Learning from Elon Musk: The best leaders practice self-care

By Greg Dardis / Guest Column

The question stood out amid a lengthy Q&A, drawing laughs from the audience and the CEO on stage.

Tesla’s annual shareholders meeting last spring attracted a large crowd eager to access its CEO. Elon Musk is one of the visionaries of our day, a 45-year-old father of five changing the world by revolutionizing transportation and space travel.

Shareholders gathered at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, that May afternoon were treated to a sprawling account of Tesla’s history told by the founder himself, dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, peppering his talk with colorful anecdotes and self-deprecating humor.

Afterward, they got a chance to ask Mr. Musk questions. Two lines quickly formed, made up mostly of men, and questions revolved around the cars: production rates, promotion ideas, supercharger locations, ride-sharing possibilities.

Then a young woman stepped up to the microphone. “You seem to be a very important part of his company,” she said, “and I was wondering what your strategy is for ensuring your personal mental clarity and long-term health and security, like yoga or goji berries.”

He chuckled before she had finished and paused comically to ponder it, eliciting additional laughs from the crowd.

“I’m probably not engaging in a set of actions likely to maximize my lifespan,” he said. “I do think, at this time, in all the history of Tesla, this is the most excited I’ve actually been about the future of the company, and I think that sort of excitement is just a powerful driver and makes me want to get up in the morning and come to work.”

Enjoying your workplace and your work is imperative, Mr. Musk told the shareholder. “I’m feeling pretty fired up, actually,” he concluded. “Thanks for asking.”

A Fortune magazine journalist tweeted his “lifespan” line, calling it “the best quote so far,” but generally the response went unnoticed, muffled by more news-making statements he made that day.

The laughter itself seemed to suggest that, not only may Mr. Musk be guilty of neglecting self-care, but the question was somehow frivolous.

In reality, it was incredibly pertinent. It recognized that self-care doesn’t just happen; it requires a concerted effort or strategy. Also, it rightly linked “mental clarity” with “long-term health,” a connection research continues to confirm.

Studies of the most effective leaders point to a pattern of self-care – from regular exercise to fresh air, from time with family to opportunities for ongoing education like an executive training course.

It’s no accident that Stephen Covey named “sharpen your saw” – his term for taking care of yourself – as the seventh habit in his bestselling book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

“The things you do to sharpen the saw in any one dimension have positive impact in other dimensions because they are so highly related,” Mr. Covey said.

Two decades later, Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post, carried the conversation forward on a TED stage by addressing what she has dubbed “a sleep-deprivation crisis.” When she introduced her “little idea” to awaken dormant “big ideas” – sleep – she also elicited laughter. But she was serious in her claim, recounting a time she fainted from exhaustion and got five stitches by her eye.

“The way to a more productive, more inspired, more joyful life is getting enough sleep,” Ms, Huffington said.

The message stuck, and she released a book on the topic – “The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time” – earlier this year.

So do yourself a favor this fall: Unlock your best thinking and step outside the office.

Greg Dardis is the CEO of Dardis Communications, based in Coralville. For more information, visit www.dardiscommunications.com.