Elon Musk: 10 Lessons in Leadership - Essay Example

Musk sold his Paypal shares for 165 million US dollars in 2002 and founded Space Exploration Technologies or SpaceX, which manufactures and develops space launch vehicles intending to advance rocket technology. The company has a string of astounding successes including winning a 1.6 billion US dollars NASA contract. Musk views space exploration as part of the expansion of human life.

Tesla Motors on the other hand manufacture electronic cars and electric power train systems. His efforts to produce electric cars have seen him compared with Henry Ford. He is also associated with SolarCity the largest solar power systems manufacturer in the United States. Both Tesla and SolarCity aim to reduce global warming. His philanthropic nature goes further. His Musk Foundation focuses on clean energy.

With this string of enviable achievements, there are many things we can learn from Musk including leadership lessons. Musk says leaders must lead by example, and no task is too menial for a leader. He believes in working like hell and is known for a tenacious work ethic. His second lesson is that leaders should have a purpose. He believes leaders must develop a vision and work towards achieving it. His vision is to go to Mars. Next, he believes in creativity and says without creativity innovation and progress are impossible. Collaboration and teamwork are important too, and leadership is about doing rather than telling. Musk encourages innovation and urges employees to come up with new ideas. He is a modern example of young and extremely successful innovators and entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg.

He believes in being decisive as a leader and says this promotes efficiency. Strategy and action lead to results. He also advocates for adaptability and belief in change. The change will always present challenges and leaders need to be able to adapt. Musk believes in using scientific methods to assess the right people during recruitment. He and says leaders should make sure they hire the first person the first time and set high standards for their Managers. The best leaders are self-aware and understand the power of adjusting their behavior and styles of leadership to inspire their staff.