Three CEOs known to be the leading innovators of our time have one personality trait in common, which is why Elon Musk, Bill Gatesand the late Steve Jobs are so successful.
According to the author and historian Walter Isaacson, Musk, Gates and Jobs were very unemotional when dealing with their employees or colleagues. However, they’re also adamant about realizing their visions for the companies, Isaacson said on CNBC’s Squawk Box.
Isaacson, who wrote Job’s biography and is working on a book about Musk, said he saw a direct comparison between Musk and Jobs’ social franchise.
“This ability to not be so emotionally and empathetically engaged in seeing [their] seeing through. It’s something Steve Jobs had, it’s something Bill Gates [has]”Isaacson said.
Also Read: Bill Gates’ Student Resume at Harvard in 1974: Here Are the Mistakes He Made
“Musk is very similar [to Jobs] by being extraordinarily open,” he said. “That transparency is part of his genius.”
“It’s something a lot of these people have because they’re not looking for affection from the person sitting across from them. Instead, they seek to send rockets to Mars,” he added.
Isaacson said of Musk, “I’ve always been interested in innovators and people who push boundaries, and he pushes the most important and toughest boundaries.”
However, he added that Musk “definitely cares about his reputation” – but that doesn’t change his tendency to be outspoken, even harsh, with employees.
In a podcast that aired in 2020, Gates admitted he wasn’t a sweetheart during his early days at Microsoft.
Gates said he and Jobs were known for their intense competition. This ultimately resulted in extremely high expectations for their employees.
Photo: created with images by Greg Rubenstein, Tesla Owners Club Belgium and Kazuhiro Shiozawa on flickr
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