Eccentric billionaire Elon Musk has proved himself a great leader time and time again, building several companies from the ground up and repeatedly defying doubter concerns.
He's the second-richest person in the world, per Forbes, and he's quickly approaching former President Barack Obama at the top of the Twitter follower charts. The Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter chief has a lot to say and there are plenty of people who want to listen.
Inc has tracked down some of the best advice Musk has offered over the years. Here's a look at three things you can do to separate yourself from the herd and stand out as a leader.
Ditch The Meetings: In an email to employees in 2018, Musk laid out some guidelines for improving productivity and one thing really stood out.
Large meetings tend to be repetitive and almost always get worse over time. If you have to have meetings, make sure the entire audience is getting value and make sure the length of the meeting is kept short, Musk said.
"Also get rid of frequent meetings, unless you are dealing with an extremely urgent matter. Meeting frequency should drop rapidly once the urgent matter is resolved."
If you must meet, find ways to collaborate on tasks and tackle problems head on. If you aren't getting any value or adding any value, you should leave the meeting, Musk said.
Don't Be Afraid To Change The Rules: Rules are fine as long as they don't limit progress. In the same email to staff, Musk advises team leaders to use common sense when thinking about existing rules. If following a rule doesn't make sense in a certain situation, then veer outside the lines.
"In general, always pick common sense as your guide," Musk wrote in the email.
When rules start to limit creativity and productivity, they should be changed. Since acquiring Twitter late last year, Musk has shaken things up at the social media company. According to Musk, Twitter usage was at an "all-time high" less than two weeks after his takeover.
Look For Honest Feedback: Another way to separate from the pack is to always seek out feedback from people who are willing to shoot you straight. Looking for feedback that may not be what you want to hear, is a great way to become an exceptional individual.
"I think it's very important to have a feedback loop, where you're constantly thinking about what you've done and how you could be doing it better. I think that's the single best piece of advice — constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself," Musk said years ago in a Mashable interview.
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Photo: Courtesy of Dunk on flickr.
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