Introduction
Modern leaders that will be compared are Steve Jobs, the founder and CEO of Apple, and Elon Musk, a leader at SpaceX, Tesla, and other companies. The rationale for this choice is determined by these people’s achievements in the business world. However, their leadership styles have multiple differences; therefore, it is essential to identify the personal traits and competencies that made them successful and that should be considered by others.
Main Body
Elon Musk may be characterized as a transformational leader – in general, transformational leadership may be regarded as an employee-oriented approach. Transformational leaders articulate goals and missions, act on the basis of honesty and integrity, motivate others by serving as role models, and focus on subordinates’ potential (Klingborg et al., 2006). At the same time, creativity, enthusiasm, eagerness for achievements, and energy are Musk’s peculiar features as a leader. In other words, he is guided by his inspiration and experience that generate ideas aiming to revolutionize the world (Miller, 2023). Therefore, he translates his agility to his subordinates, motivating them, learning to accept failures as a part of growth, and developing their hunger for knowledge.
In contrast, Steve Jobs was traditionally described as an autocratic leader. Control over employees’ performance, clear articulation of missions, vision, and goals, fast decision-making, and a lack of team collaboration are the traits of autocratic leadership (EWOR Team, 2022). In the case of Jobs, his approach was determined by his vision of perfection, which should be expressed precisely in the company’s products. Moreover, his leadership did not presuppose close contacts or a friendly working atmosphere. At the same time, it allows us to stay competitive based on fast and efficient decision-making, especially in critical situations.
Conclusion
On the basis of this comparison, it is possible to conclude that regardless of the origin of leadership skills, the personality of a leader may be regarded as the most critical component of an efficient approach. Musk and Jobs are characterized by their eagerness to achieve perfection and new horizons, outperforming rivals. Although Musk empowers his subordinates while Job uses their skills and competencies to achieve his goals, both leaders are role models forming corporate cultures with particular values and norms others respect.
References
EWOR Team. (2022). Pros and cons of Steve Jobs’ autocratic leadership style. Ewor. Web.
Klingborg, D. J., Moore, D. A., & Varea-Hammond, S. (2006). What is leadership?. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 33(2), 280-283. Web.
Miller, H. L. (2023). 4 ways to apply Elon Musk’s leadership style. Leaders. Web.