Therein lies the danger, he cautions and warns organizations, Should these brands follow Musk's example, they will not be able to attract and retain enough top talent for a fully in-office mandate to be a valid strategy. Elon Musk, founder of Boring, SpaceX and Tesla, is a visionary, as was Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple. There is full disclosure of his goals. It can be evaluated ) that the transformational leadership and Learn more about how to overcome the fear of failure. Interested in learning more about Elon Musk and his companies? Elon Musk Leadership Style: 7 Effective Habits He Can Teach You. In a post on Quora, Dolly Singh, the former head of talent acquisition at SpaceX, wrote that after the loss of Falcon One in 2008, A failure in leadership would have destroyed us not only from the eyes of the press or potential consumers but it would have destroyed us internally. Knowing this, Musk addressed his team with a motivating speech that described their mission and the fact that they would not give up despite this setback. Action leads to clarity. Develop a communication loop where the team gives one another feedback. You can even write a manual on how to handle failure at your company. Behavioral theories are crucial in understanding the conduct of . Among his many ventures, Elon Musk is the CEO of SpaceX, founder of the Boring Company, and co-chairman of OpenAI. He is the founder and CEO of SpaceX; co-founder and CEO of Tesla Inc.; founder and CEO of Neuralink; co-founder and chairman of SolarCity; chairman of OpenAl and last but not the list, founder of PayPal. Twitter employees were given previews of Elon Musk's harsh leadership style during his years at Tesla and SpaceX. He has an uncanny ability to think of solutions. For example, Olsen et al. Youre encouraged to behave like a little gear in a complex machine. He loves to innovate products that are far from ordinary and engage in tasks which not many people try to venture into. Leadership should start with why these choices are being made and then how they level up to the values and purpose of the company. In other ways, hes demanding and intimidating. Ive always felt like my job was to take these ideas and turn them into company goals, to make them achievable., While Musk sets a high bar, he also recognizes that his team needs a high degree of psychological safety in order to pursue those stretch goals. Employees spend an average of two and a half hours each day communicating, according to research. Starting a business can feel like a whirlwind. 2 African Journal of Emerging Issues (AJOEI). Bill Gates. Instead, he has an autocratic or transformational way of leadership. The transactional leadership style is used several times by Elon Musk due to the aggressive approach he follows to imbibe innovation within the company's operations (Chaudhry and Javed, 2012). Stay up to date with what you want to know. It also taught me courage to believe in my beliefs, and that it is not about success or failure, but that we give it a go, a try, The only way to move ahead is to work out the next action and then schedule a time to do it!, This program helped me kickstart my journey to wellbeing. A persons leadership style is how they lead themselves and their team. Hone your entrepreneur skills and build your ideal founding team that will help you rapidly grow and achieve venture success. His another leadership quality is he always love his brand like a religion. His first philosophy of leadership is creating a vision. Duggan, t., 2018. International Review of Management and Business Research, (2). Twitter didn't respond immediately to a request for comment on Musk's shake-up when this story was originally published in November. "There's no doubt engagement is taking a big hit right now," said Lars Schmidt, who runs the executive-search and advisory firm Amplify Talent. Everyone in Tesla is in an abusive relationship with Elon, a past executive told writer Charles Duhigg. "People have no idea what their future is.". When Elon says something, you have to pause and not blurt out, Well, thats impossible. You zip it, you think about it, and you find ways to get it done, said Gwynne Shotwell, the President and Chief Operating Officer of SpaceX. Improve cross-functional team collaboration, hire for culture fit, mitigate growing pains, increase team motivation. Without any announcement, he named himself Twitter's CEO on internal company profiles. There is a function-based hierarchy, and there is centralisation as well as divisions. Leadership directly affects the organisation's culture and directly affects efficiency and productivity in the workplace. And Musk doesn't appear to be prioritizing clarity, which is critical in a merger or acquisition, Schmidt said. 1. Elon Musk quote: The problem is that at a lot of big companies, process becomes a substitute for thinking. Leading by example is another great option. Become a better leader by