SECTION A - Question One Richard Branson Explains Why He Is the Opposite of Steve Jobs Richard Branson says that delegation and compassion are main factors in running his $18-billion-revenue Virgin empire. In this regard he considers himself the opposite of Steve Jobs. Branson says in an interview on his blog: I admired Steve Jobs, although he was completely different from me. He used to shout at employees that made mistakes. He did not delegate much, and broke all the rules / believe in. Somehow it worked for him. Apple is one the best brands in the world. This philosophy is why Branson has so much time for games and charity: I devote most of my time to activities like The Elders (A South-African NGO), but I make it a point to take care of things that are important to Virgin, like hiring its key executives. I interviewed Josh Bayliss, the Group's CEO, in the back seat of my car while waiting in a traffic jam that lasted almost two hours. Now, he makes money so I can spend it. Learning to delegate is vital in business. You have to be willing to let people do good things and let make them mistakes. I think that criticizing people is counterproductive. A good leader is someone who praises a person for his or her best efforts, not someone who criticizes. People know when they make mistakes. Of course, sometimes I just can't resist and end up saying something, but never more than once. The secret of success is finding good people. Required: a) Compare the leadership styles of Steve Jobs and Richard Branson using the Blake-Mouton grid. Clearly explain the positions you chose. (8 marks) b) Democratic and autocratic are two different leadership styles. State which type of leadership style Steve Jobs represents, and which one Richard Branson. You are required to explain your choice for both leaders. (5 marks) c) Despite their differences in style, both leaders are proponents of teamwork. List and detail five ways of teambuilding you would recommend to both types of leaders including why you'd recommend it, explain what "groupthink" means and what dangers it poses to a team. (12 marks) TOTAL Word Limit - 500 Total 25 marks