In a recently surfaced video of Elon Musk posted on X (affectionately known as Twitter to the rest of us), the billionaire tech mogul, while being interviewed, was seen walking through one of his car factories showing the interviewer to his desk.
In the video, which has garnered 8.5k likes and close to 700k views at the time of writing, Musk is heard saying, “I think it’s important for a leader to be at the front lines. The challenges are in ramping up production…It’s about being in the factory and understanding where the issues are, and I want the very opposite of being up in an ivory tower; I want to be in the middle of the battle, and so that means putting my desk in the middle of the factory.”
While we may have our personal opinions about Musk and his leadership style, including some questionable behaviors that have captured him as the center of attention in lawsuits over the past few years, one thing cannot be denied: Elon perfectly summed up the essence of true leadership within a 51-second video—being a hands-on leader.
Elon understood that if there were specific habitual issues in one end of the production line, it was his responsibility to physically shift over to wherever it was. This way, he could see for himself, provide real-time, hands-on guidance, and influence operations and development as early as possible, from his live perspective.
How does this translate to the leaders of today?
Traditionally, the theory is that leaders provide strategic direction and set the vision, while managers are more operationally driven, and focus on the day-to-day implementation of that vision.
Of course, today it’s often impossible to not blur the lines a little, and we tend to see a cross-over as these traditional roles merge (i.e. senior directors are often more involved in day-to-day operations, especially in smaller organizations, than this theory permits).
However, as Musk rightly pointed out, in times of crisis, people rally around and buy into heroic leaders who are involved and take a hands-on approach, as opposed to the leader acting as a dictator or spectator from the sidelines.
While delegating and providing high-level direction is an important career skill for business leaders to master, leaders need to be flexible enough to jump in and provide more detailed direction, coaching, and guidance where necessary. This is especially the case for small or medium-sized enterprises and start-ups.
Of course, for scalability and productivity reasons, it’s not possible to be involved in every minute detail of operations, neither should it be the case.
Rather, focus on areas of the business that require the most attention, for example, where there is noticeable change, crisis, or disruption. Once you’ve arrived at the stage where you trust that the operation has moved out of the red zone and is now in safe hands, you can safely take a step back.
For hands-on leadership to be effective, leaders must be broadly aware of the technical side of their subordinates’ work and be familiar with bottlenecks while having direct involvement in co-creating detailed solutions for those bottlenecks.
Micromanagement or hands-on management?
At the same time, take care to not confuse a hands-on approach with micromanagement. The two may be similar on the surface, but are totally contrasting in reality.
With micromanagement, employees are constantly monitored; there is minute reporting of every detail, constant checking in, and questioning, which disempowers your teams, creating a culture of distrust.
Hands-on leadership, on the other hand, is where employees are directed and coached while you work beside them, showing them the ropes. This style of leadership ensures higher quality is achieved, their careers are nurtured, and a stronger connection and engagement with you and your business vision is fostered.
Be fully present, both in the front lines and behind the scenes. Make yourself available for feedback, for employees to ask questions, and to provide motivation and encouragement, thus building respect and credibility for you as a leader, while boosting team morale and enthusiasm.
If you want to increase trust with your stakeholders, maintain relevance so you can be agile in your own career, raise the value of your employer brand, and improve your product/service quality and performance, roll up your sleeves and get in the thick of the battle. Engage your team and create transformative solutions, while maintaining a steady gaze towards the bigger picture. It’s time for the traditional nuance of staying in one’s sleek corner office of an HQ to be done away with.
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