Trying to define the richest man in the world with a single word is a daunting task, if not impossible. Elon Musk is the man with a thousand faces, a tycoon who, beyond the empire he has built over the years, has an intimate profile that he would give for a docuseries with dozens of seasons.
Approaching his figure means embracing a biography full of lights and shadows, with episodes that go from genius to catastrophe in tenths of a second and that draw the portrait of an exceptional human being in every way. The feeling is that the owner of Twitter can eat the world at the same time that he can sink and become his worst enemy.
The 51-year-old billionaire combines a fascinating professional career with vital experience that has marked his way of being and understanding of personal leadership. Perhaps the word that best defines this business facet is visionary. “He leads with a deep sense of purpose to help evolve humanity. He shows optimism and passion towards an inspiring vision, creating high levels of involvement and commitment in his teams”, explains executive coach and Managing Partner at AddVenture, Daniel Poch.
But like everything in life, his leadership has gray or hidden faces: “This vision of the future, this commitment to make things happen that he believes should happen makes him show a demanding, dominant leadership, with little sensitivity towards the perspectives or opinions of others. He imposes more than he co-creates. It is a very individualistic approach to leadership. “adds Poch himself.
And that leads us to talk about strengths and weaknesses. The executive coach himself dissects them for this newspaper: “As favorable points I would highlight his capacity for observation, his curiosity about how things work and his commitment to contributing and contributing in a positive way. In addition, it shows an outstanding capacity for work, sacrifice and dedication. The least favorable points can be obsession, arrogance and pressure on others, creating an atmosphere of fear and closure around you that reduces risk taking by others, reduces the possibility of others taking risks and position themselves before him as followers, rather than as leaders.
The leadership expert describes how the aforementioned can lead to the construction of his personal brand: “The effects created by feeling powerful and influential in front of others is that it increases the feeling of control over what happens around me, I can control it Everything reduces empathy or sensitivity towards others, my vision of others is increasingly biased. And above all, power leads people to lose inhibitions, to give us freedom to be ourselves. We show ourselves authentic and give free rein Let go of our impulses.
Beatriz Gil Bóveda, psychologist specializing in self-esteem, leadership and personal development and founder
There is more, and it is closer to darkness than to light. For the psychologist, Musk has traits of narcissistic personality disorder, something that also leads us to double faces: “The passion for innovation, his motivation to change the status quo, and his risk-taking have driven his success. However, the same qualities that have made him the richest man in the world, could lead to his downfall if he lets his ego, lack of empathy and narcissism guide his decision-making ”, warns Gil. Vault.
We are talking about someone who has confessed that he suffered bullying at school until he was 15 years old, that he had a very complicated relationship with his father and that he suffers from an autism spectrum disorder. How have these circumstances marked Musk? “It is very likely that the tycoon has developed a sense of insecurity and a need to prove himself through his success in his business career using his painful and traumatic past as motivation to achieve his goals.” , believes the psychologist.
Bóveda concludes with this point: “It is important to note that the psychological impact of bullying can vary from person to person, and it is not possible to know for sure how the bullying and his father’s criticism and harshness affected Musk in particular. What What we do know is that Musk has been open about his struggles with depression and anxiety in the past, and that he has sought professional help.”
Daniel Poch completes the analysis with this context: “In his very young character, traits of a pioneer, brave, eccentric can already be seen that make him an idol for a generation of engineers and entrepreneurs. He is a dreamer, a big dreamer. Electric cars, rockets. A revolutionary rebel who has broken all the molds and has shown a disruptive innovative spirit that has shaken the thinking and lifestyle of millions of people around the world.”
And this leads us to talk about power: “The feeling of power affects all of us, and in him especially it has given him a freedom to be authentic, to show himself as he is. It has given him immunity to not be carried away by the opinions of others, it has made him immune to social constructions and traditional ways of proceeding ”, concludes the coach.
