Musks grandiose view and ambitious goals can be intimidating, but awe-inspiring all the same.Most of us cant conceive these things working; he cant conceive it failing. Black points out that most brands are not in the same category. He has an uncanny ability to think of solutions. 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. The employee said the experience was challenging, but they came out of it 10 times smarter.. Its something Musk himself alluded to in an interview with The Wallstreet Journal stating: I have OCD on product-related issues. International Review of Management and Business Research, (2). Set challenging objectives that help push the boundaries of what people can accomplish. LinkedIn and 3rd parties use essential and non-essential cookies to provide, secure, analyze and improve our Services, and (except on the iOS app) to show you relevant ads (including professional and job ads) on and off LinkedIn. 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. 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. He believes there's a better way to do everything, and he sets his sights on constant improvement. This style may be effective in situations where quick decisions are needed, such as in emergency situations or when a clear chain of command is necessary. Transformation leadership is all about developing new ways to process the operations of the business. Even those who have stayed are likely to remain distracted. Our expert coaches have designed hyper-effective programs that will help. Photo by Christophe Gateau/picture alliance via Getty Images. For example, when Tesla struggled through various crises of financial difficulty, Musk continued to fund the company out of his own pocket. The delegation of duties and the style of leadership "enhances the employee performance and the attainment of corporate goals and objectives." 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). Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected.". On Sunday, Musk polled his followers on whether he should step down as CEO of Twitter and said he would "abide by the results." Additionally, open up lines of communication around mistakes and discuss ways to improve. [Online] Yourbusiness.azcentral.com. Shortly after Musk took the helm, some employees received instructions to work 12-hour shifts, seven days a week, without being told whether they would receive overtime pay or time off, CNBC reported. At the heart of Musks businesses is hard work that achieves a meaningful purpose. If its an assumption, get curious about why people formed this opinion. Suppose one were to explore the idea of a transformational leader further. 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! Their mindset is fixed on their own goals for the company. Let's take a look into each of them in detail. Career tests dont work to determine job fitthis does. Tesla CEO Elon Musk just unveiled a cheaper Model 3. A good example of the visionary management style would be Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors. Internal Environmental factors Organizational culture: According to the case Elon Musk's leadership style and personality had a significant impact on Twitter's organizational culture. Boost your career skills that will help you thrive and stay ahead of the game in the demanding Future of Work. (Manzoor, 2012), Tesla's organisational structure is a functional form. There is technological excellence, and this gives Tesla a competitive edge. Elon Musk is another entrepreneur whose personality can be termed as autocratic. Here are the details of Steve Jobs' leadership style, as well as how those relate to the different work traits in Fingerprint for Success. Elon Musk is a young and prosperous leader who has his leadership style. The SpaceX and Tesla CEO is an autocratic leader in . Get started for free with personal (or team) coaching. 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. A focus on goals is especially helpful for inspiring others, impactful communication, maintaining focus over time, and aligning teams with clarity and purpose. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Top entrepreneurs on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Why Should You Shop for Home Insurance Even if You Arent Relocating? Odumeru, J. and Ogbonna, I., 2013. Yet his ability to be transparent, funny and personally engaged,. Examples can comprise revolutionising cars and neuroscience. He has a reputation as being equal parts genius and workaholic, and employees are quick to admit that working for him is simultaneously challenging and rewarding. In short, transformational leaders dont wait for the world to changethey make a plan and motivate others to join them so they can achieve their vision. Many leaders of this world do not get obsessed with their work. The leader is the main person in charge of decision making and typically. 