“If I were to get hit by a bus today, I would leave all of my money to Elon Musk” -Larry Page

I know what you’re thinking, and yes… that Larry Page.

So why would the co-founder of Google and current CEO of Alphabet make such a bold statement?

Well, I’m going to give you 5 reasons why, and along the way illustrate ways we can all learn from Elon Musk to grow as professionals and push our civilization forward.

1. He bets the house but knows what the house is made of

The best illustration of this statement can be seen in Ted Talk curator Chris Anderson’s interview with Musk where Anderson elegantly states…

“He thinks at a systematic level of design (revolving around things boiled down to their physical framework), then pulls together that design, technology, and business, synthesizing it into one package. He then feels so damn confident in that package that he can bet his fortune on it."

And bet his fortune he does. In fact, in 2008 during the financial crisis, Tesla, like most companies was struggling to stay afloat. Right before Christmas, Tesla couldn’t make its payroll unless Musk wrote a personal check for his last $3 million dollars.

Although this was an unbelievably risky move, Musk was able to make the call because he fundamentally understands what Tesla is built around, and where it has the potential to go.

2. He Thinks about What Will Matter in the Future

If you’ve ever watched an Elon Musk interview you’re sure to hear the interviewer talk about Musk’s eclectic business ventures and why he has chosen to pursue them. With some variation, of course, Musk generally answers the question by talking about when he was in college; he stepped back and asked himself what are the things that are going to have the largest impact on the future of humanity.

To him, the answers were simple (keyword simple), the Internet, sustainable energy (both production and consumption), artificial intelligence, and space exploration allowing humans to become a multi-planet species.

The point here is that pioneers like Musk, Page, and former President Bill Clinton (5:30) are constantly stepping back to think about what they feel is going to matter in the next 5, 10, 15 years. I would challenge each and every one of you to practice asking yourself something along those lines on a micro and macro scale. The next step is to work on figuring out how you can impact or involve yourself in those trends.

Doing so refreshes your overall perspective and causes you to think about things you genuinely care about.

3. He seeks out negative feedback and solicits it from everyone

We hate rejection. It’s the worst.

But you know what’s even more detrimental than rejection, a friend or team member only giving you positive feedback on a new product launch, piece of music, etc, causing you to not receive the proper insight that will help you learn and make your product or idea better.

Musk encourages people to seek negative feedback from everyone, not just their friends. People tend to avoid seeking out negative feedback, which is in his opinion a huge mistake.

One way Musk suggests people solicit this type of feedback from others is to directly ask them what they don’t like about something, rather than what they do like. 

Sounds simple, but is very hard to consistently do. Give it a try and see what types of insights you can gain.

4. He is perpetually curious and continues to ask questions

One of my favorite Albert Einstein quotes is “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” 

So how does Musk stay curious? One way… well, he reads lots of books. 

The key here is that as he is pursuing ambitious ventures like Tesla, Space X, and Solar City, he is constantly using his curiosity to ask questions, and learn as much as possible.

Now the major key is having the ability to ask the right questions, to the right people, at the right time. Take a marriage proposal for example. Very simple and straight forward, but you get my point.

And although this sounds like a no-brainer, there are a staggering number of poor decisions made (including indecision) every day by people not asking the right questions. This stems from a variety of reasons, mainly a lack of appropriate perspective, or poorly designed organizational structures.

All in all, stay curious, question everything, and never, ever, stop learning! 

5. He Gets Stuff Done

Musk’s track record truly speaks for itself, so no need to list his accomplishments, however, it is important to note that it’s not just the fact that Musk has accomplished so much at such a young age, it is the confidence in which he has done so.

Whether it’s stating that Tesla will be worth $700 Billion by 2025, or claiming that in two years Tesla’s “Summon” feature will enable users to remotely fetch their vehicles from LA to NYC, Musk is always setting confident and ambitious goals for himself and his companies.

So why does all this matter? 

It matters because Musk is focused on the future of humanity (on both this planet and others). He has overcome insurmountable odds to successfully start a rocket company, electric car company, and aid in the creation and funding of a solar power company (simply listing those is exhausting).

As a soon to be college graduate, I want to be the one to help positively build and shape our future. And to me, it's imperative to have role models and mentors to look up to for inspiration and hope. Elon Musk is one of those role models.

He's someone who treats knowledge like a semantic tree. 

Who thinks about the future.

Who is perpetually curious and learns from negative feedback.

And above all, who gets stuff done and takes smart risks with incredible confidence.

All of this circles back to Chris Anderson’s “theory” of what makes Elon Musk so successful, and essentially a real-life Tony Stark.

And let's be honest, who wouldn’t want to leave their fortune to Tony Stark?

Until next time,

Josh

P.S. Larry Page actually said that. If you want to check out where and how click here. (19:30)