Every so often, a team needs a jolt of energy, a lightning strike of urgency, a big priority with all hands on deck, a relentless focus that takes their breath away.
This breaks them free of the same thinking, tasks, and assumptions that create complacency and undermine long-term productivity. It’s not that the team is tired or bored. It’s that they get used to the same rhythms and melodies, so the song becomes stale or old.
They need a wake-up call, if only for a few days or weeks, to shake things up. They need an Elon Musk Moment.
Whatever you might think of Musk, there is one defining quality he possesses that all leaders should emulate now and again. He introduces big, bold ideas and asks everyone to bring them to fruition in short order. In other words, he disrupts the status quo and injects the organizations he runs with a priority so hot and important that everyone must focus on it, at least for the short-term.
The urgency and energy this creates transform the organization into a powerhouse of focus and commitment. Even if this priority turns out to be a dud, it shakes the team free of the cobwebs of monotony and asks them to find some new creative fuel to execute what has never been done before.
People set aside differences and collaborate to make a short deadline. They feel energized by the urgency of the myopic focus and sometimes do their best work ever.
Doing this too often, or with an idea that is not a game-changer, leaves a bad taste. This is not a fire drill. This is a rush to build something special or deliver on a promise that would normally take months or years. People are always amazed by how much can get done, quickly, when everyone has the same focus and enthusiasm to deliver.
That’s the power of an Elon Musk Moment. When was the last time your team or organization had a singular focus that drew everyone in and engaged the entire team for a few days? What is the big idea or difference-maker worth such a moment?
Perhaps that is exactly what the doctor ordered for your team. Create such a moment and watch what happens.
