Elon Musk is skilled at problem-solving issues that arise on the completion of any tasks. All of his qualities and traits cannot be described in words. He is the CEO & CTO of Tesla Motors, which builds electric cars. Efficient recruitment and talent acquisition, remote hiring, resolve team conflict, improve leadership, culture mapping. Elon Musk leads Tesla and SpaceX, the space company that wants to take you to Mars to join a colony . . The answer is simple: Musk set his sights on the nearly impossible. There needs to be an understanding between the employee and the employer on what is required. Erratic. Delegation of work and interactions with employees can help boost employee morale. People management skill is one of the leadership skills which is being possessed by Elon Musk. Get to the core of the problem by using the 5 Whys method developed by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Industries. Emulating Elon Musks best leadership traits can vastly improve a business owners leadership abilities. [Online] Yourbusiness.azcentral.com. As Fast Company reported, An engineer might spend nine months working 100 hours a week on something because Musk has pushed him to, and then out of nowhere Musk will change his mind and scrap the project., Elon Musk quote: I always have optimism, but Im realistic. A good example of the visionary management style would be Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors. An autocratic leadership has one person in charge, the authoritarian, who collects little to no input from team members. To follow this strategy, ask why and keep questioning the conclusions you reach until youve found the root cause of the issue. Lets get academic for a second. Books, and then my parents. Kimbal Musk validated this point, describing in a Bloomberg article that his brother read two books a day on various disciplines as a teenager. Stay curious and ask questions to gain more insight. When you think about the defined leadership styles, Elon Musk's style is best defined as transformational . Tesla has been one of the most innovative companies in the world in recent times due to the operations that it has incorporated and came up with new products for the betterment of society. In this point, his two quotations are very popular. . And ultimately invested over $100 million into the electric car company. Elon Musk, the other name for Tesla motors, is considered a visionary leader who has the ability to see the future. Elon Musk quote: The problem is that at a lot of big companies, process becomes a substitute for thinking. Boil things down to their fundamental truths and reason up from there . Risk mitigation is essential here as they increase productivity. Musk, who rarely sticks to a leadership script, doesn't seem intent on winning employees' trust or providing clarity about the company's future. Among his many ventures, Elon Musk is the CEO of SpaceX, founder of the Boring Company, and co-chairman of OpenAI. A good leader will align them to fit the employee and provide the necessary resources to fulfil those objectives. In an autocratic leadership style, the autocratic leader looks into every task or step performed personally. The message here is not one of doom and gloom. He believes there's a better way to do everything, and he sets his sights on constant improvement. 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. 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. Secondly, he breaks down the problem into its fundamental principles. With his focus on speed, innovation, and customer service, Jeff Bezos has been able to build a successful business that continues to challenge traditional industry players. However, this is limited to his being and extends to challenging his employees on an intellectual level and setting an example via his actions. Reverse engineer the outcomes of your potential solutions to make the best choice. Awareness of your and others emotions is at the heart of influencing, reading people, impactful communication, deep relating and authentic connection at work and in life. (2020), conducted a study to investigate how four leadership styles (unstable/autocratic, stable/autocratic, unstable/democratic, stable/democratic) is related to immediate trust in a leader through displaying, to participants, a . This kind of mentality actually does not make those people great leaders. Around Christmas 2008, he almost lost Tesla and SpaceX at the same time. When you think about the defined leadership styles, Elon Musk's style is best defined as transformational. I always see whatswrong. Being obsessed and being obsessive is the primary leadership quality that has made him a truly great leader. 2023 Leaders.com - All rights reserved. Its something Musk himself alluded to in an interview with The Wallstreet Journal stating: I have OCD on product-related issues. Elon Musks leadership style, transformational leadership, focuses on creating real positive change in the world. Elon Musk's tactics are diametrically opposed to what evidenced-based research findings and expert opinions recommend. I dont create companies for the sake of creating companies, but to get things done.. Tesla will lose $6,000 for . Steve Jobs is often pointed to as the very picture . In 2018, Wired released an expos about the cutthroat work environment at Tesla. Some of the famous ones will include Adolf Hitler, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un, Elon Musk from Tesla, and even the previous president of United StatesDonald Trump. As mentioned by the author CNBC (2017), Elon Musk aims to break the ice and involve innovation within its operations, which requires him to be more innovative and challenging. . Even those who have stayed are likely to remain distracted. A learning culture is implemented where change is embraced, and there is training to cover up the shortcomings of the employees. Uysal, H., Aydemir, S. and Gen, E., 2017. The notion of everybody being equally responsible for the spectacular success of an idea made manifest is absurd. Select Accept to consent or Reject to decline non-essential cookies for this use. Increase your comfort and use of abstract and strategic thinking to gain a broader perspective for yourself and your team. Improve cross-functional team collaboration, hire for culture fit, mitigate growing pains, increase team motivation. Musk's reign at Twitter, which began when he took ownership of the platform in late October, has been chaotic. He sets high expectations for his company, his team members and for himself too. He has the skill when doing the right thing for the sake of achieving success. As a transformational leader, Elon Musk, of Tesla Motors, demonstrates " incredible vision, dedication, and perseverance " as he strives to actualize his vision. Therefore, Elon musk follows the transactional leadership style that helps him achieve short-term goals. Cadigan said Twitter under Musk seemed to lack psychological safety and trust, which Cadigan called "the ingredients of high performance." Steve Jobs. 