Madonna and the metal industry?

MCS Influencer Thea Dudley says the metal business hasn’t changed, but the way we do our business has. Work life has changed.

Madonna. Most people on the planet are familiar with who this is. I find her fascinating. Not fascinating in a “Hey come to my house for dinner” kinda way, but career fascination. Her career, like many of us, spans decades. She’s had her share of setbacks and challenges, that unfortunate grammy face incident among them, despite that she is the highest grossing female artist of all time according to the Guiness Book of Records. 400 million.

Love or hate her, you cannot ignore that she has managed to have hits in every decade for 40 years. She continually works with emerging artists, new sounds, she embraces the trends, finding what works and quickly discarding what doesn’t but is open to the experience, not afraid to change or move away from what has worked in the past. She remains relevant. Regardless of the decade. Why are we having a Madonna history lesson?

Because it is one of the greatest career lessons around. From a business perspective she is an incredible example to anyone who wants to take ownership of developing their career, business and industry. She formed a record company early in her career and is one of the few artists to retain the rights to her own music.

Singer, dancer, actress, producer, clothing line creator, author – at her core, she is an entertainer. She’s aware she is not the best singer, dancer or actress but continually works at it. Reaches out to up-and-coming artists, entertainers, dabbling in other areas of entertainment to stay on top of her profession. As her fans grew up and moved on, she moved with them while attracting younger generations.

My point is, what about you? Your business, your attitude? When was the last time you looked at how you operate or interact with those emerging talents? Our business hasn’t changed, but the way we do our business has. Work life has changed. 2024 marked a tipping point: 60% of your customer base was born after 1980. That relates directly to the talent pool and how you recruit. How they communicate, view work, life experiences and career development are different from the traditional or boomer generations. Want to attract and keep those fresh faces? Come on Vogue.

We are living in a digital world, and they are digital natives. Antiquated thinking, processes, fear of change, closed minded, dismissive and taking a blind eye to improvement are surefire ways to keep them headed to other industries or companies. Next gens have no problem walking away from companies and leaders that are not evolving, mentoring and giving them a voice.

What makes them give you a chance or stay? This isn’t virgin territory; these generations are your eyes and ears. Don’t shut them out. Give them a voice. Flexibility. Not only in hours, but approach to the work, environment, change or input into the process. Younger generations want different benefits than their predecessors. Want to attract and retain those newbies? Invest in them. No one cares that you have been doing a job for decades. When was the last time you edited your vision for your new hires? Revisited how you support the evolution of your company and industry? What have you done to connect with the next gens? If you aren’t making top-down efforts to “make a place for them”, why should they choose you? People aren’t retiring the way they have in the past and staying longer. Are those folks a speedbump, stuck in their ways or are they receptive to emerging talent and trends. A paycheck is not enough in today’s competitive environment, up your game. They aren’t asking for a league of their own, just a chance to be in the infield. Afterall, there is no crying in metal.