embracing the experience and genius within others. Jim Cantrell, SpaceX . Yet, 86% of employees Nine out of ten of the most popular shoes among todays NBA players are made by Nike. Develop a work culture that encourages work-life balance. He sets up his employees for success. Period, said Jim Cantrell, the first engineer at SpaceX. The same can be said about his other organizations. Elon Musk quote: Patience is a virtue, and Im learning patience. Musk used both the leadership styles that include the transformational and transactional styles (Odumeru, and Ogbonna, 2013. His fast-acting nature offers some benefits in terms of business growth and innovation, but they can also serve as a point of frustration for his team. Elon Musks leadership style, transformational leadership, focuses on creating real positive change in the world. But while it's possible that his actions are designed to root out people who don't support him or his vision, the cost of lining up loyalty could be high. Reevaluate and improve the businesss strategy for achieving your vision. But his style on set is very directive. Hes founded some of the most innovative companies in the world, including X.com (which later became PayPal), SpaceX, and Tesla Motors. Would you want that? He also described himself to the interviewer as a nano-manager. A former employee backed up this sentiment in a Business Insider article, explaining his Tesla management style was one that showed control freak tendencies. Musk showed how to be effective & being trustworthy among the followers in times of crisis. Elon musk has developed the most innovative companies in the world like PayPal, SpaceX, and tesla motors. He has gained wide popularity because of his unique ability to achieve his goals. Many of Musk's actions are just about the opposite of what human-resources professionals would advise leaders to do after an acquisition or perhaps anytime. In this high impact eight week program Coach Marlee will help increase your comfort and confidence to be in positions of influence and leadership, navigate organizational politics and also help you develop greater comfort to compete and collaborate at the top of your industry or field. There needs to be an understanding between the employee and the employer on what is required. Thumbs up Marlee!, "Wow this program has totally changed my relationship to goals! Secondly, he breaks down the problem into its fundamental principles. He is the founder of Tesla Motors. Find out more about the way he leads and how to replicate his best leadership qualities. Within moments, the energy of the building went from despair and defeat to a massive buzz of determination . He is so passionate about his work. In 2018, Wired released an expos about the cutthroat work environment at Tesla. Study work that establishes a foundational understanding of the subject. In our recent Adapt survey, we found that 65% of employees who are forced back into the office full-time say theyre more likely to look for a new job; 46% are attracted to jobs that focus on employee well-being, and 42% want the ability to work from home when they want. . Elon Musk is a successful serial entrepreneur with a reputation as a creative genius who founded PayPal, Space X and the Boring Company. Elon Musk, one of the most creative leaders of our time, is widely seen as a visionary. Elon Musk. Uysal, H., Aydemir, S. and Gen, E., 2017. . According to him, this special philosophy is maintaining unique standards of excellence and clearing predictable paths of progress. Even though he had complete control of his company, he gave his employees the motivation to accomplish their targets and tasks through his characteristics. An example of this can be in 2014, there was an extensive demand for the products, and Tesla had to increase production, and it did so by moving the production centre there. A focus on goals is especially helpful for inspiring others, impactful communication, maintaining focus over time, and aligning teams with clarity and purpose. Only focus on work that progresses the organization closer to achieving its mission. the trunk and big branches, before you get into the leaves/details or there is nothing for them to hang on to.. Even during these dark times, he still demonstrated impeccable leadership skills that motivated his team to keep pushing forward. His work is highly personal to him which is born from the heart, nurtured into the heart and passionately loved. Leaders place a heavy emphasis on deliverables because, for the business to stay alive, grow, and fulfill Musks vision, team members must complete these objectives. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.. Elon Musk is skilled at problem-solving issues that arise on the completion of any tasks. This is especially true when it comes to micromanaging employees and creating work environments that cause work anxiety and work burnout (for both leaders and team members). Needless to say, when you work under Elon Musk, you wont rely on existing procedures and a weve always done it this way attitude. He compares his duty as oxygen. He has a unique way of thinking about problems. Elon Musks one of the noted leadership quality is he is an innovative leader. Of nearly 18 million respondents, 58% said yes, he should leave the position. A transformational leader inspires his employees. Article Contents 1. Online ISSN: 2663-9335, Vol (3), Issue 2 . He has a vision of having a wonderful world that will be no longer reliant on fossil fuels, will be maximizing their use of green energy, and will be exploring space and building colonies on Mars (Jacoby, 2011). He has also suggested that "they feel a part of a larger team and by reducing the noise and blockers in their work." Musk, who rarely sticks to a leadership script, doesn't seem intent on winning employees' trust or providing clarity about the company's future. Musk encouraged and motivated his team with saying, For my part, I will never give up and I mean never. Autocratic leadership tends to get a bad name and often seems to be confused with having high expectations, as discussed above, which makes it difficult to find good examples of successful autocratic leaders that aren't dictators. Working harder and for longer hours isnt always for the best. Autocratic leadership. Disinterested in others assumptions, he asks questions until the root of the problem reveals itself. Find out more about becoming an expert at problem solving. Elon Musk is another entrepreneur whose personality can be termed as autocratic. Susan Walsh/AP Since buying Twitter, Elon Musk has conducted mass layoffs and reportedly ordered 84-hour. Create a safe environment to fail by destigmatizing the shame that comes with failure. Delegation of work and interactions with employees can help boost employee morale. The information is not limited to the management, and there is an interconnectedness within the departments that paints a bigger picture than just a top-down approach. This type of leader is action-oriented. Musk earns the trust of his followers by being predictable and reliable, even in situations that are in uncertain. He always strives for excellence and does not set on mediocrity. As a transformational leader, Elon Musk focuses on solving the worlds greatest problems. Steve Jobs. Ordering employees to work 84-hour weeks isn't illegal, said Ayesha Whyte, an HR executive and employment attorney at the Virginia law firm Dixon Whyte. A Transformational . In many ways, hes exhilarating and motivating. Hes known for being bold with an eye to the future. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. In that case, this weakness in situational analysis can be a source of concern as not every situation can be the same and expected to have the same outcome. "You have to think 10 times more audacious than he does to be able to be successful.". The best example of his articulation a powerful vision can be given here: the state of California is investing in a $68 billion high-speed rail line between Los Angeles and San Francisco that will take three hours traveling 200 miles per hour. Researches on Science and Art in 21st Century Turkey. Elon Musk once said regarding this simple step, It is important to view knowledge as sort of semantic tree. This is 90 percent of the solution, as hiring wrong can cost you so much." Elon Musk noted hiring the right people as his most important advice for up-and-coming leaders. Best Tech Jobs: 7 Top Future-Proofed Careers, The best workplace personality tests and when to use them, Run a Team Dynamics Workshop (Step-by-Step Playbook). Experts on workplace leadership assert that so far Musks leadership style is headed in the wrong direction. Subscribe to weekly insights & inspiration: Oops! In total, there are seven different ones: democratic leadership, autocratic leadership, transformational leadership, transactional leadership, laissez-faire leadership, charismatic leadership, and servant leadership. Autocratic leaders want sole authority in their companies and rule with an iron fist, while transactional leaders can be cold and daunting because they view work as a business transaction. Musk is such a confident leader that he invests his own money on his business projects. Elon Musk's leadership style is about constantly learning, breaking through barriers, and developing new ways to solve problems. Autocratic Leadership Style Autocratic leadership is an extreme form of transactional leadership, where leaders have complete power over staff. This kind of mentality actually does not make those people great leaders. Ibrahim, A. and Daniel, C., 2019. Like Steve Jobs, he is highly respected and revered for his genius, but that doesnt change the fact hes still notoriously difficult to work with. He believes there's a better way to do everything, and he sets his sights on constant improvement. 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