Introduction
Elon Musk is the founder of SpaceX and CEO of Tesla Motors. Over the past decade, he has become an influential figure in the world, drawing his status from the exceptional entrepreneurial skills he possesses (Aiello). Musk is a social media sensation across the globe with millions of people closely following his business actions. He is a great investor who has made massive strides in the list of richest people in the world. He is perceived as a great leader in many fields and people look up to him. Musk motivates many managers across the business world with his transformational leadership style that sets him apart from other leaders.
Elon Musk as an Exceptional Leader
Strong Drive for Responsibility and Task Completion
Musk is a goal-oriented leader who sets timely, smart, achievable targets and commits himself to completing them by encouraging teamwork within his organization for sufficient perspectives. This ensures that all his business moves are well calculated and follow specified timelines. This is the surest way of guaranteeing triumph in the management of his various enterprises. He believes that those who do not intend to succeed by making plans for their tasks automatically expose themselves to distractions (Gelles). Elon’s position as an influential figure in global commerce was a result of immense hard work and responsibility. Musk believes that committing oneself to carry out a specific action towards a certain goal is taking responsibility and automatically makes the world a better place.
Originality in Problem-Solving
Musk displays monumental originality in the ideas he proposes in the business environment. From the electric cars made by Tesla to the space exploration by SpaceX, Musk appears to gear towards the rarely explored fields. These spheres require massive investment and patience to succeed. The solutions from the various products Elon’s enterprises design display a high level of ingenuity and courage (Ball et al.). Often the most dreaded options are the most effective solutions to the various problems facing mankind. Elon’s belief in originality is displayed in the kind of staff he opts for and the people he associates with. Elon’s workplaces hire the most brilliant people to drive the companies forward and ensure profits are gained.
Self-Confidence and Sense of Personal Identity
Musk is an exceptionally charismatic person in demeanor and interactions with other people. In social spaces, he cuts the figure of a man not afraid to air his views and also humble enough to tolerate the opinions of other people. He is confident in himself and his ideas for a better world. Self-confidence is critical due to the rarity of the solutions he proposes for global problems. People may not see the essence of the solutions as they are previously unexplored yet they are the best answers (Gelles). Musk understands himself first and this is per the popular mantra that requires leaders to know themselves best. This means that their actions are borne out of sufficient reflection and consideration for profits and consequences.
Ability to Influence Other People’s Behavior
Elon’s influence amongst youth and business environments is one of the most noticeable features of this transformational leader. Musk has encouraged the development of various companies for electric cars, causing the revolutions that were initiated by Tesla. His involvement in the cryptocurrency business has been known to influence trends in how commodities trade (Aiello). This is the true display of power and influence over the globe and people. Many youths admire his success and view him as a role model. His ascent to the top of global commerce is admirable and inspiring to the millions of youths striving to make a difference.
Practices Musk Uses to be a Great Leader
Motivation by Failure
Musk believes that failure is an integral part of any initiative in life and that we must accept its inevitable presence. He believes that the people who do not fail are not innovative enough. Musk lets failure show him the errors made in the past and act as part of a solution to prevent the recurrence of such events in the future. Musk almost lost Tesla and SpaceX in 2008 and this did not stop him (Wingard). He evaluated the actions taken prior to that scenario and rectified the situation to guarantee future success. He does not let failure define him and pin him back as he believes in his abilities. His companies have an environment that encourages employees to try things and ensure creativity while cushioning them from failure that may ensue.
Mastery of Problem Solving
Musk has adopted a unique way of solving problems that involved disregarding the common method. Most people look at the previous efforts made at solving a particular problem and focus on improving these actions. Musk instead focuses on looking at the root of the problem and evaluating it from its cradle. This ensures that he can discover previously ignored facts about a particular problem. Elon’s insistence on solving the greatest world’s problems means that he must be willing to look at the problems from unconventional positions (Aiello). Part of ensuring global problems are solved involves focusing on aspects of the problem that are often ignored by other problem solvers.