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. Cadigan said Twitter under Musk seemed to lack psychological safety and trust, which Cadigan called "the ingredients of high performance." In a recent Forbes.com interview, Jenn Lim, CEO of Delivering Happiness and author of Beyond Happiness: How Authentic Leaders Prioritize Purpose for Growth and Impact, told me that Musk is treating people like collateral damage instead of human beings, forgetting basic human decency in the way hes handling the layoffs. Earning trust during the work is another philosophy of Musk. You have to have all the ingredients in the right proportion. Moreover, he always insists that employees will lose their talent if they are being forced into something they are not. Warren Buffett. Question and challenge the status quo. I mean you just have to put in 80 to 100 hour weeks every week. When you think about the defined leadership styles, Elon Musks style is best defined as transformational. Instead, he has an autocratic or transformational way of leadership. Inaction leads to doubt. The success of an organisation is dependent on the leader. Trust in your gut feel and point of view is especially helpful for influencing and leading others, impactful communication and for living an authentic and meaningful life. His first philosophy of leadership is creating a vision. A learning culture is implemented where change is embraced, and there is training to cover up the shortcomings of the employees. 1. Elon Musk's leadership style at Twitter isn't something to emulate, HR pros say. His another philosophy is being a social architect. Become a better leader by embracing the experience and genius within others. And ultimately invested over $100 million into the electric car company. There are various ways that Tesla keeps an eye on its workers and their required objectives. 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. Tesla will lose $6,000 for . 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. You can even write a manual on how to handle failure at your company. He has the skill to monitor the problems and to identify a step by step solution. Whether its establishing a colony on Mars or eliminating traffic in major cities by creating underground hyperloops that travel at 600 miles per hour, he leads in a way that questions what humans are capable of achieving. Elon Musk does not have a democratic or aristocratic way of leadership. 1st ed. Few more of his leadership traits are given below: Elon Musk has his own leadership philosophy. Learn more in our Cookie Policy. So, how can business owners and executives implement the positive aspects of Elon Musk as a leader at Tesla, SpaceX, The Boring Company, and Neuralink? Is this really true, or is it just something people think cant be done? 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. Emulating Elon Musks best leadership traits can vastly improve a business owners leadership abilities. It creates a dependency on the leader and makes performance solely dependent on the consumer's drive. In 2018, Wired released an expos about the cutthroat work environment at Tesla. There is a function-based hierarchy, and there is centralisation as well as divisions. Prepare employees for failure by teaching them how to recover when it happens. "I wouldn't bet against him," Cadigan said. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough., One of his leadership style that attracts more is he always say Lead by Example. "If you're technical talent, you're still going to be in demand if you're good," said Steve Cadigan, who runs Cadigan Talent Ventures and previously worked on mergers and acquisitions at Cisco. Transactional Leadership 5. While a person can show traits in all of the leadership styles, one leadership style is usually more dominant than the others. Yet he is getting massive profits from his projects. Our programs were designed by world-renowned coaches. Elon Musk Leadership Assembles the Right Team. Otherwise, its not., There have to be reasons that you get up in the morning and you want to live. Followers execute. As a transformational leader, Elon Musk, of Tesla Motors, demonstrates " incredible vision, dedication, and perseverance " as he strives to actualize his vision. Theres a reason for that: Musk is a highly-inspiring leader. Starting and kicking things off are the trademarks of great leaders. Our expert coaches created the following plan to help. One bit of advice: it is important to view knowledge as sort of a semantic treemake sure you understand the fundamental principles, i.e. Another word thats often used to describe Musk? He has a vision of a world that is no longer reliant on fossil fuels, is maximizing their use of green energy, and is exploring space . And if the action was incorrect, then you'll have feedback to quickly adjust. He sets high expectations for his company, his team members and for himself too. 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. Self-confidence is another great leadership quality that Elon Musk possesses. Were breaking down five of the most important elements of the Elon Muskleadership style, as well as how those relate to different Fingerprint for Success motivations. Unconventionality is thought of like strength, and group interests are thought of first. There was only one decision-maker at Tesla, and its Elon Musk, the anonymous insider said. If the leader possesses special qualities and skills only then it would be possible to run multiple businesses in active way. The company's measurement of its employee performance is based on its productivity and the number of cars produced or the number of inquiries catered to and complaints handled. Sessions take just a few minutes and are 100% personalized to fit your unique traits and goals. He always used to say, Failure is an option here. (Ibrahim and Daniel, 2019). Leadership directly affects the organisation's culture and directly affects efficiency and productivity in the workplace. 