Elon Musk, could very well be one of the most inspiring entrepreneurs on the planet.
There was a period a few months ago where I did a fairly deep dive, learning as much as I could about his companies and philosophy.
He became my new hero.
That being said, I watched an interview of him a few days ago where he said something I thought was a bit off.
The interviewer asked him what kind of government we might see on Mars.
He told the interviewer, probably a direct democracy where everyone votes and the majority decides how things will be run.
In the USA we have more of a representative system, where the people select a representative, and then this representative “Represents” the people in deciding on most major issues.
Elon explained that a direct democracy (where people vote, and majority rules) would not have been possible when the founding fathers set up the governing system of the USA because communication technology was so limited.
Elon seems to believe that now that communication has advanced, a direct democracy style of decision making is feasible.
Here’s what I think he might have missed.
The BIG reason the founding fathers did not set up a direct majority rule style of system, was not because communication was poor, but rather because they believed that wisdom is not always found in a majority vote.
Ever heard the phrase “Mob Psychology”?
In fact, the idea that wisdom (and the best decisions) are not found in the masses, can be traced way back in history.
One of the ideas found in Plato’s republic, was the concept of philosopher king’s – wise men and women who would be pulled from society and groomed through a special process to be able to sit in judgement, create laws and make the wisest decisions.
It seems that throughout the ages, serious thinkers have pondered and seemingly agreed on the concept that – ‘What’s popular isn’t always what’s right.’
And this is why I began to wonder, was Elon wrong on this issue?
(I’d love to hear your thoughts below)
What does any of this have to do with personal development, home business and leadership?
Well, regardless of whether our personal heroes are right or wrong, I think it’s important that we never just chow down whatever they’re serving up on idea platters.
Just because someone seems to be superhuman in 1 area, doesn’t mean they’re superhuman in all areas.
Like Jim Rohn always said, “you have to think, you have to use your mind, you have to process ideas.”
Doing this can help us become better leaders ourselves while avoiding the Leadership Omnipotence Fallacy.