This kind of mentality actually does not make those people great leaders. 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. Question and challenge the status quo. A dogmatic and controversial leader, Elon Musk is one of the most influential CEOs and entrepreneurs in the world today. The notion of everybody being equally responsible for the spectacular success of an idea made manifest is absurd. 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. 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. 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. Bill Gates adopted an autocratic leadership style in the early years of Microsoft to ensure the company grew at the pace that he had . 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). . The Influence of Transactional Leadership Style and Work Culture on Work Performance Mediated by Work Motivation. Many leaders of this world do not get obsessed with their work. Boil things down to their fundamental truths and reason up from there . Get to the core of the problem by using the 5 Whys method developed by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Industries. Mr. Musk himself recommends three simple steps in order to solve different problems. 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. 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. 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. [Online] Yourbusiness.azcentral.com. Tesla will lose $6,000 for . He has big ideas and wants to unite his team around his (sometimes outrageous) vision and objectives. This leadership style's strengths are innovative thinking, analysis, problem-solving, planning, and strategy execution. He has the skill to monitor the problems and to identify a step by step solution. Learn more in our Cookie Policy. Lee was everywhere, and his bold and versatile leadership style has been unmatched since . Another word thats often used to describe Musk? Career tests dont work to determine job fitthis does. Words, tone, and cues all affect relationships. 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. Elon Musk's leadership style is about constantly learning, breaking through barriers, and developing new ways to solve problems. Elon Musk doesn't always follow one leadership style. Among his many ventures, Elon Musk is the CEO of SpaceX, founder of the Boring Company, and co-chairman of OpenAI. you discover your natural leadership style and become a confident, inspiring leader. He is also the CEO of and Chief Product Architect of SpaceX, which is a space exploration company and then it became the first private company to launch a satellite into geosynchronous orbit. At the heart of Musks businesses is hard work that achieves a meaningful purpose. If you're trying to keep employees loyal and engaged, you probably shouldn't copy Musk's playbook. 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. certain whether Twitter had informed the federal government. Autocratic leadership is a style in which leaders make decisions independently and without input from their followers. Musk has used the kind of oppressive leadership tactics that caused disruption in the post-pandemic workplacethe opposite of what experts call for to remedy workplace havoc and heal the mental health challenges that the pandemic caused. Increase team harmony, happiness, speed and cohesion so everyone can get into flow state and do their best work. Transformational Leadership 2. Additionally, open up lines of communication around mistakes and discuss ways to improve. Elon Musks leadership style is transformational since it focuses on innovation and achieving large scale goals. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Elon Musk's leadership style is a mix of challenges, growth, vision innovation, and more. This is because he also shows signs of being an autocratic leader and a transactional leader. Erratic. Interested in learning more about Elon Musk and his companies? Our expert coaches created the following plan to help. In this point, his two quotations are very popular. He always looks for an innovative invention. 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. Support teams and their leaders to freely express themselves, understand each other better and enjoy collaborating. Elon Musk quote: The problem is that at a lot of big companies, process becomes a substitute for thinking. Warren Buffett. Explore, strengthen and stand by what you believe in at work and in life. But if you just think and don't take action you'll never know what's the right move. Trusting the employee with responsibility is another trick he has up his sleeve. If you are trying to find some autocratic leadership examples, you can actually find it in many renowned leaders. He already invested over $100 million of his own money into SpaceX, $10 million into SolarCity, and at least $55 million into Tesla Motors. It makes some people want to dig their heels into the ground and tackle the worlds greatest problems with the same level of tenacity. In 2018, Wired released an expos about the cutthroat work environment at Tesla. Strengthen your comfort and motivation to start conversations and initiate opportunities that can inspire hearts and minds in your team and in your life. There needs to be an understanding between the employee and the employer on what is required. Delegative Leadership 6. Steve Black at Topia points out that this is a dangerous path for other companies to follow. (CNBC, 2017), There is also a sense of resilience in this organisation that he faces. Hire a project manager who coordinates with everyone on the team so work gets finished on time. I have OCD on product-related issues, he said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. Musk showed how to be effective & being trustworthy among the followers in times of crisis. A Transformational . Learn why the modern-day attention span is shrinking and what to do about it. 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. 