Following the American Psychological Association’s Guidelines
When it comes to leading a group of people or, more importantly still, leading a business, leadership and leadership style are important tools. There are many different leadership styles to choose between, and all will work in their own way in any given situation. Some are even best suited for certain personality types. CEO of Tesla Motors, Elon Musk, for example, has taken the various components of transformational leadership and infused them into every aspect of his business. Though his style can sometimes border on mania, and some may call him naïve, he does his best to lead by example and infuse inspiration into his team using methods like idealized influence and intellectual stimulation, among others.
Musk has been a quickly growing name in the automotive and rocket science industry as he continuously attempts to create zero emission forms of travel while revolutionizing space travel. He is inspirational in and of himself, having apparently mastered rocket science simply by reading and asking questions . While impressive, it takes more than these outstanding qualities to run a business and lead employees. For example, idealized influence is a large part of transformational leadership and Musk showed the world how committed he was to this brand of leadership when Tesla Motors began to fail. Idealized influence demands the leader act as a role model, teaching the company’s values. When Tesla failed, Musk went bankrupt trying to keep it afloat. He also lived off of personal loans in the wake of his bankruptcy as he continued to generate revenue and interest in the electric powered Roadster and Model S . His dedication and sacrifice to the company, as well as his cause showed employees that he was a leader who stood behind what he believed wholeheartedly. Not to mention he took a lot of criticism from the media and continuously returned, attempting to make better, more affordable automobiles that would be safer on the environment.
Musk also exemplified intellectual stimulation. He as obviously led by doing, learning rocket science by reading and asking questions . He has also stated that he values creativity and talent over knowledge and the number of employees surrounding him. He stated in so many words that having many wrong employees will never save the time, money, or effort in a process that could be bypassed by having the one right employee . Therefore, Musk intentionally taps employees that are already experts in their field, but that also have a creative edge. He continues to nurture that creative edge once they are working under him. Unfortunately, Musk is not so good at discarding parts of his old ideas that do not work an essential asset to intellectual stimulation. Though not called out by his own team, many critics like those on “Top Gear” accused the product of failing to reach top capacity in one charge as advertised. Rather than admit the fault, Musk simply sued the television show. The lawsuit lasted five years, resulting in a loss. Not only does this tactic undermine the intellectual stimulation, but also the idealized influence that he has set. He is unwillingly to fix issues that may not work, and the example he is setting is bad for the company’s image, as well as employees.
The article did not go into detail about how the employees themselves feel toward Musk, though it did allude to a fair amount of challenges that each employee may be faced with. It suggests that Musk may live up to transformational leadership’s individualized consideration. He is asking things out of the automotive world, as well as interplanetary space travel, which were once never thought possible. Despite critic’s reports, he has surpassed many of them thanks mostly in part to the efforts and expertise of his team. On some level, Musk must be aware of the key roles each of his employees are playing, placing tasks and challenges in front of them that come together in an integral part of a puzzle that has led the Tesla Motors company and DragonX to releasing such stunning modern marvels as the Model S and the Dragon rocket . Adhering to the elements of individualized consideration, Musk surely has created an environment where employees are self-assured, willful, and ready to complete tasks not only for the satisfaction of the company, but also for their own satisfaction.
With Musk’s ambitious nature and goals, he is never running low on ambition making it easy to believe that inspirational motivation is easy to find in his transformational leadership. He had to have been very inspiring when talking about doing the impossible, as well as attempting to gain employees while becoming the first new automotive name since 1956. Not to mention he managed to steal employees from companies like Ford and Apple to aid in his success . Ford and Apple are strong competitors in their field and surely, the employees who left had stable jobs with insurance that they would be taken care of. However, Musk’s transformational leadership and inspiring message about making the world a better place through cleaner emissions and more affordable cars was so powerful that these employees felt compelled to join him, and that their place was fighting this fight alongside him. Simply leading is one thing, but convincing somebody to join you when they have every reason not to is quite another.
In sum, Elon Musk has utilized transformational leadership to its fullest capacity when leading his business into the future. He has set the best example possible, when not assassinating the character of his critics publically. He also always attempts to stimulate his employees intellectually, valuing their input and expertise, as well as their creativity within the company. Musk gives his employees plenty of challenges, per individualized consideration. He is also never running short on inspirational motivation, ensuring that his employees will always believe in the cause of his companies. Though he has not been perfect, he has managed to take transformational leadership and use it to his full advantage.
References
Davies, A. (2013, March 13). How Elon Musk Is Revolutionizing Two Major Industries At The Same Time. Retrieved from Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-elon-musk-overcomes-challenges-2013-3#ixzz3HZ8rDfrG
