I admit I'm not a fan of Lady Gaga’s music or performance style. However, she’s caught my attention recently for something other than just her music and costumes.
Her name keeps coming up in respected business journals and television news stories. For example, Forbes named the 24-year old Lady Gaga the 4th richest and most powerful entertainer in its most recent ranking. She was named the #1 most creative person in business in 2010 by FastCompany. Polaroid named Lady Gaga Creative Director of a specialty line of Polaroid Imaging products. Harvard Business Review has blogged about her social influence, and 60 Minutes recently did a segment on her.
Here’s what I’ve learned about her.
• She knows what she wants. Years ago before she was Lady Gaga, Stephanie Germanotta told friends she intended to become a superstar entertainer.
• She has a fierce passion for her work, saying that her passion for her work is "so strong I can’t sleep."
• She is a self-described "master of the art of fame." She has studied why and how others have achieved (and lost) fame and has applied those principles to her own work with fearless discipline.
• She connects with her followers in a way that is meaningful for them. Having felt different and alone in high school, the primary message to her predominantly teenage audience is to be yourself and love yourself – you are perfect just the way you are.
• She appears to protect her "self" in the process. Her constant costume changes help her maintain some level of privacy and not give away too much of herself. She is quoted as saying, "Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no trouble, noise, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart."
In short, she’s visionary, passionate, principled, connected to the people she serves, and seems to be rooted in a strong sense of self. That’s a textbook list of peak performance qualities!
All too often, fame changes people. Whether or not Lady Gaga can hold on to herself and the principles that have propelled her to fame is yet to be seen. However, her commitment to peak performance principles certainly got her this far.
For those of you who are worried about the influence pop stars might have on young people, consider re-framing how you talk about them with your kids and grandkids. Regardless of how they might present themselves from an entertainment perspective, many are real-life examples of the principles of peak performance, and we all can learn from them.
