What Elon Musk gets wrong about leadership

Elon Musk is, without doubt, a visionary. He has redefined industries, pushed the boundaries of technology, and created companies that have changed the world.

Yet, his leadership style - often characterised by intensity, direct confrontation, and a relentless pursuit of results at any cost - raises an important question: is this the kind of leadership that builds a truly sustainable, people-first workplace culture?

I find myself wondering this every time I see another headline about Musk's latest workplace directive or aggressive efficiency approaches. While I admire his boldness, I can't help but question the human cost of his approach as he moves into the public sector. Musk's leadership is rooted in high expectations, pressure, and disruption.

He demands the impossible and frequently achieves it. But his leadership has also been marked by public firings (he famously let go of 80% of the Twitter workforce when he took over), abrupt policy shifts, and an unforgiving workplace environment. While this can drive innovation, it often comes at the expense of psychological safety, employee wellbeing, and long-term organisational resilience. I've seen too many companies burn bright and then burn out by following this template.

When I think about the leaders I've most admired throughout my career, they embody something quite different: values-based, transformational leadership, where leaders prioritise trust, collaboration, and a shared sense of purpose. Rather than commanding obedience, transformational leaders inspire, empower, and cultivate a culture where employees feel valued and motivated in their own right. They understand that sustainable success isn't just about the next product launch or profit margin - it's about nurturing people and creating an environment where talent thrives.

This is precisely why we've developed Engage Leadership at TCM. We've seen firsthand how transformational leadership creates lasting success, and we're committed to helping your organisation cultivate leaders who inspire rather than intimidate. Our proven methodologies help executives and managers develop the emotional intelligence, communication skills, and values-based approach that builds truly resilient teams.

I believe deeply that a truly transformational workplace culture is not built on fear or rapid-fire decision-making - it is built on clarity, communication, and connection. In my experience, leaders who embrace a values-driven approach see not only greater engagement and productivity but also higher retention, stronger teams, and a workplace where innovation flourishes naturally, rather than under duress. Musk may be a master of disruption, but the most enduring and successful organisations are those that are built on trust, values, and a commitment to people. The future of leadership belongs to those who inspire - not just those who demand. Would your leaders pass the test of transformational leadership?

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Leadership training in action

Womankind Worldwide have a deep understanding of what it means to be a transformational leader. They knew as an organisation?whose mission centers on advancing women’s rights and gender equality globally, their internal?leadership couldn't just be about improving management effectiveness - it needed to create coherence between their external mission and internal practices.

They partnered with us to develop a comprehensive leadership programme with Engage Leadership’s Leadership Bootcamp that would align their internal practices with their feminist values and gain tools and approaches that would help them champion cultural transformation. This is their success story...

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Next week's webinar

Are you ready to revolutionise your organisation’s approach to human resources? Join us for our next webinar?on Tuesday that explores how People & Culture is reshaping the modern workplace.

In this transformative era, People & Culture has emerged as one of the most strategically important functions in modern organisations. In this session, I will share how to:

• Transform your HR function into a strategic powerhouse
• Create purpose-driven, values-based workplace cultures
• Implement systems that promote harmony and high performance
• Develop fair and inclusive conflict resolution frameworks
• Apply cutting-edge approaches including systems thinking, appreciative inquiry, and positive psychology

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Don't let your HR team get left behind by AI

Across industries, AI is being heralded as a game-changer, poised to redefine how organisations operate and compete in a fast-evolving global landscape.

Yet amidst this surge of innovation, there is one critical function lagging behind: Human Resources.?A 2024 global McKinsey survey shows that, to date, HR has been one of the slowest functions to adopt AI – with only 12% of teams getting on board, compared to 34% of marketing and sales functions. In this article for HR Zone, I explore the many positive potential adoptions of AI for the HR function. I urge teams to make AI their co-pilot or risk becoming an?administrative department...

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The TCM Reading Corner

Whilst Musk commands headlines with technical brilliance and unyielding demands, Brené Brown's thought-provoking Dare to Lead reveals something rather revolutionary: true leadership power lies in having the courage to be vulnerable. Her fascinating research challenges conventional wisdom by showing that the most impactful leaders aren't those who dominate rooms with unwavering certainty, but those who create environments where trust flourishes and genuine human connection takes priority over perfectionism.

The book's brilliantly accessible framework for "brave leadership" presents four game-changing skill sets: embracing vulnerability (rather than armoured leadership), anchoring to concrete values (not just profit targets), nurturing deep trust (instead of fear-based compliance), and building resilience after inevitable setbacks. For organisations weary of high-burnout leadership cultures, Brown offers a compelling alternative to the "move fast and break things" mentality.

??You can get the book here.

That's it for now. If you have any questions or queries relating to any of the content above, please feel free to contact me.

All the best! David