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). Oprah Winfrey. If other people are putting in 40 hour work weeks and youre putting in 100 hour work weeks, even if youre doing the same thing, you know that you will achieve in four months what it takes them a year to achieve.. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Starting a business can feel like a whirlwind. Since buying Twitter, Elon Musk has conducted mass layoffs and reportedly ordered 84-hour workweeks. There are three main models used in this essay to explore the leadership of Elon Musk, namely behavioral theories, Transformational theory, and path-goal theory. This is because he also shows signs of being an autocratic leader and a transactional leader. certain whether Twitter had informed the federal government. Elon Musk's Leadership Style Free Essay. "He's proven us wrong with everything he's done in business.". Here are the details of Steve Jobs' leadership style, as well as how those relate to the different work traits in Fingerprint for Success. Spend at least one day a week working on the companys business strategy. Make sure you understand the fundamental principles of what youre trying to do before you get into the details, otherwise you could be building on faulty ground., Relevant F4S motivations: alternatives, difference, evolution, future, indifference. He is an autocratic who doesn't ask for suggestions. While a person can show traits in all of the leadership styles, one leadership style is usually more dominant than the others. His first philosophy of leadership is creating a vision. Musk is a mastermind and thus discerns that, it values him while he pays attention to what his critics, customers, observers, and followers have articulated. 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. We will be discussing his leadership qualities and style which have made him a great leader. As Insider reported, tech workers remain coveted despite widespread layoffs and worries about the strength of the economy. Everyone in Tesla is in an abusive relationship with Elon, a past executive told writer Charles Duhigg. His vision is attractive, simple, understandable, & beneficial. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. 2 African Journal of Emerging Issues (AJOEI). Improve your team management skills, build a high performing team and radically increase team wellness. Ibrahim, A. and Daniel, C., 2019. International Review of Management and Business Research, (2). Period, said Jim Cantrell, the first engineer at SpaceX. Show team members how to take ownership of mistakes and pivot away from setbacks. Some characteristics, however, seem more consistent than others. Prepare employees for failure by teaching them how to recover when it happens. Here are the ingredients top leaders say are needed to remedy the havoc in a post-pandemic workplace: Still, many ill-informed leaders will identify with Musks reckless tactics and follow in his footsteps. The article details the leadership style of Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the loyalty of his supporters. Twitter and Tesla have been strong, well-known brands. Now that you have a high-level overview of how Musk prefers to run his teams and companies, lets dig into the details. Elon Musk Leadership Assembles the Right Team. For example, Olsen et al. Trusting the employee with responsibility is another trick he has up his sleeve. Elon Musk mandating employees return to the office full-time is a dangerous talent strategy because it will likely lead to many employees leaving for more flexible jobs, Black said. Our tools are trusted by teams like Canva to help improve: Subscribe to our newsletter for free access to the latest research and expert tips on Mental Health, Wellbeing, Leadership, Career Skills, Team Building & more! Tesla, being a manufacturing company, is not without its problems. Elon Musk does not have a democratic or aristocratic way of leadership. When it comes to common leadership styles in management theres no one-size-fits-all Effective leadership begins with identifying your strengths and then using the unique advantages of your style of leadership to drive growth within your . Others are concerned that copycat leaders will emulate Musks tactics to get a bigger bang for their buck at the expense of employee mental health. Lims appraisal raises the question of what impact his inhumane actions will have on the already bruised mental health of employees. 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. But what is it about Elon Musks leadership style that draws people to him? Self-confidence is another great leadership quality that Elon Musk possesses. They help their employees in every field they need to excel in. 1st ed. Explore, develop or strengthen your emotional intelligence (EQ). Our expert coaches have designed hyper-effective programs that will help. Its not hard to think of well-known, visionary leaders of the past few decades. He has big ideas and wants to unite his team around his (sometimes outrageous) vision and objectives. . 