Editor’s note: This article was first published in January 2015; Musk’s age (given as 42, though he was 43 at the time) and the descriptions of Tesla Motors, now Tesla, and SpaceX reflect that period.
A few weeks ago, several testimonies appeared from employees unhappy with how Elon Musk had treated them. Needless to say, the criticism was anonymous. They said that this 42-year-old visionary, physicist and entrepreneur, who has played a part in technological change and is still immersed in major projects, showed a very friendly face to the public but was in reality an unbearable, arrogant person, dictatorial to the point of madness.
But there’s nothing better than turning to Quora for a full picture of what the people who have worked with Musk really think.
Some of the people who have worked closely with Musk say it’s a real pleasure to work with him, because he’s someone you can only learn from. Arrogant, rude, dictatorial? Some employees wouldn’t put it quite that way.
They sum up Elon Musk’s character very simply: “He doesn’t like mediocrity. And if you’re mediocre, don’t expect kind words from Musk.”
Elon is the entrepreneur of our time who has completed the most successful projects, PayPal among them. And as if that weren’t enough, he isn’t adapting to the future, he’s creating it: he currently has in his hands the car of the future (Tesla Motors) and space travel and reusable rockets (SpaceX). And you don’t achieve that by having beers with your employees.
What is the real Elon Musk like, professionally speaking?
A while ago, we said in an earlier article that Musk was Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Henry Ford all rolled into one. No one doubts that he’s a genius, and like every genius he has his quirks, but he’s also very clear that he isn’t paid to be nice: he’s paid to be the best and to surround himself with the best.
Some say that Musk has worked 100-hour weeks since 1995, which makes it very hard to keep up with him.
Others are quite sure that he’s the best applied engineer in the world, which explains why he has so many projects at an advanced stage.
Musk suffers from the same “illness” as Steve Jobs, known as the “reality distortion field”: only a few visionaries are able to turn that illogical vision into reality. In other words, you’re a madman when you set out your idea, but a genius if you manage to make it a success.
(Read: 5 cognitive distortions found in highly successful entrepreneurs)
He’s willing to go all in every time. That is, Musk bets everything on each project, with zero aversion to risk. That isn’t exactly a talent, but in Musk’s case, given the results, it’s applied magic.
He is demanding of himself and of everyone around him at every moment. He doesn’t let anyone around him drop their guard.
Some describe him as an extremely intelligent person and say that, even though he shows no “affection” to his subordinates, it’s a pleasure to learn from him.
Why does he get what he wants while other entrepreneurs fail?
The two qualities underlying the secret of his success, as with other successful people, and which set them apart from ordinary business people, would be these:
1. He knows what he wants.
Elon Musk has incredible clarity of thought. Like Steve Jobs, he knows exactly what he wants, and if he doesn’t know how to do it, he’ll find the right people to make it happen. The problem for most of us is that we’re not always clear about what we want.
2. The burning desire to achieve it.
Once you’re clear enough about what you want, it’s a matter of going after it with all your energy. Some call it passion, others call it guts. Others call it working harder than everyone else to achieve it. And that’s how the 100-hour weeks begin, because either you reach your goal or you wear yourself out trying.
And not everyone is capable of making that sacrifice.
The Elon Musk line that explains his “bad temper”
Musk has spent much of his life reading about hundreds of visionaries and leaders, and his main premise for success in business is this: a leader is only as good as the leader’s team.
In other words, if someone didn’t appreciate working for Elon Musk, it was probably because, to Musk, those people were mediocre and therefore not fit to work with him.
Further reading
- 25 habits of successful people
- The world’s most successful people have these 7 things in common
- The 8 beliefs of successful people in business
Featured image: Steve Jurvetson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
