Estimated read time

2 min read

Deploy a sense of manic incrementalism

Elon Musk is a polarizing figure.

Love him or hate him, there is no doubt that he is changing the world.

From SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, Boring Company, SolarCity, OpenAI, and X (Twitter) he is pushing the frontiers of science and innovation to a new level. Not to mention his previous companies such as PayPal and Zip2.

The point is clear:

When someone has created multiple billion-dollar companies in multiple industries, they have something to teach you. Even if you dislike them.

Here’s what I learned.

Be a missionary, not a mercenary.

Elon marries a mission.

And then finds a business model to make it sustainable. Every business he has started began with a strong calling that would benefit society. Elon is drawn to a strong purpose that he can persuade investors and employees to literally go to space with him.

But this brings a dilemma.

Elon can be a jerk to work for. He is known for expecting people to work 7 days a week. He shouts, screams, belittles, and intimidates people he works with. He feels justified that the mission is so important, feelings don’t matter.

I’m drawn to a strong sense of purpose.

But I can’t work that way. I wouldn’t enjoy yelling and screaming at people. But I don’t want to put people on Mars. I grapple with whether it’s possible to achieve the things he has while being nicer to people. Even Steve Jobs could be an assh*le.

While I don’t agree with his methods, the general principle applies.

Surround yourself with missionaries, not mercenaries. Missionaries are resilient to challenges. Mercenaries care about money and status.

Missionaries > mercenaries.

Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson. Order Now!