The Leadership Style of Elon Musk

The current CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, Elon Musk, is a world-renowned serial entrepreneur. His entrepreneurial aptitude was present even as a child at the dawn of the PC age. As a self-taught computer programmer at age 12, he created a video game that he sold for $500. He had made his first step toward building his present $9 billion dollar net worth.

Soon after moving to North America from his native South Africa, he earned undergraduate degrees in physics and economics from the University of Pennsylvania. He entered Stanford to pursue a Ph.D. in physics but dropped out after two days to begin a remarkable career of innovation and leadership spanning the Internet, renewable energy, transportation and, most recently, space travel.

Early Entrepreneurial Successes

When he left Stanford, he co-founded Zip2 with his brother. They published online city guides that were picked up by the Chicago Tribune and The New York Times. Four years later, Zip2 was acquired by Compaq for over $300 million. He followed that success with what eventually became Paypal, which was sold to eBay for $1.5 billion. His newest companies exemplify his continued passion for leapfrog innovation and cost reduction in their respective industries.

Hundred Hour Workweeks

It is easy to credit his greatest strengths, a phenomenal work ethic and a visionary genius, for his legendary successes. He reportedly puts in a 100-hour workweek. If only he had more time, he would be pushing his proposed pneumatic hyperloop transportation system to carry passengers at a speed of 760 miles per hour between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

A Contemporary Iron Man

Those strengths, however, can be his greatest weaknesses. He was known in his student years as overly literal and picayune with his criticisms of minor errors by students and teachers alike. Though his intentions were good, he was viewed as snobbish and condescending.

Even though he has mellowed with age, some colleagues complain that his valuation of their ideas is black and white depending on how he personally judges them as a person. Perhaps he acknowledges his reputation as a cold, driven genius by the prominent display of a Tony Stark Iron Man statue in the lobby at SpaceX. On the other hand, not caring what others think of you is a hallmark trait of most highly successful entrepreneurs.

Involved and Reality-Based Leadership

What he may lack in touchy-feely people management skills, Musk makes up for with his ability to paint grand visions and objectively inform his employees as to the risks and reality of their work. He avoids glossy, optimistic reports on the state of his companies. He is more than forthcoming regarding the amount of effort everyone must put in to move forward and sidestep failure. Some may interpret his style as bluntness, but he considers that he is being fair and open.

He has a strong belief that when people know what is at stake that they will step up to the challenge. He informs, he raises the bar and then inspires. Though he is known as a hands-on manager, he prefers to rely on the talents and knowledge of others. He allows followers the freedom to provide their own creative and innovative solutions. Though other leaders may feel that a tighter rein on day-to-day operations is a more productive strategy, Musk’s record of accomplishment in streamlining effort and forming a focused direction out of chaos has served him and his companies well.

Elon Musk Makes His Own Future.

Musk’s interest in space vehicles is rooted in a personal belief that the human species must colonize other worlds in order to survive. With Tesla, he is discarding the image of electric cars as symbols of frugality for a fearless one of sex appeal and high performance. He is known for his voracious reading habits, mostly on his iPhone, which keep him informed, thinking and resteless. At the age of 42, one can only speculate, somewhat impatiently, about where his bold synthesis of technology and mind-bending futuristic visions of society will take him next.

Bernhard S