Lead by Example (Show Up Early and Stay Late)

How to Lead Like Elon: Show Up Early, Stay Late, and Embed Yourself in the Action.

Elon leads his companies from the trenches, not some holier than thou ivory tower.  

At SpaceX offices he has a cubicle like everyone else, not a walled off office.  He says this is because doors prevent communication, so they use cubicles so communication can flow more easily. 

At Tesla he has a desk on the factory floor.  His area is very clean and on point, with few items to feature.  All that was on the desk was a computer, sunglasses and his keys.

By being deeply entrenched in the technology Elon is able to expedite efficiencies and fix problems in real time.

Elon identifies as an Engineer more so than a suit and tie CEO: “I encounter CEO’s who don’t know the details of their technology and that’s ridiculous to me.”

Elon started from the first prototypes and earned his place at the top.  His willingness to stay hungry and keep working hard despite massive success is a big part of what keeps his companies on top.

Elon does not walk around SpaceX campus in a suit like he owns the place – even though he does own the place.

He lives in a humble $69,000 boxabl house ($50k + upgrades) he rents on site.

Elon has also been known to sleep on the Tesla factory floor in a sleeping bag or in the board room.

When Elon bought Twitter recently he slept there also, in a library room.

He also created this shirt as a play on #staywoke merch he found at Twitter.