You suck AND you rock!
Leadership lessons from Bruce Springsteen
My personal coach, mentor, and poet-laureat, Bruce Springsteen, in his 2012 keynote at SXSW told his life’s story and journey from a young boy to the present day. As he summed up his learnings, he hit me with a truth in a way that only he can — direct, clear, deep, and true. It resonated with me as true for not just global rock stars, but for CEOs as well:
Believe you are the baddest ass in town, and, you suck!
That’s not just rock and roll—it’s leadership.
As a CEO, you have to hold two completely contradictory ideas in your head at all times. Ironclad confidence and relentless doubt. Full-speed execution and patient strategy. Optimism that fuels growth and paranoia that keeps you from driving off a cliff. It’s exhausting, but it’s the job. And if you can do it without losing your mind, it will make you stronger.
You have to believe in yourself, your team, and your strategy—but also question everything. Move fast but take the long view. Develop thick skin but stay open to feedback. Project unwavering confidence but be willing to admit when you're wrong. The best leaders don’t resolve these contradictions; they live with them, they balance them, and they use them to their advantage.
If you lean too far into confidence, you become arrogant and stop listening. If doubt takes over, you freeze. Scale too quickly, and you burn out. Move too slowly, and you get left behind. Think too short-term, and you’ll never build something great. Think only about the long-term, and you’ll never make it there.
The key is to embrace the tension. Be flexible in your thinking, get comfortable with discomfort, and surround yourself with people who will challenge you. That’s how you stay sharp. That’s how you make better decisions. That’s how you lead.
Springsteen ended his speech with: "Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive. And when you walk onstage tonight to bring the noise, treat it like it’s all we have. And then remember, it’s only rock and roll." That’s a damn good mantra for CEOs, too. Show up every day ready to fight, learn, and push forward. Hold tight to your vision, but never stop questioning it. Hold tight to your dreams, but be ready to adjust.
Walk into the office like it’s your stage—because it’s all we have. Or, as Bruce put it best:
Be able to keep two completely contradictory ideas alive and well inside of your heart and head at all times. If it doesn’t drive you crazy, it will make you strong.
That’s the game. That’s the job. And if you can master that balance, you’ll be unstoppable.
And then, remember: it’s only business.
