures. As his mom might tell you, don’t mollycoddle your leaders.
3. *Let them know you believe in them. As a kid, Richard Branson had dyslexia, and didn’t get great grades in school. But his mom always believed her little fellow was special. That he would do something big. So, she pushed him and challenged him, all the time believing in his ability to figure things out, persevere, and come out winning. And that’s so powerful. Most of us owe whatever little we may have achieved in our lives to people who believed in us – even when we ourselves didn’t. Having a mother-figure who’s got your back, and willing you to take that leap can be just the tonic young leaders need to grow to their full potential. In truly great companies, leaders across the organisation take on the responsibility of playing the role that Branson’s mom did.

Next time you see a young leader doing the wrong thing, think of Branson’s mother. Tell him to go take a walk.

Prakash Iyer is an author, speaker and leadership coach and former MD of Kimberly Clark Lever

Prakash Iyer

Guest Author Iyer is an author, speaker and leadership coach , and former MD of Kimberly Clark Lever