Elon Musk

It’s easy to demonise people, you’re usually wrong about it, people are nicer than you think.

I think people should be nicer to each other

The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.

Don’t blame the boss. He has enough problems.

Most great leaders in history that I’ve studied always need to get as wide a range of opinions as possible so that they can have sufficient information to make the right decisions.

Respect people with less power then you. I don’t care if you’re the most powerful cat in the room, I will judge you on how you treat the least powerful. So there.

A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.

Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.

A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.

I judge people based on their capability, honesty, and merit.

I have a very simple rule when it comes to management: hire the best people from your competitors, pay them more than they were earning, and give them bonuses and incentives based on their performance. That’s how you build a first-class operation.

Teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare when the leader has a big dream and a bad team.

Your performance depends on your people. Select the best, train them and back them. When errors occur, give sharper guidance. If errors persist or if the fit feels wrong, help them move on. The country cannot afford amateur hour in the White House.

You will launch many projects, but have time to finish only a few. So think, plan, develop, launch and tap good people to be responsible. Give them authority and hold them accountable. Trying to do too much yourself creates a bottleneck.

I think people should be nicer to each other

Even as entrepreneurs, we rely on people to get things done. We may have the original idea, but moving it forward can involve hundreds of people. Every person becomes integral to the overall success.

The very essence of leadership is having vision.