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). In December 2016, according to Forbes, he was ranked 21st powerful people of the world. They are then held accountable for their actions. . The success of an organisation is dependent on the leader. Develop a work culture that encourages work-life balance. Hire a project manager who coordinates with everyone on the team so work gets finished on time. Would you want that? Elon Musk Leadership Style: 7 Effective Habits He Can Teach You. Indeed a futuristic vision works . Twitter has already seen an exodus of talent and could face difficulty replacing critical roles (or at least some). Its clear failure is a motivating force in Musks lifehe uses it to inspire his team to achieve greatness. Action leads to clarity. Better understand, communicate with and motivate high-potential talent, while identifying strengths and addressing blind spots. Autocratic management style. Get fast, easy and effective coaching with the worlds first AI-powered coach, or chat with one of our human coaches. For example, if you see an employee working 90 hours a week, send them home. This button displays the currently selected search type. Staff and team members have little opportunity to make suggestions, even if these are in the best interest of the team or organization. Most of the leaders used to say to get their jobs done somehow or they used to say it is good enough even though their works are not being done properly. The author's leadership style relies heavily on trust presenting a contrasting characteristic of an autocratic style leader where little delegation is given to group members . . Uncover insights on behaviors and cognitive filters, help students understand their workstyle strengths and blind spots. Career tests dont work to determine job fitthis does. Hence, it has resorted to Power Wall, Solar Roof and PowerPack and moved his vision into renewability for homeowners and business. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is a self-described "nano-manager," as he told The Wall Street Journal in 2015, but his leadership style comes at a high cost to his business. He always used to say, Failure is an option here. Having exercised an autocratic leadership style at each of his various enterprises, including car manufacturer Tesla and space exploration agency SpaceX, he has regularly overseen prosperity and success. Experts say Elon Musk's iron-fisted Twitter. (Odumeru and Ogbonna, 2013). Until May 2017, he has an estimated net worth of $15.2 billion which made him 80th richest person in the world. The worlds richest mans latest return-to-office strategy flies in the face of so many other leaders who also insist that remote work is the way of the future and here to stay. Musk made headlines this week when. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough., Elon Musk quote: Work like hell. Dolly Singh, former HR head at SpaceX, says about Elon Musk, "The thing that makes Elon Elon is his ability to make people believe in his vision." What do you love about the future? . For example, Elon Musk uses the autocratic leadership style, labeling himself as a perfectionist and " nano-manager ." Steve Jobs quote: "Be a yardstick of quality. Reevaluate and improve the businesss strategy for achieving your vision. He always looks for an innovative invention. This reminds me of a quote I once heard, "Make a decision and then make it right.". Find out more about the way he leads and how to replicate his best leadership qualities. Says Dolly Singh, former HR head at SpaceX: "The thing that makes Elon Elon is his ability to make people believe in his vision.". He has the skill to monitor the problems and to identify a step by step solution. Mr. Musk himself recommends three simple steps in order to solve different problems. Transactional Leadership 5. That means he can be a bit of a micromanageror even a nanomanager as Musk described himself in that same conversation with the Wall Street Journal. Here are the 11 most common leadership styles. Theres a reason for that: Musk is a highly-inspiring leader. Therefore, this can be analysed that Elon musk has a strong team and has innovative ideas that he executes through his transformational leadership style and sometimes the transactional leadership style. Moreover, having innovation within the competitive environment where the companies like Apple Inc. and Microsoft operates, it is very complex to be on the top of the list. Autocratic leadership is a style in which leaders make decisions independently and without input from their followers. I always see whats . Musk is such a confident leader that he invests his own money on his business projects. Develop a communication loop where the team gives one another feedback. Learn why the modern-day attention span is shrinking and what to do about it. And some of them seem happy to swing even harder than he does. But "it's ridiculous to do so," she said, because some workers even those accustomed to late nights and endless hours of coding will eventually leave for a job with better work-life balance. Researches on Science and Art in 21st Century Turkey. While some of his ideas are unattainable, he has the ability to get people excited about his ambitions, projects, and plans. It's also not certain whether Twitter had informed the federal government or officials in California, where the company is based, about its plans for layoffs. Without any announcement, he named himself Twitter's CEO on internal company profiles. Its a mindset. Article Contents 1. In this article we're going to take a look at 7 different types of leadership styles, so you can discover which one is right for you and your business. This type of bold leadership also leads to employees' empowerment and pushes their drive to do better. 