Business Lessons from Madonna

We went to the Madonna: The Celebration Tour concert at the beginning of April. We had purchased tickets 15 months before. She had rescheduled our September concert for April.

Like many, I am a fan, and seeing her live was a bucket list item for me.

Madonna kept 19,000 people waiting, not starting the stage until 10:30 pm, despite the tickets listing the show start was at 8:30 pm. She played for two hours and 20 minutes, meaning the show didn’t end until 12:50 am. Madonna played past midnight, despite fines imposed by the venue for noise for playing after midnight, and just paid the fines.

Ten days later, Madonna abruptly stopped the show because the arena (in Florida in April) was “too cold.” Reports say the entertainer was “having trouble with her singing voice because the air-conditioning was switched on too high.

I can speak from personal experience when I say the theatre was very warm and too uncomfortable for fans.

Here’s what else I know. 

Madonna does not care what people think. Madonna does not care about fines, she does not care if you are hot, she does not care if she starts the show late. Madonna is going to do what Madonna wants, and always what is best for her.

Madonna has this leverage because she has earned it. Forty years in the business, decades of reinventing herself, pushing boundaries and genres, Madonna is never going to risk her reputation, her singing voice or the quality of a performance for a little pesky people-pleasing.

And as a recovering people-pleaser, I think there is a lot we can learn from Madonna.

As someone who has often ingratiated herself towards people, clients included, what can we learn from Madonna about setting boundaries?

Open to your thoughts in the comments!