This bit on how to run a team is literally verbatim from what I have said before about communication.
You run a team with clear and consistent communication.
It’s about empathy – and being able to convey needed information to people where they are.
Are expectations reasonable? Are processes clear and documented?
Honestly, few managers do this well.
And many are too concerned about their own skin to strategically think through anything effectively.
I mean, speaking to a manager should energize an employee – not deflate them.
If it’s the latter, something is very wrong.
Understand: Leadership is communication.
“I had never really run a team of any sort before,” Musk said. “I’d never been a sports captain or a captain of anything or managed a single person. I had to think, Okay, what are the things that affect how a team functions. The first obvious assumption would be that other people will behave like you. But that’s not true. Even if they would like to behave like you, they don’t necessarily have all the assumptions or information that you have in your mind. So, if I know a certain set of things, and I talk to a replica of myself but only communicate half the information, you can’t expect that the replica would come to the same conclusion. You have to put yourself in a position where you say, ‘Well, how would this sound to them, knowing what they know?’”
-Ashley Vance, Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future (Amazon)