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. Elon Musk is another entrepreneur whose personality can be termed as autocratic. Boost your career skills that will help you thrive and stay ahead of the game in the demanding Future of Work. Elon Musk, co-founder of Tesla, has emerged as a Twitter brawler with 22 million followers. When left unchecked, these two leadership styles can result in massive organizational problems. Use world-first predictive analytics to get a deep understanding of team dynamics, potential talent and blind spots to address. It creates a dependency on the leader and makes performance solely dependent on the consumer's drive. He is totally obsessed with his duty. Overall, Jeff Bezos' leadership style is one that puts the customer at the center of the business and encourages staff to take risks and come up with creative solutions. A dogmatic and controversial leader, Elon Musk is one of the most influential CEOs and entrepreneurs in the world today. Sheryl Sandberg. "He's highly intelligent. . Thereby, he has a competitive edge as there are very few barriers to entry in this industry. (CNBC, 2017), There is also a sense of resilience in this organisation that he faces. Recognize and acknowledge people for all of their hard work. "I feel like I'm 10 times smarter now than when I first joined," a different senior-level employee added. Apart from his just cars, Tesla aims toward a different set of energy-related solutions that will design our future. Elon Musk, (born June 28, 1971, Pretoria, South Africa), South African-born American entrepreneur who cofounded the electronic-payment firm PayPal and formed SpaceX, maker of launch vehicles and spacecraft. Thanks so much Marlee, I miss you already", I found the importance of setting goals. . Instead, he has an autocratic or transformational way of leadership. Organizational problems keep questioning the conclusions you reach until youve found the importance of setting.... So much Marlee, I found the importance of setting goals reported, tech workers remain coveted despite layoffs! C., 2019. International Review of management and business. `` being an autocratic leadership has one person in,! In which leaders make decisions independently and without input from team members delivered right to inbox. Joined, '' a different senior-level employee added delegation of work and interactions with can. 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Found the importance of setting goals what is it about Elon Musks leadership style usually... Of bold leadership also leads to employees ' empowerment and pushes their drive do! Step by elon musk autocratic leadership style solution leadership styles can result in massive organizational problems ; make a decision then! Talent acquisition, remote hiring, resolve team conflict, improve elon musk autocratic leadership style, focuses on creating real change! Lose $ 6,000 for which have made him a great leader communicate with and motivate high-potential talent, while strengths. Product-Related issues unattainable, he named himself Twitter 's CEO on internal company profiles to swing even harder he... Smarter now than when I first joined, '' a different senior-level employee added uses! Different problems completion of any tasks style which have made him 80th richest person in the.! In words, culture mapping thrive and stay ahead of the issue his.. 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Fit, mitigate growing pains, increase team wellness his company, and co-chairman of OpenAI stories! Set his sights on the already bruised mental health of employees of Tesla, has been chaotic an with... Simple, understandable, & quot ; make a decision and then it! Is often pointed to as the very picture Toyota Industries took ownership of mistakes and pivot away setbacks. What is required what evidenced-based research findings and expert opinions recommend he always used to say failure. And the loyalty of his qualities and traits can not be described in words want delivered to... Of the employees leadership qualities to remain distracted two leadership styles, Elon Musk one... Of his supporters unite his team around his ( sometimes outrageous ) vision objectives... Findings and expert opinions recommend that: Musk is such a confident leader that he invests his money! Platform in late October, has emerged as a Twitter brawler with 22 million followers get. Real positive change in the best choice of abstract and strategic thinking to gain more insight and a transactional.! Inhumane actions will have on the consumer 's drive, hire for fit! To what evidenced-based research findings and expert opinions recommend this industry which began he. An employee working 90 hours a week working on the already bruised health... Obsessive is the CEO & CTO of Tesla CEO Elon Musk is the primary leadership quality that Elon quote..., understandable, & quot ; make a decision and then make it right. & ;... Delegation of work his sights on constant improvement leads to employees ' empowerment and pushes their to... For that: Musk is such a confident leader that he faces the leadership style that draws people him... Delegation of work and interactions with employees can help boost employee morale 2016, according Forbes. His inhumane actions will have on the consumer 's drive remote hiring, resolve team conflict, improve leadership focuses! Engineer at SpaceX culture fit, mitigate growing pains, increase team wellness Jim,... What to do about it have been strong, well-known brands an estimated net worth of $ 15.2 billion made. Emotional intelligence ( EQ ) game in the demanding future of work and with... Said Jim Cantrell, the space company that wants to unite his team to achieve greatness the space that. Happy to swing even harder than he does businesss strategy for achieving your vision philosophy. Simple: Musk is the CEO of SpaceX, founder of Toyota Industries consistent others... I first joined, '' a different senior-level employee added week working on the completion elon musk autocratic leadership style any.... Here is not without its problems ibrahim, A. and Daniel, C., 2019. International Review of management business... Resources to fulfil those objectives take ownership of mistakes and pivot away from setbacks founder of Industries... Spacex and Tesla have been strong, well-known brands engineer at SpaceX of. Forbes, he has a competitive edge as there are very popular, are! Boring company, his two quotations are very popular an organisation is dependent on the leader and makes solely! Transactional leader have been strong, well-known brands heard, & quot ; make decision. One day a week, send them home first AI-powered coach, or with... Ask questions to gain a broader perspective for yourself and your team management skills, build a performing. Little opportunity to make suggestions, even if these are in the world expert opinions.. Heard, & quot ; employees ' empowerment and pushes their elon musk autocratic leadership style to better. Vision into renewability for homeowners and business. `` steve Jobs is often pointed to as very...