The Howard Roark Guide to Business

30 Nov 2009

The Howard Roark Guide to Business

Business, Living, Motivation, Personal Branding, Technology

howard roark If you haven’t read The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand, then you need to close your browser immediately and go read it. Seriously, it’s a fantastic read.

If you have, then you’ll remember the character of Howard Roark, the promising young architect that, against all odds, fought the world and won.

My friend Rich Lazzara says, we’re all entrepreneurs at heart, and that’s true. But, no matter how smart, talented, or dedicated you are…you’re going to face some of the trials that Roark faced on his road to freedom.

You are going to deal with doubters, critics, and even evil minds that want to bring you down to their level. But…you can’t do it. You cannot quit. If they succeed, no one gets ahead…no one lives a life of their own design.

But, if you win…if you make your own way, then you’ll know only be living your dreams, but you’ll leave a path so that others can do the same. Therefore, as a tribute to Roark and the hero that we can all become, I want to offer to you the Howard Roark Guide to Business.

Idealism

The first step to taking on the world is to have something to believe in, be it a moral code, a code of excellence, or just a vision for the way things should be. If you don’t have this vision firmly implanted in your mind – entrenched in your behavior, then you will not succeed.

If you want to get somewhere, you have to know where you are going. You have to have a set of guideposts to keep you on your path.

Roark had his standards for what an architect should endeavor to and the manner in which it should be achieved. He had a strict code for what made a building worthy of being raise to the sky or razed to the ground. If a project did not meet this criteria, then he wasted neither time nor effort in it’s creation.

No Compromise

What made Roark such a likable character, but what also served as fodder for his many enemies, was that he refused to compromise his ideals…even once. No matter the consequences, no matter the damnation that followed, Roark lived by his standards without compromise. When offered the chance to take an easier road, by simply giving up some of his beliefs, he always took the hard way out…many times to his peril.

As an entrepreneur, you are going to deal with people that want to bring you to their level. They’ll want to call you names, offer you bribes, or find ways to prevent you from achieving your dreams, but you cannot compromise one ounce of what makes you “you.”

There might be a project that offers easy money, or a joint venture that makes your work easier, but you’ve got to go with your gut. If it doesn’t fit, then move on.

Realize that you might never achieve the perfect life and that your business might fail, but at the end of the day, you’ll still be able to look yourself in the mirror and be proud for never taking the easy way out. You can’t put a price on that.

Make Your Own Game

When Roark was ostracized by his peers, he didn’t give up…he simply made his own game. Refusing to play by their rules, he chose to create his own. And even though the pay, respect, and adulation was nonexistent, he still kept playing…waiting for the day when his game would become the more popular. It took years, and at times he might have been the only one playing, but because he made the rules, there was always one more game to play.

In their book, Trust Agents, Chris Brogan and Julien Smith talk about hacking the game and changing the rules. That’s what entrepreneurs do best. We can’t compete with the Fortune 500 companies head on, so we change the game on them instead. To take on IBM, Bill Gates created Microsoft in his basement. Rather than compete with Microsoft head on in the software realm, Google flanked them by owning search first. Netflix took on Blockbuster. Vonage took on the phone companies, and Skype took on Vonage.

These were all new technologies or new business models created by guys (or gals) in their basements, in their home office, wherever. These men and women changed the game by changing the rules and leveling the playing field. If you have a business idea, but can’t compete with the big boys, then think of how you can change the model so that you don’t need to compete – so that you, not your competition, own the future. That’s how you make your own way.

Don’t Require Credit

Roark made buildings for other people as a ghost builder. Not because he wanted to help the person involved, but because he wanted to see things done right. It didn’t matter that he didn’t get paid, didn’t get praised, or that he helped the enemy…not when it came in the way of his vision.

Sure, it’s great to be loved. It’s wonderful to be praised and adored, but the only thing it really does it feed your ego. So long as your goals get accomplished, as long as your vision becomes real, why does it matter if you get the credit? Why not let someone else get distracted by conquests and frenzied fans? You can work in the background, without distraction, and get more done now that someone else is taking the credit. You can build others up so that they have the confidence to follow your lead and join your fight.

Yeah, you’ll want the paycheck, but credit and praise do little more than make you feel more important than you already are. I’m not saying you should turn it down, but don’t make it your primary goal. Production and results…the accomplishment of your goals…that’s what should motivate you.

Never, Ever Give Up

Jimmy V said it best in this speech, and there isn’t much more I can add to that, but I’ll try.

Roark dealt with more obstacles than seems humanly possible, but he became victorious by outlasting his enemies. Your enemies might not be physical, but you have them nonetheless…

Fatigue, depression, doubt, cynicism, skepticism, hunger, thrist, lack of patience, you name it, you’ll deal with it. Whenver you feel like you aren’t going to make it, realize that you are in the moment that separates the quitters from the winners. You have to be the person to believe in your vision, even if the rest of the world has given up.

The future is yours to claim, but you are going to have to fight for it. No one ever said it was easy, but that’s what makes the prize so sweet. Even if you fail in every manner, except in these 5 laws of business, then you will be successful at the end of the day. Just remember, the score only matters in the end.

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