Elon Musk’s Leadership Style Bad For Business And Mental Health, Experts Warn

Chaos continued to erupt when hordes of employees stormed Twitter on November 17 after Elon Musk’s ironclad demands. He gave workers until 5:00 pm to decide whether to quit or stay and work “long hours at high intensity.” Meanwhile, big corporations like CBS suspended their Twitter accounts due to the tumultuous takeover and the uncertainty of their future. Musk has used the kind of oppressive leadership tactics that caused upheaval in the post-pandemic workplace, the opposite of what experts are calling for to remedy the workplace havoc and cure the mental health problems caused by the pandemic. pandemic.

Workplace leadership experts say Musk’s leadership style is heading in the wrong direction so far. in a recent Forbes.com interviewJenn Lim, CEO of Delivering Happiness and author of Beyond Happiness: How Authentic Leaders Prioritize Purpose for Growth and Impact, he told me that Musk is treating people like collateral damage instead of human beings, forgetting basic human decency in the way he handles layoffs. Lim’s assessment raises the question of what impact his inhumane actions will have on the already damaged mental health of employees. Others worry that copycat leaders will emulate Musk’s tactics to get more for their money at the expense of employees’ mental health.

The latest return-to-office strategy for the world’s richest man goes against so many other leaders who also insist that remote work is the way of the future and is here to stay. Steve Black, Chief Strategy Officer at topia, says the all-in-office policy is a dangerous talent strategy for other companies to implement. “Elon Musk forcing employees to return to the office full-time is a dangerous talent strategy because it will likely lead many employees to seek more flexible jobs,” Black said. “In our recent adapt survey, we find that 65% of employees who are forced to return to the office full-time say they are more likely to look for a new job; 46% are attracted to jobs that focus on employee well-being and 42% want the ability to work from home whenever they want. Musk goes directly against both of these factors by removing all flexibility and forcing a minimum 40 hours per week.

Musk headed in the wrong direction

If a motorist were driving the wrong way on a one-way street, pedestrians would signal them. If a leader is leading a large organization in the wrong direction, the people in the know will point it out before it crashes and burns. What follows are actions experts say corporate leaders need to take by 2023 to restore post-pandemic stability to the workplace, all of which Musk is taking in reverse.

• Psychological safety for employees. According to Jennie Yang, vice president of people and culture at 15Five, leaders need to consider the competencies they want to see in their managers and employees, such as resilience, self-direction, and adapting to ambiguity. “To survive a recession, the psychological safety of employees will be critical in the coming year, so leaders in particular will require skills in handling internal communications,” he said, adding that trauma recovery from toxic workplaces and honing the soft skills to manage tough economic times is imperative. “Key skills to focus on include strong mental and emotional well-being and being able to relate to others.”
• Increase team productivity without burnout. Tim Harsch, CEO and Co-Founder of Owl, told me that the biggest challenge for leaders in 2023 will be managing economic uncertainty and increasing team productivity without burning them out. “This will require clear and honest communication across the organization and the establishment of quality key performance indicators (KPIs) that are accepted by everyone within the teams,” he said.
• Creation of a stable workplace. David Hassell, CEO and co-founder of 15Five, agrees that business leaders will need to be secure in the face of uncertainty in 2023. When business leaders rise to the occasion and lead through uncertainties, they ultimately create a positive workplace for that their employees thrive, Hassell told me, predicting that companies will double down on leadership and management training and that the standardization of the 9-to-5 workplace is gone, adding: “Creating a stable workplace that anchors trust and employee loyalty is vital. This is especially important in a remote or hybrid work environment. Employees who feel a sense of stability, support from leadership, a sense of purpose in their work, and connection to others, all of which should drive leadership, will be less likely to disengage or ‘quit quietly’ next year.”

A better way to make tough decisions

Elon Musk’s tactics are diametrically opposed to what evidence-based research findings and expert opinion recommend. Here are the ingredients top leaders say are needed to remedy the ravages of a post-pandemic workplace:

• gallup insists that a company’s most important asset is its people.
• talentLMS reported that 78% of employees want more support in the workplace.
• a body of research shows that empathy is the most important leadership skill, especially in times of crisis.
• Experts say leaders must manage with stability and certainty during economic uncertainty, not add more confusion and disruption.

Still, many misinformed leaders will identify with Musk’s reckless tactics and follow in his footsteps. steve black in topia notes that this is a dangerous path for other companies to follow. Twitter and Tesla have been strong and well-known brands. Black points out that most brands are not in the same category. Therein lies the danger, he warns and warns organizations: “If these brands follow Musk’s lead, they won’t be able to attract and retain enough talent to make a tenure in the office a valid strategy. Ultimately, a ‘Tesla is doing it, we can too’ strategy would be very risky for most organizations.”

The best way for leaders to stay true to company culture when faced with the kind of tough decisions Elon Musk faces is to reverse emotionless leadership decision making. “As leaders make these tough decisions, it’s tempting to take the emotion out of them,” Jenn Lim told me. “Psychologically it can be a balm to calm a restless conscience. But conscious leaders take the opposite route. During Covid, these leaders put office titles and politics aside and donned their empathy hats, knowing what was at stake in the way they are impacting livelihoods. When making these decisions, keep your company’s values ​​and purpose in mind by making them part of the considerations. Leadership must start with why these choices are being made and then What live up to the values ​​and purpose of the company. When they are respected, the true character of an organization has the opportunity to show its humanity.