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"So They Gave You A Team. Now What??" Chapter 8 Just M.U.S.K It Recently, I was scrolling through the feedback report of one of my teammates during their yearly review when I came across a line that stood out. “This year, I want to work like Elon Musk. I will be extra productive.” I paused because it sounded familiar. That way of working is not new. Most people associate Elon Musk with speed, long hours, and constant urgency. That is the surface level interpretation. What actually drives productivity in his teams is something far simpler and far more disciplined. Productivity does not come from doing more work. It comes from removing work that should not exist. When teams are pushed to move faster without fixing clarity and ownership, effort increases but output does not. Meetings grow. Decisions slow down. People stay busy while progress feels heavy. That is not high performance. That is managed chaos. The way to apply this thinking in everyday leadership is through a clear filter. I call it M.U.S.K. M stands for "Meaningful Task" Every task must clearly justify why it matters right now. U stands for "Ultimate Responsibility" Every task must have one clearly accountable person. When responsibility is shared or unclear, execution slows and decisions drift. S stands for 'Simplicity' If something needs repeated explanation, it is already slowing the team down. K stands for 'Kill waste' Anything that does not move outcomes forward should be questioned and removed. Thumb rule: If productivity feels slow, do not push people harder. Remove what is unnecessary first. In short, if you think working like Elon Musk means moving faster or working longer, pause and rethink. This approach is about removing noise, protecting clarity, and enforcing ownership. And yes, I have been doing this over the years... #stratvex