Win-Wins And Why Fear Is Good

September 06, 2019

Shep Gordon is known as a kingmaker in rock music, food, and film. A keystone philosophy of his business and life is to always look for the win-win. He doesn’t approach it from some business school sense. Gordon acknowledges that the future is scary. If we are willing to go into the future to identify what people want and then help them get there, we are providing a tremendously valuable service. Gordon may manage higher profile people than most of us ever will, but the never-ending quest for win-wins can drive any relationship business to success.

When Shane Parish asked Gordon about the pressure he was under with so many major careers and constantly making bets on their futures, Gordon responded,

Physically I don’t think I ever felt scared but scared every day that I’m not going to pull it off. That’s a lot of weight to have people’s lives on your shoulders. I still get scared when I’m doing something, but I think that fear is good, it drives you to make sure it’s better.

The win-win is about embracing the fear of the future, of what’s next, of making the plan, and helping others to get there. If, like Gordon, we can learn to see the fear as good, we can identify all types of wins for people: economic, emotional, career transforming, etc. The point is we are willing to look forward, find what is of interest, and help people get there.

Shep Gordon is a remarkable person with a fascinating life story. Check out his interview with Shane Parish and/or his book Supermensch.