Great business leaders ≠ great people leaders - Elon Musk`s personality - and what it teaches me as Executive Coach (2024)

It is an important distinction: Some aspects that make you a great entrepreneur might make you less of a people leader and vica versa.

When I am asked to coach an executive, this is a very important aspect to clarify right from the start - depending on the level - the goal should not be a transition to "a perfect people leader", since some of the entrepreneurial qualities might suffer. Instead I suggest aiming at a transition to "a good enough (but better) leader" and great (now even more impactful) entrepreneur.

What makes a great entrepreneur?

Let`s look at Elon Musk`s personality to illustrate

Based on his personality, Elon Musk can be described as follows - based on the expert opinion @Robert Hogan and Ryne Sherman .

Elon Musk can be described as an analytical data-based problem solver, who is energetic, fearless about risk and competitive. A person that is hardworking with a focus on making a difference and having impact (achievement-oriented).

This personality pattern is one typically found in entrepreneurs.

Does this profile make a great people leader?

Some of it contributes to good people leadership. However, in the extreme it can have a negative effect on people leadership. Take achievement-orientation, which easily takes precedence over people-orientation. At the same time, we might miss out on other traits like a certain amount of agreeableness or interpersonal sensitivity.

So how should we approach this as Executive Coaches?

When we ask for a more balanced approach, or the leader to slow down, shift priorities, or change all together, we might weaken a great mind or force.

Instead, our focus should be on strengthening the person and his/ her position by building stronger relationships, creating transparency and trust, and working on preventing counterproductive or even harmful behavior, while fostering the leader`s unique way to connect with and inspire people.

On the contrary - more often than not, little things in our behavior or attitude or belief system, a tendency maybe, are keeping our strengths from having the best possible impact. For many established leaders, such a change is right around the corner, since they are dealing with current developments on the market, regarding customer needs, and employee needs - that require different - if only slightly different approaches.

More on personality development to improve leadership mastery or learn to adapt leadership style can be found in the book "Agile Leadership" (Puckett & Neubauer).