What You Can Learn from ‘The Boss’

Learning About Leadership from The Boss

I love my job. And I love my family. But there are times I’m “this close” to throwing it all away to just follow Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band around the world. He’s out on tour again, and I’m slated to see him a dozen times this tour alone.

If you’ve not been to a Springsteen show, there’s nothing else like it. At 73 years old, he brings and delivers unbridled passion and enthusiasm from the first note to the last—never taking a break in set lists that approaches three hours for each concert.

For me, the shows are more than just about music. They’re about a spirituality and sense of optimism that touches me to my core.

But they’re also a phenomenal classroom for learning about leadership. After all, Bruce is The Boss, and don’t we all want a Boss we can learn from?

Here’s just a few of the things I’ve learned as I’m singing along and pumping my fist to “Thunder Road”:

Tell a story. Springsteen often introduces a song with a story. They’re the stories of his childhood. Stories of love. Stories of loss. These stories resonate, and you remember them. Why? Because they’re stories.

So often I go to meetings where people “present” but fail to tell a story. Storytelling is a compelling way to get your point across. Great brands sell on their story—not their “features”. So rather than coming up with five more bullet points for your next presentation, think about a story that illustrates your point.

Energy is infectious. I’ve gone to scores of Springsteen shows. Invariably, Bruce’s energy rubs off on me. I leave with a greater bounce in my step than when I arrived.

Leaders are dispensers of enthusiasm—put another way, if you’re not excited, don’t expect your team to be. And remember, according to my Bruce Fan app (yes, I do have one), Bruce has played “Born to Run” live 1,771 times and still plays it for the person hearing it for the first time. Legendary business author Tom Peters described leadership as a performance. It is. Bring your enthusiasm and “A game”.

Build a full team. Bruce is on stage with over a dozen other musicians—at different times each has a moment to shine. A good Boss isn’t just a soloist—they understand that they’re better off with a band.

Say thanks. As the band leaves the stage at the end of every night, Bruce stands at the top of the stairs and gives each one a handshake, high five or pat on the back. Philosopher William James once wrote that the “deepest human need is the need to be appreciated.” Great leaders catch someone doing something right and recognize it continually.

Involve the audience. Springsteen shows are participatory. And it’s not just people dancing and singing along. Often, Bruce points the mic to the audience and has the crowd take over the lyrics. It’s a great reminder to pause for feedback and engage people at every turn.

Practice makes perfect. Having been to countless shows, I’m struck by how much of the performance is carefully choreographed. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens from careful preparation and a team working together closely.

Too often, I’m sitting in presentations when someone simply doesn’t know their material. They’re not prepared—they didn’t practice. Or little things go wrong—three years into the “Zoom revolution” we should all know how to share our screen—that’s all about practice.

It’s all about passion. Bruce isn’t on the road touring from February to December because he needs the money or to drive his popularity. He’s out there because of his passion for his music and his fans. It’s the old aphorism— “do what you love, and it’s not work.” That’s lasted the test of time for good reason. It’s true.

The power of presence. I’ve seen Bruce on TV since the days that MTV used to show music videos. I’ve seen him on live broadcasts online. But there’s nothing like being in the same room with him—and with the audience. It’s the power of face to face, something I think we can all forget in a world of Teams and Zoom.

My last lesson doesn’t come just from The Boss, it comes from the experience. Life is the ultimate classroom—if you’re open to learning, you can learn from experiences anywhere. And it turns out, learning when your classroom is an arena, and your ‘professor’ is one of the greatest performers in rock and roll, learning can be pretty amazing.