2. You can even write a manual on how to handle failure at your company. Increase your comfort and use of abstract and strategic thinking to gain a broader perspective for yourself and your team. The employee said the experience was challenging, but they came out of it 10 times smarter.. Speed is encouraged, and this moving fast keeps them updated with the global challenges. Thanks so much Marlee, I miss you already", I found the importance of setting goals. For example, Elon Musk uses the autocratic leadership style, labeling himself as a perfectionist and " nano-manager ." Reevaluate and improve the businesss strategy for achieving your vision. Elon Musk is the eldest child in the family with younger brother Kimbal and sister Tosca. "I wouldn't bet against him," Cadigan said. His plan will take eight years to build at a cost of about $10 billion. Sessions take just a few minutes and are 100% personalized to fit your unique traits and goals. Elon Musk's tactics are diametrically opposed to what evidenced-based research findings and expert opinions recommend. He's already 10 steps ahead of you," a former manager at Tesla told Business Insider. Establish an action plan and monitor the success of your resolution. Participative Leadership 4. 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 a discussion with Glassdoor on hiring employees, Elon Musk was quoted to have said, "Hire great people. He inspires his employees in many ways. Elon Musk is a successful serial entrepreneur with a reputation as a creative genius who founded PayPal, Space X and the Boring Company. So, like any leadership style, the Elon Musk leadership styleapproach comes with some distinct benefits and drawbacks. Stay curious and ask questions to gain more insight. Article Contents 1. If you find yourself leading this way, I'd suggest you consider how your style is impacting the morale of your team. There is a function-based hierarchy, and there is centralisation as well as divisions. 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. 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. Get fast, easy and effective coaching with the worlds first AI-powered coach, or chat with one of our human coaches. He is an autocratic who doesn't ask for suggestions. Musk's leadership behaviors coincide with each of Bennis and Nanus' four strategies typically used by transformational leaders (1985, in Northouse, 2013). Even though the self-dubbed chief twit's path isn't clear to observers, Cadigan said Musk typically knows what he's doing. This reminds me of a quote I once heard, "Make a decision and then make it right.". 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. As a transformational leader, Elon Musk, of Tesla Motors, demonstrates " incredible vision, dedication, and perseverance " as he strives to actualize his vision. Thumbs up Marlee!, "Wow this program has totally changed my relationship to goals! Musk earns the trust of his followers by being predictable and reliable, even in situations that are in uncertain. Why do you want to live? Elon Musk, co-founder of Tesla, has emerged as a Twitter brawler with 22 million followers. While some of his ideas are unattainable, he has the ability to get people excited about his ambitions, projects, and plans. Set challenging objectives that help push the boundaries of what people can accomplish. An autocratic leadership has one person in charge, the authoritarian, who collects little to no input from team members. Suppose one were to explore the idea of a transformational leader further. Leadership should start with why these choices are being made and then how they level up to the values and purpose of the company. (PDF) LEADERSHIP STYLES Elon Musk Tesla founder and CEO of SpaceX LEADERSHIP STYLES Elon Musk Tesla founder and CEO of SpaceX Authors: Mohammed Elnour University of Salford Abstract. Elon Musk's Leadership Style Free Essay. "You have to think 10 times more audacious than he does to be able to be successful.". The success of an organisation is dependent on the leader. 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. Disinterested in others assumptions, he asks questions until the root of the problem reveals itself. 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. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.. Inc. 1. Transformation leadership is all about developing new ways to process the operations of the business. Related: Why Leaders Should View Themselves as Servants Servant leaders care passionately about their employees' well-being. Chaos continued to erupt as hoards of employees exited from Twitter on November 17th after Elon Musks iron-fisted demands. 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. Steve Jobs was demanding. Elon Musk doesnt hire just to fill in the positions in his company rather he hires the right person in the first time. The autocratic management style is the polar opposite of the Democratic or Laissez-Faire leadership style. We will be discussing his leadership qualities and style which have made him a great leader. Reed Hastings, the chief executive of Netflix, praised Mr. Musk at a New York Times DealBook conference late last month, calling him "the bravest, most creative person on the planet.". The setting of objectives makes the goals easy to follow as a benchmark that can be measured against Stretch goals is essential for accomplishing them. Experts say Elon Musk's iron-fisted Twitter. Get exclusive tools and resources you need to grow as a leader and scale a purpose-driven business. Photo by Christophe Gateau/picture alliance via Getty Images. Therefore, Elon Musk used both the leadership styles that include the transformational and transactional styles (Odumeru and Ogbonna, 2013). 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). Would you want that? 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. To be the Best Source of Business Strategy & Analysis. Elon Musk's leadership style at Twitter isn't something to emulate, HR pros say. Were digging into the details of the leadership style of Elon Musk, and what you can learn from his groundbreaking career. He really gives his all hundred percent to what he does. Adriansyah, M.A., Setiawan, M. and Yuniarinto, A., 2020. Our programs were designed by world-renowned coaches. Since buying Twitter, Elon Musk has conducted mass layoffs and reportedly ordered 84-hour workweeks. You dont become a billionaire without a hefty dose of drive and ambition, and Musk is no exception. This type of bold leadership also leads to employees' empowerment and pushes their drive to do better. They expect their people to follow through. . 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. . Elon Musk's leadership style is very unique. 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