Friday Forward - Clean Up (#501)

A values-driven decision from a remarkable entrepreneur

In the early 1970s, an entrepreneur named Yvon Chouinard faced a difficult choice that posed a huge threat to his business.

Chouinard was a rock-climbing pioneer and had built a thriving climbing equipment business. His top product by far was a custom-made piton: a metal spike hammered into rock faces to secure ropes during a climb. These pitons were wildly popular, making up the bulk of Chouinard’s revenue.

But there was a problem.

As rock climbing grew in popularity, thanks in part to Chouinard’s gear, it became clear that pitons were causing permanent damage to the rock faces climbers treasured. Routes that had remained untouched for thousands of years were now visibly eroded, scarred by Chouinard’s pitons.

A climber himself, Chouinard saw the damage firsthand. So, in a defining moment of principle, he chose to stop selling pitons.

At the time, Chouinard had no replacement for the pitons and would have to make an alternative, with no guarantee of success. But Chouinard believed that continuing to profit from a product that was harming the natural world—and the climbing community he served—violated his values.

As he eventually explained, Chouinard took to heart a simple lesson his parents taught him: “If you make a mess, you clean it up.” That belief guided his decision, even though it came at a cost.

What made that decision remarkable is that no one forced Chouinard’s hand. He wasn’t facing outrage from climbers or activists. Rather than waiting for someone to draw the line, he drew it himself, based on his values.

That choice, and the commitment to “clean climbing,” was a turning point in the industry. It later shaped the mission and culture of the company Chouinard founded shortly after his climbing gear company: an apparel brand called Patagonia.

Today, that brand is synonymous with environmental activism and values-driven leadership.

One of the biggest misconceptions about values-based decisions is that they are easy or cost-free. In reality, they often come with immediate consequences: lost revenue, public criticism, or operational disruption. But short-term sacrifice in service of long-term alignment often proves to be the wiser path. The leaders who prioritize convenience or profit in the moment often find themselves paying a far higher price later in the form of lost trust or credibility.

Over the decades, Patagonia has continued to lead with purpose. The company has taken public stances on environmental issues, sued the government to protect national parks, and ultimately transferred ownership to a trust that uses company profits to address climate change.

I recently spoke about Chouinard’s leadership with New York Times journalist David Gelles, author of the new Chouinard biography Dirtbag Billionaire. David and I discussed how these kinds of decisions are often rooted in early, deeply ingrained values, passed down by parents or shaped by formative experiences.

For another example: after the tragic 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Ed Stack, former CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods, learned that the shooter had purchased a shotgun from one of their stores. While the shotgun wasn’t used in the shooting, the tragedy prompted a bold response from Stack. Dick’s stopped selling firearms to anyone under 21, removed assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines from its stores, and destroyed $5 million worth of inventory.

Like Chouinard, Stack explained the choice by citing a childhood value from his father: “You have to do right by and be involved in the community.” Internal projections estimated the decision could cost the company up to $250 million. However, just a month later, Dick’s stock was up 10 percent, and it has since increased more than 500 percent.

In business, we often talk about “competitive advantage.” One of the underappreciated, sustainable advantages for a leader—or a company—is to be grounded in deeply held, consistently applied values.

Values aren’t marketing slogans designed to impress others. They’re the compass that tells a leader to stop selling a best-selling product that’s doing harm. They’re the principles leaders use when the right decision doesn’t align with short-term incentives. And they’re the foundation for building trust that lasts far beyond a single transaction or fiscal year.

When you find yourself facing a difficult choice—where profit, pressure, and principle are at odds—it’s worth pausing to ask: what would your values tell you to do? Yvon Chouinard used that question to build an iconic brand and make a difference in the world.

I encourage you to listen to my full conversation with David Gelles on the Elevate Podcast. We dive deeper into Chouinard’s story and the broader role of values in leadership.

Quote of The Week

“If you make a mess, you clean it up.” – Yvon Chouinard

Have a great weekend!

-Bob
robertglazer.com

PS: Preorder The Compass Within in hardcover to get my core values course for free.