Elon Musk is an American businessman. He is the co-founder of PayPal, CEO and CTO of SpaceX, and CEO and product architect at Tesla Motors (Cole, 2021). He has used his skills to aid in the design of electric cars and even spaceships.
First, according to the theory of authentic leadership, Musk had to exhibit positive psychological capacities and moral reasoning, and had to experience a critical event, in order to develop into an authentic leader (Northouse, 2019). Musk was born in South Africa to an engineer and dietician. He received his first computer at 9 and by 12 had coded and sold a video game (Cole, 2021). A clear indicator of his innate capacity for technology.
Unwilling to support apartheid through military service, Musk moved from South Africa to the United States (Cole, 2021). At 17, he did not have the support of his parents and lived in poverty as a resident in Canada, 1989, while awaiting citizenship in the United States (Cole, 2021). This is arguably the first of two critical life events. In 2000, he met Justine Musk who would mother six of his children. Their first child was lost to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) (Cole, 2021), which was the second notable critical life event. In 1992, Musk received a scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania, which was his golden ticket into the United States (Cole, 2021). Eventually he went on to study at Stanford and began to pursue his technology legacy (Cole, 2021).
Musk is undoubtedly a visionary. He displays all of the four key positive psychological attributes discussed in the Northouse (2019) text. He faced failure and strife, but he maintained his optimism and was able to continue on through his resilience (Northouse, 2019; Cole, 2021). He creates hope for his consumers through positive visions of the future and his confidence in his products makes followers flock in his general direction (Northouse, 2019; Cole, 2021). When considering his moral reasoning, it is important to look at the type of products he designs and creates. Tesla Motors has a significant emphasis on producing environmentally friendly cars (Cole, 2021). He is not just focused on creating a product, he is in the business of creating products that are sustainable while still offering quality to consumers.
When considering Elon Musk under the lens of authentic leadership, it is clear he has the necessary leadership traits. According to published work by Walumba and associates (2008) as discussed by Northouse (2019), the four components of authentic leadership are self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, balanced processing, and relational transparency. Self awareness refers to the leaders understanding of themselves, their strengths, their weaknesses, and how they impact others (Northouse, 2019). They have a strong sense of themselves and what they stand for (Northouse, 2019). Internalized moral perspective is describes an internal understanding of one’s morals and living by those in everyday leadership practice (Northouse, 2019). Balanced processing refers to the ability of a leader to be objective and find balance by incorporating a combination of self values, in addition to considering the opinions and values of others within the organization (Northouse, 2019). Rational transparency is about one’s ability to express their true self to others, regardless of whether the aspects of themselves are positive or negative (Northouse, 2019). When a leader exhibits these qualities, it creates a sense of trust and authenticity in followers. Musk, as a leader, has the capability to create balance between who he is, the vision he has created for the world, and acknowledging the importance of the strength of his team (Cole, 2021). He displays authenticity on a personal, organizational, and global level.
References
Cole, R. (2021, June 24). Elon Musk. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elon-Musk.
Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and Practice. 8th Edition. Los Angeles: Sage Publications
smm7562 says
As a fan of Elon Musk and his strides to a futuristic way of living, I can appreciate your points about his authentic leadership. Authentic leadership has three components to its definition that I believe Elon Musk meets criteria for. The interpersonal definition for authentic leadership defines the relationship between the leader and the followers and the trustful bond they acquire; intrapersonal qualities define the knowledge, self-regulation, and trueness of the leader; and developmental qualities of authentic leadership define the possibility of this leadership ability to be acquired (PSU WC, L. 12). Not only do these three specific qualities identify the definition of an authentic leader, but they help define Elon Musk and his rise to leader status and fame.
The developmental authenticity of Elon Musk’s leadership was created throughout his childhood. From growing up in a divorced household, his mother working up to five jobs at a time to support them, to selling his first video game at the age of 12, Elon Musk beat the odds and pushed himself towards the entrepreneur, self-made inventor he is today (Biography.com Editors, 2021). His interpersonal qualities hold a lot of weight in Musk’s life as he is very active with new startup companies such as cryptocurrencies, Twitter, his appearance on SNL, and overall presence in news and tabloids connecting him to his followers. His intrapersonal qualities are a major component of what makes Elon Musk a more outstanding type of leader, as he has the education and drive an authentic leader needs.
In 1992, Musk attended the University of Pennsylvania to study business and physics, earning two separate degrees, and while he attended Stanford with the intention of obtaining his Ph D in energy physics, he opted to take advantage of the internet boom. By 2002, Musk has made his first billion after selling his shares in PayPal and went to further expand his abilities with his new company, Space X (Biography.com Editors, 2021). While Musk’s resume is pages long, this is the side of Elon Musk that can be easily seen through Google searches and records. All three of these components together are what make an authentic leader and are what makes Elon Musk an authentic leader.
Elon Musk is inventive, intuitive, sociable, and adaptable. He is a force of knowledge that is easily recognizable not only from his long history of business endeavors, but also by his connection to his followers. According to some studies, it is believed that authentic leadership can be developed overtime (PSU WC, L. 12, 2021). Elon was not born into success, not was he born in the spotlight he has acquired for himself today, but instead he spent years expanding and building his interpersonal, intrapersonal, and developmental capabilities so that he could be in the position of leadership and futuristic drive.
References
Biography.com Editors. (2021, April 7). Elon Musk Biography. Biography.com. https://www.biography.com/business-figure/elon-musk.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus. (2021). PSYCH 485 | Lesson 12: Authentic Leadership https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2137573/modules/items/32271438
Amanda Daniels says
Great post!
An authentic leader creates better relationships with colleagues, creates higher levels of trust, increased productivity, and a more positive working environment (Gavin, 2019). This could be a part of why Elon Musk has been so successful.
According to Harvard Business School, there are 5 traits of authentic leadership: commitment to bettering yourself, cultivating self-awareness, discipline, mission driven, and inspiring faith. These five traits together create what is presumably a great leader (Gavin, 2019).
An authentic leadership aims to make authenticity paramount. Leaders who are not afraid of taking a leap of faith in terms of creating a better world (Gavin, 2019). And the commitment to bettering one’s self in conjunction with honing leadership skills, and embracing a mission we put ourselves in a position to be great leaders.
References
Gavin, M. (2019b, December 10). Authentic Leadership: What It Is & Why It’s Important | HBS Online. Business Insights – Blog. https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/authentic-leadership