Thirst for Knowledge
Musk is one of the most knowledgeable men on the planet. He professes his love for knowing things and his thirst for such information from all the sources he can gather. He reads massive volumes of books and watches many documentaries to learn more. The consumption of already generated knowledge is insufficient for him as he goes further and generates knowledge for other people through discoveries (Gelles). The creation of new knowledge and integration of existing information ensures that leaders like Musk can positively impact other people. He is generous with the information he has, freely sharing it with interested parties to make the world a better place.
Aggression and Determination to Achieve Goals
Musk realized early in life that nothing is given to anyone. People must take what they want aggressively or remain with nothing. This aggression is not only displayed in his actions but in how he pushes his employees to achieve company objectives. Musk believes that success requires persistence and commitment to the set goals (Ball et al.). All the employees at Tesla receive specific objectives set to ensure the company achieves its goals in a specified timeframe. Musk believes in his ability to solve the problems that arise within his organization and promotes ingenuity in his circle. Elon’s record in business encourages young entrepreneurs to develop strength of mind when pursuing excellence. They must be willing to do whatever it takes to succeed in their field of choice.
How Musk Altered my Leadership Style and Goals
Elon’s transformative leadership has encouraged me to become a better leader through the pursuit of knowledge. I understand that I cannot influence people to do that which I do not effectively understand. Understanding requires immense reading and introspection that ensures the processing of the acquired information. I must be willing to encourage the people I lead to pursue knowledge that acclimates to wisdom. This is vital in the generation of solutions for the various problems my organization is seeking to address.
The need for personal motivation has never been clearer in my life. I now understand that I cannot sit back and wait for other people to provoke me into taking action. I must be willing to wake up each day with the desire to make myself and the people around me better. I have figured that I cannot motivate other people without being intrinsically motivated to better myself. Motivation does not necessarily entail being eternally driven to achieve the leadership objectives set. It means understanding my body and mind enough to take a rest whenever necessary and strategize.
Giving up on my dreams and ambitions in life is not an option as I must be willing to make efforts regardless of the circumstances. Challenges are a part of life and everybody must be willing to accept that. When starting in Tesla and SpaceX, Musk encountered multiple challenges ranging from financial problems to personnel issues. Resistance, as some workers felt he was not fit for the position, was common but this did not discourage the man. He decided to filter the noise he would let determine his tenure in the various positions he held and refocused on what made his exceptions. This drive and determination are vindicated by the man we witness today as the business mogul Elon Musk.
Elon’s ability to influence other people and inspire them has motivated me to become more focused on lifting others. No organization can rise without the input of all the employees and their belief in the common goal. Elon Musk doesn’t necessarily inspire people by speaking to them directly. His life story and determination over the years are great motivators. His struggles are there for all to see and learn from. I have realized that a great leader must have a great story of triumph and success in whatever field they choose. This means that employees do not have to listen to instructions but respect the journey taken by the leader to get to their current position.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Elon Musk is one of the most influential personalities in the past decade. He is a transformational leader with immense belief in human talents and desires to explore. He believes there is so much for the world to do to become better and improve the lives people lead. He encourages these traits through SpaceX and Tesla that promote innovation and champion for invention. His story of focus, determination, and aggression in business is one prospective entrepreneur can emulate. The man is charismatic, inspiring, and influential to youths across the globe. Elon Musk inspires me to become a better leader in the future and influence the lives of other people positively. He has helped me appreciate the importance of responsibility, focus, determination, and resilience in achieving set targets. I have learned the necessity of making plans and achieving them in milestones for success in the long run.
Works Cited
Aiello, Chloe. “With Elon Musk’s Visibility ‘There is Incredible Isolation,’ Leadership Expert Says.” CNBC, Web.
Ball, Molly, et al. “Elon Musk is TIME’s 2021 Person of the Year.” Time, Web.
Gelles, David. “In Elon Musk’s World, Brakes are for Cars, Not C.E.O.S.” The New York Times, 2018, Web.
Wingard, Jason. “Elon Musk and the Pitfalls of Creative Leadership.” Forbes, 2019, Web.