Since buying out Twitter, Elon Musk has let his remaining employees know (by email, of course) that leaking confidential information will not be tolerated. In fact, Elon said he will sue any employee that violates their NDA and shares information with the press.
OK, let's face it: Elon Musk is not the poster boy for leadership communication that inspires loyalty and commitment. But, every now and then, he delivers positive advice that is intended to benefit his employees.
Elon's productivity recommendations
Back in 2018, Elon sent Tesla employees a lengthy email laying out a number of changes in light of the halt in Model 3 production that caught the media's attention at the time. Unsurprisingly, it leaked.
But if you're an Elon Musk fan, pay attention to his "productivity recommendations" that have since become a study on good management practices.
They include tips on effectively managing meetings and communicating to make faster decisions, all in the name of increasing productivity. Here are the highlights:
1. Get rid of large meetings
I agree with Elon that, unless they bring value to a large audience, you should avoid large meetings for several reasons:
- They waste valuable time and energy
- They discourage healthy and open debate because people are more guarded in large numbers
- There's simply not enough time for everyone to contribute good input and their good ideas.
2. It's OK to "walk out of a meeting"
Yes, just leave. Here's why, says Elon: if a meeting doesn't require your input on a decision and if you find that you're not contributing, it brings you no value.
Therefore, you should leave the meeting (or "drop off a call") because your presence is useless. In such a case, Elon says, "It is not rude to leave, it is rude to make someone stay and waste their time."
3. Ditch frequent meetings
Elon says, "Get rid of frequent meetings, unless you are dealing with an extremely urgent matter. Meeting frequency should drop rapidly once the urgent matter is resolved." Good advice.
Frequent and "excessive" meetings are a surefire way to disrupt the workflow and diminish productivity.
If you must meet due to an urgent matter, use that time efficiently to collaborate and solve your urgent problem head-on. Once fires have been put out, communicate any follow-up items via email or Slack to avoid interrupting work.
4. Information must travel the shortest distance
This is my favorite piece of advice from Elon's leaked email:
The message was clearly a warning to his Tesla managers. Elon knows that communicating through hierarchies and multiple channels can slow things down and kill innovation.
No employee doing the actual work should ever have to go to his manager for clearance on an important work-related issue, who then goes to his director, who then goes to his VP, who then circles back down the chain of command to finally allow the worker to get something done.
This is insanity. Elon understands that information must travel in any direction, between all levels, regardless of rank or position.
If something needs to get communicated in a way that will increase efficiency and productivity, to Musk's point, it has to travel the shortest distance.
5. Use common sense
Companies that grow too big must employ rules and policies to keep things and people in line. This is to be expected and it makes sense. What doesn't make sense is when those same rules become inefficient and no longer contribute to progress.
Elon advises you to always go with your common sense to guide your decisions: "If following a 'company rule' is obviously ridiculous in a particular situation, such that it would make for a great Dilbert cartoon, then the rule should change."
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