Elon Musk’s 6 productivity rules show a division between military and civilian workplaces

No matter what you feel about Elon Musk, there is no denying that he is one of America’s most visionary business leaders. He transformed the electric car into a product that consumers really wanted to buy and, in the process, made Tesla one of the most valuable companies in the world.

Musk may not like conventions, but some are universal. One is productivity.

In a 2018 email that was leaked to the public, Tesla’s CEO outlined six recommendations for his employees to make the best use of their time.

The military will quickly realize that its units accept few or none of its recommendations.

While this is not the end of the world (and probably no surprise), due to the fact that the United States still has the most powerful military in the world, those who have spent their entire lives in service may want to take a break – especially if they are in transition.

Judging from Musk’s email, the military and civilian worlds are light years away, and it is something veterans entering the civilian job market must be prepared for. Even Musk’s other company, SpaceX, probably won’t be able to bridge that division anytime soon.

1. No big meetings

Sometimes the military requires a general meeting or some other type of general call. Unlike many large companies, military units deal with life and death situations, which is actually a good reason to hold a large meeting. If it’s not that serious, Musk says, don’t leave.

“Excessive meetings are the plague of large companies and almost always get worse over time,” he wrote. “Please take [rid] of all the big meetings, unless you’re sure they’re adding value to the entire audience. “

2. Without long meetings

The military also has short, well-intentioned meetings. If Musk learned what a stand-up meeting is, he would probably implement the practice of not being able to sit at all of his companies. In the case of large meetings with an important message, he believes they must be very short. And they definitely shouldn’t be regulars, writing:

“Also get rid of frequent meetings, unless you are dealing with an extremely urgent matter. The frequency of meetings should drop quickly once the urgent matter is resolved.”

3. Don’t be afraid to leave

The idea of ​​leaving a meeting called by a senior or non-commissioned officer is anathema to everything we know about the military. Try to leave when your squadron commander is talking to the unit and tell me how it went (please don’t). But Musk is fine with that, especially if the rest of the meeting doesn’t belong to you.

“Leave a meeting or hang up as soon as it becomes obvious that you are not adding value,” he wrote. “It is not rude to leave; it is rude to make someone stay and waste time.”

4. Don’t use acronyms

If the military implemented this policy, their entire world could come to an abrupt halt. Acronyms in the armed forces are not just part of a long-standing cultural tradition; they really help to facilitate communication. Do you prefer to say “Utility lift combat heavy equipment recovery and evacuation system” or “HERCULES”. My guess is that Musk can give the military a chance – but not Tesla.

For his company, he believes buzzwords and acronyms are an obstacle.

“Don’t use acronyms or nonsense words for Tesla objects, software or processes,” says the email. “In general, anything that requires an explanation inhibits communication. We don’t want people to have to memorize a glossary just to work at Tesla.”

5. Communication is not subject to the chain of command

Somewhere, an O-4’s head exploded reading this. Unlike some companies, some of the functionality of the U.S. Armed Forces depends on dealing with situations at the lowest level of the chain of command, so that the general does not have to worry about battlefield tactics or be tempted to ignore military officers. field closer to the action. It works for the military, but Musk doesn’t believe it works for Tesla.

For him, communication through a chain of command is just a giant “phone” game.

“Communication must travel the shortest path needed to get the job done, not the chain of command,” writes Musk. “Any manager who tries to enforce chain of command communication will soon find himself working elsewhere.”

6. Use common sense.

In the army, we like to think that everything we do or have done was designed with common sense. But any veteran will say that common sense is not common and that the phrase “Charlie Foxtrot” exists for a reason. Musk agrees.

“If following a” company rule “is obviously ridiculous in a particular situation, in a way that would give Dilbert a great picture, then the rule should change,” he wrote.

Any veteran who has learned some of his own productivity rules on the job should send them to Blake Stilwell at [email protected]. Or on Twitter @blakestilwell and in Facebook.

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