Emulating Elon Musks best leadership traits can vastly improve a business owners leadership abilities. Get to the core of the problem by using the 5 Whys method developed by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Industries. Tesla, being a manufacturing company, is not without its problems. As you make these decisions, keep your company's values and purpose close by, making them part of the considerations. 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! Being obsessed and being obsessive is the primary leadership quality that has made him a truly great leader. You can update your choices at any time in your settings. He always strives for excellence and does not set on mediocrity. The answer is simple: Musk set his sights on the nearly impossible. Tesla CEO Elon Musk just unveiled a cheaper Model 3. 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. 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. However, theres no denying that Elon Musk deserves a spot near the top of that list. However, this is limited to his being and extends to challenging his employees on an intellectual level and setting an example via his actions. Thereby, his vision keeps expanding, and he needs his employees to do the same. Show team members how to take ownership of mistakes and pivot away from setbacks. Staff and team members have little opportunity to make suggestions, even if these are in the best interest of the team or organization. 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. During this eight week program Coach Marlee will help you to develop a genuine appreciation for experimentation and data and a willingness to empower the opinions, feedback and insights from within your team and others in your life. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. What do you love about the future? Here are two case studies of autocratic leadership styles. Steve Jobs. When theyre being upheld, the true character of an organization has the opportunity to show its humanity.. Elon Musk has a drive that cannot be unseen. Frankly, it allows you to keep people who arent that smart, who arent that creative., Relevant F4S motivations: internal reference, indifference, alternatives, low focus on procedures. Career tests dont work to determine job fitthis does. For example, Elon Musk uses the autocratic leadership style, labeling himself as a perfectionist and " nano-manager ." 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). Musk made headlines this week when. Therefore, Elon Musk used both the leadership styles that include the transformational and transactional styles (Odumeru and Ogbonna, 2013). Elon Musk is such kind of a leader who possesses a lot of leadership qualities and styles. Warren Buffett. If you are trying to find some autocratic leadership examples, you can actually find it in many renowned leaders. As a transformational leader, Elon Musk focuses on solving the worlds greatest problems. At first, he identifies and defines the assumptions. 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. He has an uncanny ability to think of solutions. Quickly assess and identify the ideal candidates for your team based on job-fit and team culture when hiring talent. 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. Hes known for being opinionated and occasionally even short-tempered, and has gone off on his fair share of rants on Twitter. Elon Musk leads Tesla and SpaceX, the space company that wants to take you to Mars to join a colony . Black points out that most brands are not in the same category. Musk joins the ranks of changemakers like Steve Jobs (Apple), Reed Hastings (Netflix), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), and Brian Chesky (Airbnb). Elon Musk, founder of Boring, SpaceX and Tesla, is a visionary, as was Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple. The leadership style directly affects Tesla. Our expert coaches have designed hyper-effective programs that will help. Develop a communication loop where the team gives one another feedback. Tesla's future as a mass-market car company hinges on efficient, automated production of the Model 3. If you want others to love it, you have to love it. Instead, he has an autocratic or transformational way of leadership. Autocratic leadership is a leadership style where the leader makes all the decisions without taking any inputs or suggestions from the group members. 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. 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. Prepare employees for failure by teaching them how to recover when it happens. In each of his ventures, Musk has managed to mobile people to accept a new group identity and a new philosophy. This button displays the currently selected search type. Learn how hes changing the landscape of manufacturing with the Tesla Gigafactory or check out this article next: Who is Elon Musk? There is no question that Elon Musk has a lot on his plate as the head of Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink and The Boring Company. His first philosophy of leadership is creating a vision. 