Elon Musk's top tips for succeeding at work
Author
Joe Pinkstone
Business magnate Elon Musk has some unconventional suggestions to increase productivity. Photo / Getty Image.If anyone has a busy schedule, it's Elon Musk.
As well as his plans to create a Hyperloop, the billionaire runs electric car company Tesla, space firm company SpaceX and tunneling venture The Boring Company.
Now, a leaked email to his 37,000 Tesla employees has revealed Musk's top six productivity tips to succeed at work – and they include some unconventional suggestions, according to the Daily Mail.
In a firm-wide email obtained by Electrek, Musk said: "Excessive meetings are the blight of big companies and almost always get worse over time."
"Please get [rid] of all large meetings, unless you're certain they are providing value to the whole audience, in which case keep them very short.
"Also get rid of frequent meetings, unless you are dealing with an extremely urgent matter."
His loathing of meetings comes from a belief that they are not always a productive work environment.
Musk believes that unless an individual is "adding value", they are entitled to simply walk out.
"Drop off a call as soon as it is obvious you aren't adding value," he said.
Manners and politeness should not get in the way, according to the entrepreneur.
He explained: "It is not rude to leave, it is rude to make someone stay and waste their time."
Look familiar? Just get out of there, says Elon Musk. Photo / Getty Images
He also told staff to avoid acronyms or "nonsense words" at work, writing: "In general, anything that requires an explanation inhibits communication."
In his pearls of wisdom, Musk told them that the chain of command need not be adhered to in all situations.
Instead, he urged them to bypass managers and go straight to the person "doing the actual work".
"Any manager who attempts to enforce chain of command communication will soon find themselves working elsewhere," he wrote.
His final departing gift to his staff was to tell them to let common sense be the overruling power, not outdated guidelines.
"Pick common sense as your guide. If following a 'company rule' is obviously ridiculous in a particular situation, such that it would make for a great Dilbert cartoon, then the rule should change," concluded Musk.
Musk recently revealed he is currently sleeping overnight at the Tesla factory to oversee the production of the Model 3.
His overnight visits allow him to personally take charge of the increased production of the latest Tesla car as he hopes to reach 6,000 units produced a week by June.
Musk has ramped up production to make Tesla a 24/7 plant in order to meet growing demand and inflating waiting.
This lofty target is just one of Musk's goals.
Ambitious timelines have become somewhat trademark of Musk, and something his SpaceX chief operating officer (COO) Gwynne Shotwell contends with on a daily basis.
Speaking last week at a TED conference, Shotwell said: "When Elon says something, you have to pause and not blurt out 'Well, that's impossible.'
"You zip it, you think about it, and you find ways to get it done."
Elon Musk's six tips for boosting productivity at work
1. Get rid of big meetings
"Excessive meetings are the blight of big companies and almost always get worse over time. Please get [out] of all large meetings."
2. Avoid having too many meetings
"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."
3. Leave a meeting if you're not contributing
"Walk out of a meeting or drop off a call as soon as it is obvious you aren't adding value. It is not rude to leave, it is rude to make someone stay and waste their time."
4. Avoid acronyms and jargon
"Don't use acronyms or nonsense words for objects, software or processes at Tesla. In general, anything that requires an explanation inhibits communication."
5. Cut out the middle-man (your boss), if needs be
"Communication should travel via the shortest path necessary to get the job done, not through the 'chain of command.'"
6. Don't follow rules, follow logic
"In general, always pick common sense as your guide.
"If following a 'company rule' is obviously ridiculous in a particular situation, such that it would make for a great Dilbert cartoon, then the rule should change."
Originally published by Daily Mail on 19 April 2018
Author
Joe Pinkstone
Business magnate Elon Musk has some unconventional suggestions to increase productivity. Photo / Getty Image.If anyone has a busy schedule, it's Elon Musk.
As well as his plans to create a Hyperloop, the billionaire runs electric car company Tesla, space firm company SpaceX and tunneling venture The Boring Company.
Now, a leaked email to his 37,000 Tesla employees has revealed Musk's top six productivity tips to succeed at work – and they include some unconventional suggestions, according to the Daily Mail.
In a firm-wide email obtained by Electrek, Musk said: "Excessive meetings are the blight of big companies and almost always get worse over time."
"Please get [rid] of all large meetings, unless you're certain they are providing value to the whole audience, in which case keep them very short.
"Also get rid of frequent meetings, unless you are dealing with an extremely urgent matter."
His loathing of meetings comes from a belief that they are not always a productive work environment.
Musk believes that unless an individual is "adding value", they are entitled to simply walk out.
"Drop off a call as soon as it is obvious you aren't adding value," he said.
Manners and politeness should not get in the way, according to the entrepreneur.
He explained: "It is not rude to leave, it is rude to make someone stay and waste their time."
Look familiar? Just get out of there, says Elon Musk. Photo / Getty Images
He also told staff to avoid acronyms or "nonsense words" at work, writing: "In general, anything that requires an explanation inhibits communication."
In his pearls of wisdom, Musk told them that the chain of command need not be adhered to in all situations.
Instead, he urged them to bypass managers and go straight to the person "doing the actual work".
"Any manager who attempts to enforce chain of command communication will soon find themselves working elsewhere," he wrote.
His final departing gift to his staff was to tell them to let common sense be the overruling power, not outdated guidelines.
"Pick common sense as your guide. If following a 'company rule' is obviously ridiculous in a particular situation, such that it would make for a great Dilbert cartoon, then the rule should change," concluded Musk.
Musk recently revealed he is currently sleeping overnight at the Tesla factory to oversee the production of the Model 3.
His overnight visits allow him to personally take charge of the increased production of the latest Tesla car as he hopes to reach 6,000 units produced a week by June.
Musk has ramped up production to make Tesla a 24/7 plant in order to meet growing demand and inflating waiting.
This lofty target is just one of Musk's goals.
Ambitious timelines have become somewhat trademark of Musk, and something his SpaceX chief operating officer (COO) Gwynne Shotwell contends with on a daily basis.
Speaking last week at a TED conference, Shotwell said: "When Elon says something, you have to pause and not blurt out 'Well, that's impossible.'
"You zip it, you think about it, and you find ways to get it done."
Elon Musk's six tips for boosting productivity at work
1. Get rid of big meetings
"Excessive meetings are the blight of big companies and almost always get worse over time. Please get [out] of all large meetings."
2. Avoid having too many meetings
"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."
3. Leave a meeting if you're not contributing
"Walk out of a meeting or drop off a call as soon as it is obvious you aren't adding value. It is not rude to leave, it is rude to make someone stay and waste their time."
4. Avoid acronyms and jargon
"Don't use acronyms or nonsense words for objects, software or processes at Tesla. In general, anything that requires an explanation inhibits communication."
5. Cut out the middle-man (your boss), if needs be
"Communication should travel via the shortest path necessary to get the job done, not through the 'chain of command.'"
6. Don't follow rules, follow logic
"In general, always pick common sense as your guide.
"If following a 'company rule' is obviously ridiculous in a particular situation, such that it would make for a great Dilbert cartoon, then the rule should change."
Originally published by Daily Mail on 19 April 2018
