Very well said.

Some goals are more strategic than realistic, and I think anyone can learn what strategic goals look like from Musks' ventures.

In my view strategic goals don't have the same form as SMART goals:

Traditional Smart - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound

Strategic Smart - Specific, Measurable, Advancing, Relevant, Terminable

The two differences, Advancing and Terminable, reflect the idea that strategic goals are geared towards innovation, not iteration. Advancing means that you don't actually know whether it is Attainable. Terminable means that the goal may be cancelled without major disruption to the business.

Entirely agreed. He loves to set lofty goals, and he does not always achieve them, but sometimes he does! Either way, he's unafraid to challenge virtually any status quo or existing understanding of things. This is why industry experience while relevant, doesn't always matter. Also, he moves his top talent between his companies at will, giving him an edge over other companies.

I've got a friend who has worked for Aerospace Corporation for close to 11 years as a structural engineer. He people when they have to stop removing things to prevent rockets from exploding (aka a rocket scientist). He told me ~5 years ago there was literally no way SpaceX could land orbital class rockets. Yeah, he doesn't say that anymore.