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.. (Uysal, Aydemir and Gen, 2017) This can be seen by Tesla and its management as they provide the technological advances to equip their employee with the best. "I feel like I'm 10 times smarter now than when I first joined," a different senior-level employee added. Bureaucratic Leadership 7. Steve Black at Topia points out that this is a dangerous path for other companies to follow. Increase your comfort and use of abstract and strategic thinking to gain a broader perspective for yourself and your team. He loves to innovate products that are far from ordinary and engage in tasks which not many people try to venture into. . But, with numerous successful companies on his resume and a reputation for developing some of the most groundbreaking products and technologies on the market today, hes definitely a leader worth examiningbut not necessarily emulating. He has the skill when doing the right thing for the sake of achieving success. Musk's leadership behaviors coincide with each of Bennis and Nanus' four strategies typically used by transformational leaders (1985, in Northouse, 2013). The leader is the main person in charge of decision making and typically. Strengthen these for business success. Indeed a futuristic vision works . Autocratic leadership is a style in which leaders make decisions independently and without input from their followers. He has also suggested that "they feel a part of a larger team and by reducing the noise and blockers in their work." Gavin . He possesses this great skill and he also knows the path how to achieve the powerful vision. He has a unique way of thinking about problems. Explore, develop or strengthen your emotional intelligence (EQ). Mc Gregor's Theory Y is similar to this type of leadership because it supports the idea that "managers work to encourage their workers." Elon Musk is another entrepreneur whose personality can be termed as autocratic. Autocratic management style. The motivated employee then works best in the interest of the organisation, which then lead towards "growth, prosperity and productivity." Unconventionality is thought of like strength, and group interests are thought of first. Vroom's theory can also emphasise this in being successful by having the right type of access to machinery and tools." He has gained wide popularity because of his unique ability to achieve his goals. While a person can show traits in all of the leadership styles, one leadership style is usually more dominant than the others. In an autocratic leadership style, the autocratic leader looks into every task or step performed personally. For example, when Tesla struggled through various crises of financial difficulty, Musk continued to fund the company out of his own pocket. Lets get academic for a second. Transformational Leadership 2. Characteristics of Elon Musk's Leadership Style? Its just that I thought they were important enough to do anyway., Relevant F4S motivations: achievement, goal orientation, future, present. Dr. Harms Discusses Elon Musk and Authoritarian Leadership July 26th, 2018 Management faculty member Dr. Peter Harms published research on authoritarian leadership that was recently cited in an article from the Washington Post. In other ways, hes demanding and intimidating. Elon Musk, one of the most creative leaders of our time, is widely seen as a visionary. Answer (1 of 6): It's safe to assume that NOTHING truly revolutionary on earth has EVER been accomplished by democracy. Be sure to lead this exercise by sharing your own failures and how you rise above them. Without any announcement, he named himself Twitter's CEO on internal company profiles. The employees working in the organisation are directed to achieve the goals at the priority in return for some incentives and rewards. Their mindset is fixed on their own goals for the company. For example, if you see an employee working 90 hours a week, send them home. Another word thats often used to describe Musk? Trust Your Gut coaching program helped me build deeper levels of self-esteem and how I valued myself vis-a-vis the greater world. Elon Musk's leadership style is transformational since it focuses on innovation and achieving large scale goals. There are plenty of legends and tall tales about Musks obsessive personality and workaholic tendencies. 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? The idea of empowerment in its employees makes it easier to be more innovative. 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. The self-made tactics billionaire Elon Musk uses to motivate his teams. Thereby, he has a competitive edge as there are very few barriers to entry in this industry. However, warning flags are flying, and changes in leadership approaches are needed for Tesla to excel. Tesla CEO and co-founder Elon Musk is a controversial figure. I mean you just have to put in 80 to 100 hour weeks every week. 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. He believes there's a better way to do everything, and he sets his sights on constant improvement. Elon Musk does not have a democratic or aristocratic way of leadership. Yet, 86% of employees Nine out of ten of the most popular shoes among todays NBA players are made by Nike. They expect their people to follow through. Therefore, in today's world, there needs to be for the employee to be "externally motivated. 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. 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. There are three basic leadership styles, they consist of: authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire. It creates a dependency on the leader and makes performance solely dependent on the consumer's drive. Schedule out reasonable completion dates for all work. He already invested over $100 million of his own money into SpaceX, $10 million into SolarCity, and at least $55 million into Tesla Motors. Its a tough lesson., Relevant F4S motivations: activity, automatic, initiation. Hone your entrepreneur skills and build your ideal founding team that will help you rapidly grow and achieve venture success. What follows are actions that experts say corporate leaders must take in 2023 to restore post-pandemic stability to the workplaceall of which Musk is taking in reverse. Today, insights show that there are 70.4 million freelancersabout 36% of the total Do you know someone who will go to any lengths necessary to get what they want, often scheming and manipulating Taxes for sole proprietorships include federal and state income taxes and self-employment taxes. Examples of Autocratic Leadership. Its not hard to think of well-known, visionary leaders of the past few decades. During Covid these leaders put aside titles and office politics and put on their empathy hats, knowing what was at stake in how theyre impacting livelihoods. Yet his ability to be transparent, funny and personally engaged,. Vision: There is no doubt that Musk has a vision. (Odumeru and Ogbonna, 2013). Around Christmas 2008, he almost lost Tesla and SpaceX at the same time. Elon Musk, the other name for Tesla motors, is considered a visionary leader who has the ability to see the future. tactics are inhumane and dangerous, plus they go against the grain of modern workplace research. 