Leadership Class in the Outdoor Industry

"They" say imitation is the highest form of flattery. Arguably, it can be overdone. This is a short story of imitation gone too far, promptly followed by humble restitution and innovation accolades.

Wylie Robinson is the CEO of Rumple, a small business in the outdoor industry bringing performance, niche gear to the community. About a week ago, Wylie announced on LinkedIn:

"Over the last 5 years Rumpl has been knocked off more times than I care to remember. But I have to scratch my head when a much larger company steps way outside its core competency to poach a creative idea from a small brand. Normally I would refrain from posting something like this, but I'm curious to hear your thoughts about why publicly traded Deckers Brands would rip off a $6 promotional item. Don't they have a paper weight vendor? Ironic that it happens to be #smallbusinesssaturday."

Comments were overwhelmingly condemning of Teva & Deckers Brands. Including my own, answering Wylie's question with, "greed, that's why." So, here I write, hat in hand, applauding Anders Bergstrom's hand-written response:

"Wylie- I saw your post on LinkedIn this weekend, and I thought I'd reach out directly. We removed the promo item you called attention to from our website, and we will not be using it again going forward. Every brand was a small business at some point and we have the utmost respect for what goes into doing what you do, and our industry is better off as a result. Please know that we respect your company and truly value our relationship with Rumpl."

I'm no pillar of the outdoor industry; but, I have to commend the class displayed here. I must also own my accusation of greed. Greed does not display itself this way. Integrity does. There are two succinct and exemplary matters at hand in this situation that represent the outdoor industry: Innovation & Integrity.

To Wylie and Anders', and the Teams you lead at your respective organizations, keep up the good work.