In this week’s episode of Leadership Next, Kristin Stoller and I talk to Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert about his strategy for sustainable growth. Among the takeaways:
Be Aspirational. Nobody wants to buy apparel from Debbie Downer. (“Hey, fat cat, wear this coat on that melting glacier.”) Patagonia positions itself as the gear you wear to go climbing, skiing, fly fishing, careening off cliffs, and otherwise celebrating the great outdoors. “We are really proud of the product that we make,” said Gellert. “We do everything we can to minimize our footprint and we spend a lot of money doing it on performance innovation.”
Seek Impact. “Solving real problems on behalf of your employees, your customers and the communities you exist in. To me, that’s a pretty good definition of leadership … If it were easy, I’m not sure the title ‘leader’ would apply.”
Have fun. Founder Yvon Chouinard wrote about setting a tone of trust and balance in his book, “Let My People Go Surfing.” Gellert says that informal culture is baked into the brand, making it “a pretty special place to work,” with its Ventura headquarters located close to a beach. Gellert’s sport of choice is rock climbing: “It’s absolutely addictive.”
Face Facts. Gellert met with us hours after President Trump dismissed climate change as a hoax during a U.N. address. “I will tell you this: science is undefeated, and if you step out of a window from the third floor talking about how gravity doesn’t exist, you’re still going to hit the ground,” Gellert told us. “When this era passes, these problems will be with us, and that, I think, is something that all of us, particularly those of us that bask in the glow of the title leader, really give serious thought to right now.”
