What drives Elon Musk to work for 120 weeks is the same trait that inspired Steve Jobs

Last week, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, explained why he worked 120 hours a week in an interview with technical journalist Kara Swisher. Swisher asked, "Why are you pushing so hard?" Musk replied, "Well, the other option would have been Tesla dies."

Tesla can not die, said Musk, because it is important for the future of sustainable energy. "The fundamental objective, the fundamental good provided by Tesla, is to accelerate the advent of sustainable transportation and energy production," said Mr Musk. "It's very important for the future of the world."

This is not the first time Musk has referred to a sense of purpose as the main driver of his fierce work ethic. Earlier this year, Musk said, "Life can not just be about solving one miserable thing after another, it can not be the only thing, there must be things that inspire you, make you happy. get up in the morning and humanity. "

The author of the book Management, Marcus Buckingham, has already conducted a study on thousands of picks. He has come to what he sees as the best definition of leadership: "Great leaders rally people to a better future," he writes in The only thing you need to know.

According to Buckingham, a leader carries in his head a vivid picture of what a future might be. "As a leader, you are never satisfied with the present, because in your head you can see a better future and the friction between" what is "and" what could be "burns you, relieves you, propel you forward is leadership. "

The vision of Elon Musk burns, agitates and propels it forward. Steve Jobs had a similar goal.

In his book on Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson wrote about the day Jobs returned to Apple as an advisor in 1996. At the time, he was president of Pixar and went to the headquarters of the company to announce the news to the Pixar team. Although he was still involved in Pixar, he wanted them to know that Apple would take a lot of its time. When asked why he wanted to try to save Apple, which was facing serious financial problems, Mr. Jobs said: "The only reason I want to do this is that the world will be better with Apple. "

Inspiration, by definition, means being "impregnated with the spirit," an almost supernatural drive to accomplish something big. I have rarely met a successful entrepreneur who is driven solely by money. They take advantage of the money and opportunities that affluence affords them, but they prove to be effective because they are motivated by something bigger. They must be.

Creating a business is difficult. Without passion for a bigger goal, it's almost impossible to stay positive and continue when the inevitable hurdles arise.

In the interview with Swisher, Musk vividly explained the "unbearable effort" needed to start a business from scratch. "Making a car company a success is a monumental task," said Musk. "There have been many attempts to start a car business and they have all failed, so as a startup, an auto company, it's a lot harder to succeed than if you're an established, well-established brand. Tesla is alive, absurd, absurd! "

It seems obvious to me that Musk is not motivated to make money or even make a better car. Its main goal seems to be to do something to save the planet from environmental disaster. Steve Jobs was not motivated by money nor even by making a better computer. He was inspired by the creation of tools to help people unleash their personal creativity.

Before starting a business, make sure your goal is to get you out of bed every morning, work on weekends and stay late at work. That's the only way to really succeed.