Elon Musk is considered one of the revolutionary minds of the 21st century. From his humble origins in South Africa, to starting his first business Zip2, and now being CEO of Tesla, and SpaceX, he still doesn’t cease to amaze us every step of the way.
What Makes Elon Musk Special
Aside from having a brilliant mind, Elon Musk has one of the craziest work ethics. His employees frequently find him sleeping under his desk because he fell asleep working on certain projects. While he does acknowledge that sleep is an important part for a healthy mind and body, he sleeps very little compared to the average person, which allows him to get more results.
However, that is not what makes him really special. He is convinced that the salvation of mankind is space travel and colonizing another planet. It is so real in his mind that unless he is able to develop sustainable technologies for the future, that the human race will go extinct.
Like Elon Musk, if we hope to see our businesses and ventures succeed, we need to have full conviction in a certain ideal.
Working for Elon Musk is Not Easy
You need tough skin if you are to work for Elon Musk. Employees mention how he has very little patience for people who don’t see the big picture; it’s a pretty common sight to see Musk yelling at employees and losing his temper.
However, in some strange way that makes his employees respect him even more. Employees work harder and uphold to a higher level of standard because of it.
It Is Not About The Money
While money and financial gain is a part of most businesses and companies, Musk have had cases where he slept in his friends’ house because he had invested hundreds of millions of his own money into keeping his companies’ cash flow going.
He even gives the schematics and blueprints for his technologies to create competition and technological advancement. It’s not necessarily about the money for him. His life is about creating something in the world and also having fun with it.
Like his newest ventures, Boring Company, and the Underground Tube Tunnel, Elon enjoys what he does and has fun with the process of creating something unique. He has built up a reputation for being somewhat crazy, but people love him for it.
What we can learn from Elon
So if we hope to succesful in life and in our businesses, there are many things we can learn from Elon Musk. First and foremost, is the conviction and devotion to a certain ideal. This will help motivate you whenever you feel like procrastinating.
Holding a higher level of standard for everyone is must if you wish to have the best product or service in the market. The quality of service and the product is a direct reflection of the leadership.
Lastly, it does not hurt to have fun from to time and enjoy the creative process of it all. Certain projects can end up becoming successful while you never expected it to be.