Why The Boss Is Boss

How would Bruce Springsteen do as a CEO? Actually, he would do quite well. In an entry to his FlowChart blog on the U.S. News and World Report website, author Rick Newman proves to us that crafting a successful 30+ year music career is a lot like running a business and when it comes to being the boss, Springsteen lives up to his nickname. While the post, titled “What Springsteen Can Teach CEOs,” was interesting in its own right, I couldn’t help but think how Bruce’s lessons for CEOs can also apply to the retail design world. Here’s what we learn:

“Never let your customers rest.”
The Boss keeps the music coming. Designers should keep new ideas and products flowing.

“Innovate.”
It may not always be about creating something new. Sometimes you can take a classic idea, rework it, and turn it into something better. This is especially true in the fixture industry where the concept of displaying merchandise doesn’t change, but the means of doing so needs to.

“Give the people what they want.”
Simple enough, but Newman takes it a step further by suggesting that if you want to get client buy-in on new ideas, partner them up with something familiar.

“Share credit.”
Many people come together to create a great retail environment: retailers, designers, engineers, production, installation, and so on. Share the credit and increase team dedication on future projects.

“Set expectations. Then reset them. And reset them. And...”
Never settle. Don’t be afraid to reinvent yourself every so often to keep in front of the competition.

“Love what you do.”
Another obvious one. If you love your work, it shows.

For some fun reading, check out Rick Newman's full entry here.