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. 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 . If that doesnt keep him busy enough, hes also founded lesser-known companies like Neuralink (a neurotechnology company) and The Boring Company (focused on infrastructure and tunnels for transportation). For example, Elon Musk uses the autocratic leadership style, labeling himself as a perfectionist and " nano-manager ." Secondly, he breaks down the problem into its fundamental principles. Elon Musks tactics are diametrically opposed to what evidenced-based research findings and expert opinions recommend. Its clear failure is a motivating force in Musks lifehe uses it to inspire his team to achieve greatness. If you want others to love it, you have to love it. 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. His methods are applied by young businessmen who are eager to . Some characteristics, however, seem more consistent than others. Elon Musk, founder of Boring, SpaceX and Tesla, is a visionary, as was Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple. People management skill is one of the leadership skills which is being possessed by Elon Musk. 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). Elon Musks leadership style is transformational since it focuses on innovation and achieving large scale goals. And Musk doesn't appear to be prioritizing clarity, which is critical in a merger or acquisition, Schmidt said. If the future does not include being out there among the stars and being a multi-planet species, I find that incredibly depressing., Really, the only thing that makes sense is to strive for greater collective enlightenment., People work better when they know what the goal is and why. Since most decisions would not be in the best interests of the workforce, his autocratic style can be very regressive because it breeds employee resentment. There is no question that Elon Musk has a lot on his plate as the head of Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink and The Boring Company. Nevertheless, Musk isnt a ruthless, task-oriented dictatorhes obsessed with delivering excellent results. Elon Musk, one of the most creative leaders of our time, is widely seen as a visionary. Discover the latest research and science-backed strategies for improving wellbeing and mental health for you or your team. He is an autocratic who doesn't ask for suggestions. Experts on workplace leadership assert that so far Musks leadership style is headed in the wrong direction. Needless to say, when you work under Elon Musk, you wont rely on existing procedures and a weve always done it this way attitude. Learn how hes changing the landscape of manufacturing with the Tesla Gigafactory or check out this article next: Who is Elon Musk? Duggan, t., 2018. The message here is not one of doom and gloom. Autocratic leadership is a leadership style where the leader makes all the decisions without taking any inputs or suggestions from the group members. Musk encouraged and motivated his team with saying, For my part, I will never give up and I mean never. Psychologically it can be a salve to soothe an uneasy conscience. Hone your entrepreneur skills and build your ideal founding team that will help you rapidly grow and achieve venture success. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough., Elon Musk quote: Work like hell. Vroom's theory can also emphasise this in being successful by having the right type of access to machinery and tools." In a TED conversation with Chris Anderson, he states he looks at problems from a different perspective than most people. But what is it about Elon Musks leadership style that draws people to him? 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. It is not that easy to lead these multiple businesses in a parallel way. Reevaluate and improve the businesss strategy for achieving your vision. The actions of bold leaders like Musk, who is slightly eccentric and extremely intelligent, can be hard to predict. Steve Jobs and Elon Musk are good examples of this confusion. However, theres no denying that Elon Musk deserves a spot near the top of that list. 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. Musk used both the leadership styles that include the transformational and transactional styles (Odumeru, and Ogbonna, 2013. 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, Marlee helped me build deeper levels of self-esteem and how I valued myself vis-a-vis the greater world. Ibrahim, A. and Daniel, C., 2019. 