Fifty years ago, Bruce Springsteen was at a critical moment in his career. His first two albums were critical successes but commercial flops. His key promoter at Columbia Records, Clive Davis, had just been fired. Columbia execs, eager to distance themselves from the flashy and opinionated Davis, were no longer in his corner.
The next album was make or break. Bruce took 14 months to record it, obsessing over every detail. Make it great or you’re fired. That’s what Bruce felt.
Does that sense feel familiar to you?
Bruce and his producers finally finished re-recording things because they had concert obligations. They celebrated completing the project. Yet when Bruce heard the first pressing, he panicked: “This is a piece of shit—Maybe we should just start over.”
Imagine if they had.
His producer, Jon Landau pushed back. He didn’t dismiss Bruce’s fear—he reframed it. He talked about all the choices they had made in the pursuit of perfection. He talked about how proud he was of Bruce, and said that the album was truly excellent.
But that didn’t change Bruce’s mind. Instead, it was Jon Landau talking about the next time.
The conversation isn’t over, Bruce. There will be another album.
In other words: you don’t need to get it perfect this time. You just need to put it out there. You just need to keep trying, over and over.
Born to Run became a rock classic. And Bruce almost buried it.
The Role of the Advisor
Fear convinces us to retreat. Trusted advisors remind us that the fear isn’t the end of the story. Advisors don’t eliminate the fear; they normalize it.
You can feel the fear and do it anyway. In fact, you have to.
Jon Landau wasn’t just polishing tracks—he was coaching Bruce to release something he was sure wasn’t good enough. The same thing happens in business. Founders hit the wall of “not good enough” every day. And left to themselves, many will stall, revise, or hide.
The right advisor doesn’t let you. They remind you the conversation isn’t over. They help you see that clarity doesn’t come before the decision—it comes from it.
Pick Now
If you’re waiting for the fear to go away, you’ll wait forever. Fear isn’t a red flag; it’s a green light. It means you’re standing at the edge of growth.
The lesson of Born to Run isn’t about perfection. It’s about releasing something when you don’t feel ready. About having someone beside you who believes in the work, even when you don’t.
So: what’s your Born to Run?
What’s the thing you’re scared to put out there? Whether that’s a software product or a risky acquisition, you are going to feel doubts.
Get it good enough and then get it out there. Learn from the result and do it again.
Bruce Springsteen has done 18 studio albums since Born to Run.
Not one of them is perfect.
You don’t need it to be perfect, either. You just need to Pick Now.