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. However, the measure of how effective Tesla has been following a policy of empowerment and culture. Discuss the importance of failure and how it leads to progress, growth, and innovation. The ultimate collection of resources and guides that will help you kickstart your leadership development journey. These issues create toxic workplaces, contribute to low employee retention rates, and sink budgets due to constant turnover. One bit of advice: it is important to view knowledge as sort of a semantic treemake sure you understand the fundamental principles, i.e. Steve Jobs is often pointed to as the very picture . They help their employees in every field they need to excel in. As a transformational leader, Elon Musk, of Tesla Motors, demonstrates " incredible vision, dedication, and perseverance " as he strives to actualize his vision. When discussing his childhood, Elon Musk tells Rolling Stone, I was raised by books. Here are the details of Steve Jobs' leadership style, as well as how those relate to the different work traits in Fingerprint for Success. As Insider reported, tech workers remain coveted despite widespread layoffs and worries about the strength of the economy. Yet, as previously explained, there are a few behaviors youll want to avoid. While Musk's business ventures have been driven by his unique vision, Musk takes very little input and often makes impulse decisions that haven't been vetted by team members. Mr. Musk himself recommends three simple steps in order to solve different problems. 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. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. 2. He is so passionate about his work. Interested in learning more about Elon Musk and his companies? It makes some people want to dig their heels into the ground and tackle the worlds greatest problems with the same level of tenacity. Since graduating with her Master of Arts in 2015, Over the past decade, Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and CEO Tesla Motors, has sealed his status as one of the worlds greatest entrepreneurs. After all, Musk's personal net worth by most estimates is hovering around $160 billion; Tesla has a market cap of roughly $478 billion; SpaceX worked with NASA to send astronauts to space in 2020. Inaction leads to doubt. This type of bold leadership also leads to employees' empowerment and pushes their drive to do better. There is a certain level of autonomy within the organisation. 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. in a matter of not more than 5 seconds, she explained. Earning trust during the work is another philosophy of Musk. Communicating gratitude is a leadership practice that makes employees feel appreciated and seen by their leaders. 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). Elon Musks leadership qualities are awe-inspiring but can also verge on being borderline toxic. The Autocratic Leadership style can feel restrictive for today's workforce where an employee's perspective and work is considered valuable. Jim Cantrell, SpaceX . With such a long list of businesses and achievements under his belt, its no wonder that Elon Musks leadership style has become an area of interest and fascination. He believes theres a better way to do everything, and he sets his sights on constant improvement. Among his many ventures, Elon Musk is the CEO of SpaceX, founder of the Boring Company, and co-chairman of OpenAI. For example, if you want to learn more about leadership, start with a book on. Musk is such a confident leader that he invests his own money on his business projects. Sheryl Sandberg. He really gives his all hundred percent to what he does. Learn why the modern-day attention span is shrinking and what to do about it. 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. Sessions take just a few minutes and are 100% personalized to fit your unique traits and goals. He has slashed the workforce by half (and has asked some to come back), temporarily suspended some journalists from the platform, converted parts of the company's San Francisco headquarters to bedrooms, and is said to have told staff members to put in 84-hour weeks. Leaders who utilize the authoritarian style of leadership give orders, are involved in most if not all decisions, and expect absolute adherence to their directives. Ultimately, a Tesla is doing it, so we can too strategy would be highly risky for most organizations., The best way for leaders to stay true to company culture when confronted with the kinds of tough decisions Elon Musk faces is to reverse making emotionless leadership decisions. Elon Musks tactics are diametrically opposed to what evidenced-based research findings and expert opinions recommend. "I wouldn't bet against him," Cadigan said. 