Lessons leaders can learn from Taylor Swift’s two decades in entertainment as she prepares to release her 12th studio album
Taylor Swift’s success across more than two decades in the music industry reflects not only her work ethic, but remarkable career management skills. Forbes estimated in 2024 that she had become the world’s richest musician, with a $1.6 billion net worth. Now, with her twelfth studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” set to release on October 3, her physical products, including vinyls and cardigans, are in such high demand that some fans wait for hours in the (remote) pre-order queues.
Swift’s sustained success can be credited to her relationship with fans. “Swifties” feel as though they grew up with the star, and the relationship has been strengthened through Swift’s ability to seemingly communicate directly with her base. She offers her fans early access to products and tickets, having rejected dynamic pricing for her Eras tour in an attempt to keep tickets affordable, and has offered unique opportunities to fans to engage directly with the artist, through social media and events like the opening of “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” film where she invited over 2,000 fans to attend.
Her evolution as an entrepreneur and artist contains several lessons that can help leaders in any business sector.1. Be Open To Different Paths To Reaching Your Goals
Early in her life, Swift looked to pursue theater before shifting to music, traveling with her mother to Nashville at age 11 to hand out a demo of cover songs to record labels. After facing rejection, she learned guitar and was assisted by a local musician to write an original song. While working with a talent manager, Swift modeled and had her music included in a compilation album distributed by a makeup company before signing a development deal with RCA records at 13. She signed a publishing contract with Sony at 14, leaving RCA soon after they decided to keep her in development until she was 18. After a showcase at Bluebird Cafe, she was signed to a newly established record label in the summer of 2005, releasing her eponymous album less than a year later.
Swift and her parents never resigned themselves to just one path to ensure she would be noticed and have the opportunity to reach her goals. Leaders can often get stuck following one approach as they strategize how to guide others toward success. Thinking outside the box and exploring different tracks to you or your organization’s ultimate goals, while encouraging and supporting your team’s ability to change direction without undermining or impacting the end goals. This will help avoid failure, mitigate damage if you face obstacles or dead ends, and encourage the development of new skills.2. Use Conflict As A Catalyst for Growth
In 2016, Swift was involved in a controversy with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian over whether she gave permission to have her name invoked in the single, “Famous.
