Fender’s Epic Guitar Comeback
Empathetic Leadership Tip of the Week
Stop making assumptions! Empathetic leadership means taking the time to truly understand what your customers or team members need, rather than assuming you already know.
Empathetic Leadership in Action
By the mid-2010s, Fender, the iconic guitar brand, was facing a troubling decline in sales, signaling what appeared to be a dip in people's interest in learning to play the guitar. For a company so deeply intertwined with the history of rock and roll, this was more than just a financial loss—it was a cultural one. Guitars, once the heart of musical rebellion and creativity, were gathering dust on store shelves. The next generation of musicians seemed to be slipping away, and for Fender, it was a heartbreaking realization that the passion for guitar was dwindling.
In response, Fender took a hard look at why their beloved instrument wasn’t connecting with younger audiences. By empathizing with their target customers, they discovered that traditional methods of learning guitar—like reading sheet music—were outdated. Young players wanted to learn fast, play their favorite rock songs, and feel accomplished quickly. So, Fender launched the Fender Play app in 2017, designed to teach guitar through bite-sized lessons focused on real songs. The results were transformative. Fender saw a resurgence in guitar sales, with beginner guitar sales rising significantly by 2020, demonstrating that by understanding and meeting the needs of their customers, they reignited the passion for playing guitar.
Fender’s story is a powerful reminder of why it’s crucial to empathize with your customers and avoid making assumptions about their needs. Had Fender simply assumed that declining sales meant people weren’t interested in playing guitar, they might have missed the real issue entirely. Instead, by stepping into their customers’ shoes and understanding their frustrations with traditional methods of learning, Fender identified the true barrier: young people didn’t want to spend time learning to read sheet music—they wanted to play the music they loved as quickly as possible. By listening to their customers and adapting to meet those needs, Fender not only saved their business but reignited a passion for guitar among a whole new generation. This is a lesson for any business: true success comes from understanding, not assuming, what your customers truly want.
This Week in History
On October 11, 1984, astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan made history by becoming the first American woman to walk in space. During NASA’s Space Shuttle Challenger mission (STS-41-G), Sullivan performed a 3.5-hour spacewalk, during which she and fellow astronaut David Leestma successfully demonstrated that a satellite could be refueled while in orbit. This milestone solidified Sullivan’s place in space exploration history and marked a significant achievement for women in the space program. Her groundbreaking work paved the way for future generations of female astronauts, highlighting the growing role of women in space exploration and STEM fields.