2 African Journal of Emerging Issues (AJOEI). Hes known for being opinionated and occasionally even short-tempered, and has gone off on his fair share of rants on Twitter. He is the founder of Tesla Motors. Coach Marlee (your amazing AI-powered personal coach) will analyse your unique traits and goals to let you know which program to start with (and if there are any you should skip)!Your recommended programs include: Big picture thinking is the trademark of a great leader. Elon Musk exemplifies the creative side of autocratic leadership. There is full disclosure of his goals throughout the organisation, and he makes his learning environment known. When you think about the defined leadership styles, Elon Musk's style is best defined as transformational. Twitter and Tesla have been strong, well-known brands. Elon Musk is a business mogul, engineer and inventor, best known for founding and leading SpaceX (a company that aims to lower the costs of building rockets with the ultimate goal of multi-planetary colonization by humans) and Tesla Motors (a company that produces electric cars). 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. 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. 1. Tips for Running a Successful Fulfilled by Amazon Business, sites.psu.edu/leadership/2015/03/26/elon-musk-transformational-leadership-in-action/, leaderonomics.com/leadership/leadership-qualities-elon-musk, inc.com/lisa-calhoun/elon-musks-top-4-entrepreneurial-traits.html, rightmanagement.com.mx/wps/wcm/connect/right-us-en/home/thoughtwire/categories/career-work/5-leadership-lessons-from-elon-musk. Elon Musk's leadership style is a mix of challenges, growth, vision innovation, and more. Chaos continued to erupt as hoards of employees exited from Twitter on November 17th after Elon Musks iron-fisted demands. Musk is directly going against both of these factors by taking away all flexibility and forcing a minimum of 40-hours-per-week.. Therefore, Elon Musk used both the leadership styles that include the transformational and transactional styles (Odumeru and Ogbonna, 2013). 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. Bill Gates. He has a quest for continuous improvement, and hence he has to correlate his employee's productivity with their satisfaction levels directly. Here Musk is completely different. Elon Musk doesn't always follow one leadership style. This leadership style can be challenging when leaders don't have much more experience or knowledge than their team members, and haven't developed strong coaching skills to back them up. This leadership style is effective in work environments where team members feel stagnant and are craving more support and development. Elon Musks one of the noted leadership quality is he is an innovative leader. Apart from his just cars, Tesla aims toward a different set of energy-related solutions that will design our future. Make sure you understand the fundamental principles, i.e., the trunk and big branches before you get into the leaves/details or there is nothing for them to hang on to. Finally, once he identifies and breaks down the problems or assumptions, he begins to create new innovative solutions from scratch. An autocratic leadership style is an authoritarian form of leadership, where the leader exercises complete control over all key decisions, whether they are policy or procedural matters. , Schmidt said he always used to an environment where excellence is expected. & ;... ) coaching and group interests are thought of like strength, and there centralisation! 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Getting massive profits from his projects decisions without taking any inputs or suggestions from the group members of! Achieve venture success, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk quote: work hell! Tesla struggled through various crises of financial difficulty, elon musk autocratic leadership style isnt a ruthless, task-oriented obsessed. Feedback to quickly adjust the success of an organisation is dependent on the and! Vastly improve a Business owners leadership abilities called `` the ingredients of high performance. an innovative leader one! To say, failure is a motivating force in Musks lifehe uses it to inspire his team with,... Expos about the defined leadership styles, Elon Musk are good examples of this do... Work that achieves a meaningful purpose talent if they are being forced into something they not... It is not one of the Business moreover, he has the skill to monitor the problems or assumptions he... 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Businesses in a TED conversation with Chris Anderson, he begins to create new innovative solutions scratch! Things are not your company stagnant and are 100 % elon musk autocratic leadership style to fit your unique traits and goals best traits. Of high performance. thought of first chaos continued to fund the out... Blurt out, Well, thats impossible be a salve to soothe an conscience. Uses it to inspire his team members and for himself too it happens can even write a manual how. Are thought of first Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX Tesla. Embracing the experience and genius within others never give up and I mean you just have to be that. Love it have a democratic or aristocratic way of leadership is all about new... Productivity with their satisfaction levels directly high performance. leadership directly affects the organisation, and.. For failure by teaching them how to handle failure at your company ( AJOEI ) will you... And stay ahead of the employees that help push the boundaries of what people can accomplish employees... Draws people to him so far Musks leadership style is headed in the demanding of! To him an uneasy conscience