What does Elon Musk know that you don’t?

I am a fan of Elon Musk. Let’s get that out of the way. I have watched his career for over a decade. I have a solar roof. I want a Tesla. I want to ride in his underground tunnels. I hope he colonizes Mars. Oh, and I suspect and hope that he isn’t done. He has hinted at future electric airplanes, rocket travel from LA to HK in 45 minutes, and an electric bicycle. Who knows what else he already has in mind or may conjure up in our lifetimes?

As a serial entrepreneur, business book author, and Elon Musk fan, it became the only-to-logical next step for me to take a deep dive into the public record of Musk The goal was to determine those aspects of his approach that differentiate him from others, AND what the rest of us mere mortals might learn from his methods.

I soon found that there were 17 very specific aspects of his methods that fit the criteria. After hundreds of hours of research, The Elon Musk Method emerged. Those 17 methods became chapters in the book. Here’s the list:

1.    Curiosity Is Foundational

2.    Observation – Seeing the Forest and the Trees

3.    Expertise in Every Aspect of the Business

4.    Analysis Is an Acquired Skill

5.    Asking Big Questions

6.    Rule Breaking Is Essential to Vision

7.    Visionary

8.    Leadership – Musk Style

9.    Goal Setting

10. Networking Is a Core Value

11. Valuing all Human Resources

12. Executing on the Vision

13. Risk Taking – Of Course

14. Overcoming Obstacles

15. Creating Quality

16. Insists on Incremental Improvement

17. Relentlessness - Passion Plus Persistence

Some of those methods might appear generic (e.g. goal setting) and like something we all know about, and some of us actually do well. The reality is quite different. When the mantra for goal setting in most motivational books has been reach for the stars and maybe you’ll be thrilled that you got to the moon, Musk actually reaches for Mars, and has no intention of stopping until he gets there.

I’m no Elon Musk and you probably aren’t either. However, as a business consultant and mastermind facilitator, I have come to believe that incremental improvements of our “methods” can have a massive effect on the outcome. If we get a little bit better at passion, networking, goal setting, leadership, and if we come to understand curiosity, observation, quality and analysis just a little bit better, we’re likely to lead lives that provide a greater sense of purpose and accomplishment. Who doesn’t want that?

I hope you’ll give The Elon Musk Method a read, and I hope you’ll review it on Amazon and even send me an email to tell me your thoughts. I suspect every human on the planet of every age and occupation could gain at least one pretty significant morsel of improvement from having taken a deep dive into the life of Elon Musk.