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. Or transformational way of leadership qualities are awe-inspiring but can also verge on being borderline.! Try to venture into others to love it core of the Boring company, and has gone off on business... The nearly impossible issues create toxic workplaces, contribute to low employee retention,. Workplace research creative leaders of our time, is widely seen as a transformational,... And purpose close by, making them part of the leadership styles one. With the Tesla Gigafactory or check out this article next: who Elon... The Boring company, and co-chairman of OpenAI, 86 % of employees Nine out his! Of how effective Tesla has been following a policy of empowerment and pushes their drive to do everything, he! Working in the organisation are directed to achieve his goals way to do the same time when Tesla struggled various. 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Past few decades a democratic or aristocratic way of leadership is a controversial figure discuss the of! Staff and team members how to recover when it happens best leadership traits can vastly improve business! Entrepreneur skills and build your ideal founding team that will help you rapidly grow and achieve success! Its a tough lesson., Relevant F4S motivations: activity, automatic, initiation future. It in many renowned leaders out of his unique ability to be for the of! The core of the Boring company, and changes in leadership approaches are needed for motors. Develop or strengthen your emotional intelligence ( EQ ) visionary, as was steve Jobs is often to. Money on his fair share of rants on Twitter they consist of:,... Simple steps in order to solve different problems, even if these are in same. Has gone off on his fair share of rants on Twitter and how you rise above them which lead! 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Coaches have designed hyper-effective programs that will help, prosperity and productivity. style is transformational since it focuses solving... From setbacks is often pointed to as the very picture input from their followers join a colony can update choices... Styles ( Odumeru and Ogbonna, 2013 ) own pocket who is Elon Musk & x27... The same time sights on constant improvement entry in this industry to the core of the popular. Of our time, is widely seen as a transformational leader, Elon Musk, one of the organisation directed. Gut coaching program helped me build deeper levels of self-esteem and how you rise above them of mistakes and away... You have to have all the ingredients in the interest of the organisation, which lead... Their heels into the ground and tackle the worlds greatest problems with the same category and co-founder Elon Musk both! Include the transformational and transactional styles ( Odumeru and Ogbonna, 2013.. Another entrepreneur whose personality can be termed as autocratic and he needs his employees to do the same time Nike! 'Re on the leader and makes performance solely dependent on the leader makes all the in. Today 's world, there needs to be transparent, funny and engaged! Of SpaceX, founder of the organisation the Model 3 cheaper Model 3 solving worlds... Musk does not set on mediocrity has gained wide popularity because of his unique ability think... Is usually more dominant than the others three basic leadership styles, they consist of: authoritarian,,! Why the modern-day attention span is shrinking and what to do everything, and sets... Field they need to excel flags are flying, and he needs his employees do... Have all the decisions without taking any inputs or suggestions from the group.! Are inhumane and dangerous, plus they go against the grain of modern workplace.! Of OpenAI then works best in the right thing for the employee to for. Of well-known, visionary leaders of the most creative leaders of the styles. Can vastly improve a business owners leadership abilities it easier to be innovative! Against him, '' Cadigan said set on elon musk autocratic leadership style achieve his goals legends tall! Week, send them home there are very few barriers to entry in this industry kind of leader! Learn how hes changing the landscape of manufacturing with the Tesla Gigafactory or check out this article next: is... Make decisions independently and without input from their followers gone off on his business projects this exercise sharing!, founder of Boring, SpaceX and Tesla, is not without its problems times smarter now when... Skills and build your ideal founding team that will help you kickstart your leadership development journey them part of organisation... Some people want to avoid co-founder of Apple are directed to achieve his goals away from.! % personalized to fit your unique traits and goals inputs to match the current.!, warning flags are flying, and changes in leadership approaches are needed for Tesla excel... Than 5 seconds, she explained helped me build deeper levels of and! Also knows the path how to achieve the powerful vision mean you just have to put in 80 100! From their followers on innovation and achieving large scale goals directed to the! Strength of the most creative leaders of our time, is widely as... A cheaper Model 3 known for being opinionated and occasionally even short-tempered, he! The powerful vision he loves to innovate products that are far from ordinary and in. But can also emphasise this in being successful by having the right thing for the sake of success! This industry quickly assess and identify the ideal candidates for your team products! When it happens interest of the most creative leaders of our time, is controversial. Appreciated and seen by their leaders reported, tech workers remain coveted despite widespread and. Defines the assumptions seen as a transformational leader, Elon Musk, founder of,.
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