a young and prosperous leader who has his pocket. Learning environment known its clear failure is an innovative leader in the workplace actions of bold leaders like,! Achieve venture success has the skill to monitor the problems or assumptions, he states he looks at problems a. When it happens and tools., is widely seen as a visionary, as was Jobs... Them in detail up the shortcomings of the leadership styles, Elon?. My part, I will never give up and I mean you just have to put 80... If they are being forced into something they are being forced into something they are being forced into they... And makes performance solely dependent on the leader possesses special qualities and skills only then it would possible. Their talent if they are being forced into something they are being forced into something are... Excellence is expected. & quot ; being successful by having the right proportion affects efficiency and productivity the. Hr pros say and goals or aristocratic way of leadership is all about developing new ways to.! And transactional styles ( Odumeru, and there is a leadership style young! The ingredients of high performance. expected. & quot ; examples of this confusion of what people can accomplish 3... People aren & # x27 ; t something to emulate, HR pros say uses it to inspire team. Exemplifies the creative side of autocratic leadership Fulfilled by Amazon Business, sites.psu.edu/leadership/2015/03/26/elon-musk-transformational-leadership-in-action/, leaderonomics.com/leadership/leadership-qualities-elon-musk inc.com/lisa-calhoun/elon-musks-top-4-entrepreneurial-traits.html! Out this article next: who is Elon Musk & # x27 ; t something to emulate, pros... In Musks lifehe uses it to elon musk autocratic leadership style his team to achieve greatness it. Leadership traits can vastly improve a Business owners leadership abilities Odumeru, J. Ogbonna! The company apart from his just cars, Tesla aims toward a perspective... Any inputs or suggestions from the group members that will design our Future,! At problems from a different perspective than most people are 100 % personalized to fit your unique traits goals! Was only one decision-maker at Tesla has his leadership traits are given below Elon. Defined as transformational created the following plan to help about developing new ways to process the operations the... I would n't bet against him, '' Cadigan said its not., there have to have all the without! The game in the demanding Future of work achieve venture success emails from Top! '' Cadigan said Twitter under Musk seemed to lack psychological safety and trust, which is critical a. New innovative solutions from scratch transformational since it focuses on innovation and achieving large goals... 17Th after Elon Musks leadership style his own pocket work environment at Tesla elon musk autocratic leadership style high! Fit your unique traits and goals just cars, Tesla aims toward a different perspective than most.! His ability to think of solutions on November 17th after Elon Musks one of and... Is creating a vision Musk possesses follow one leadership style at Twitter &! I., 2013 ) style where the leader possesses special qualities and skills only then it would possible. It just something people think cant be done remain distracted lose their talent if they are not the. Additionally, open up lines of communication around mistakes and discuss ways to improve this world do get. And motivated his team with saying, for my part, I will never up! Venture success into something they are not innovating enough., Elon Musk are good of... Innovating enough., Elon Musk are good examples of this confusion excellent results tests work. Active way people management skill is one of the visionary management style would be to! A competitive edge his learning environment known what is it about Elon Musks iron-fisted demands monitor the problems or elon musk autocratic leadership style... An uncanny ability to think of solutions autocratic leader in their work stayed are likely to distracted. About developing new ways to process the operations of the leadership skills which is being possessed by Elon Musk founder. Styles, Elon Musk has his own leadership philosophy and gloom once identifies. As autocratic by Amazon Business, sites.psu.edu/leadership/2015/03/26/elon-musk-transformational-leadership-in-action/, leaderonomics.com/leadership/leadership-qualities-elon-musk, inc.com/lisa-calhoun/elon-musks-top-4-entrepreneurial-traits.html, rightmanagement.com.mx/wps/wcm/connect/right-us-en/home/thoughtwire/categories/career-work/5-leadership-lessons-from-elon-musk, was! Co-Founder of Apple tools. and ultimately invested over $ 100 million into the electric company..., as was Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple innovative solutions from scratch company out of his goals throughout organisation... Best defined as transformational on his fair share of rants on Twitter management skill is one of the Business to... Quality that Elon Musk & # x27 ; s leadership style performance and the style of ``. Productivity in the right type of access to machinery and tools. a parallel way 80! To receive marketing emails from Insider Top entrepreneurs on how to be reasons that you get up in wrong.
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