5 Things House of Cards Can Teach You
- Mar 12, 2015
- 3 min read
Not only has House of Cards been a phenomenon success since it debuted in 2013, but it has also paved the way for a new type of on-demand viewing experience and has helped popularize the concept of ‘binge watching’.
But in addition to being great drama, we can also learn how to be successful and achieve our goals and dreams.
The main character, Frank Underwood, wants to become President of the United States. It his single ambition. He craves power over everything else.
One Ring to Rule Them All
In the show, one of his peculiar habits is to knock his ring on the counter at the end of a conversation.
He explains to billionaire Raymond Tusk that he learned the habit from his dad who believed that knocking his fist on a hard surface prepared his knuckles for a fight. It also added the benefit of knocking on wood which symbolizes good luck.
The tapping of his ring symbolizes the two keys to success: preparedness and luck. These two ingredients are important to have in order to achieve your goals.
To be successful you need a little bit of luck – being in the right place at the right time. But luck is nothing if you’re not prepared to pounce on the opportunity once it presents itself.
Learn to Play Chess
After being passed over for Secretary of State, Frank Underwood has a plan not only to become president but he to extract revenge on those who wronged him.
He doesn’t tell anybody but keeps his cards close to his chest. His plan is slowly revealed through several episodes, but meanwhile those who oppose him are left guessing at his next move.
You need to have a clear plan on how to succeed, but it is also very important not to let your competition to see your whole strategy. Let them guess at what you’re going to do next. This is why companies, especially those in the technology sector, protect their patons and trade secrets so aggressively and sue anybody who infringes on them.
Don’t Let Anybody Walk Over You
Frank Underwood makes the case several times throughout the series that the strong prey on the weak, that you’re either one or the other. Underwood is extremely ruthless and won’t stop at anything to get what he wants. He is not above backstabbing members of congress, judges, journalists or even the president.
However there are times when his conscious does prevent him from acting and he takes pity on someone. Whenever this occurs Frank is the one who ends up losing. In the 3rd season Frank is faced with a choice.
He asks “Must I destroy this person?” when the person gets in the way of Frank’s plans. Frank ends up taking pity on him which only gives his opponent a major leg up in the presidency race.
This incident only reinforces Frank’s initial belief system.
You need to be mentally tough to climb to the top of the food chain and sometimes that means climbing over others. Always make sure you have the internal strength to be able to beat your opponent. You don’t need to be ruthless like Frank Underwood but every successful person is a winner and to be a winner there needs to be losers.
Don’t Let Emotions Rule Over Logic
Frank has major setbacks in the series and several times important secrets are threatened to be revealed.
Other characters allow their emotions and thoughts to get in the way of their judgement. There are several characters who have substance abuse problems and whenever they get into trouble they turn to their addiction to cope.
Frank doesn’t allow his emotions to cloud his judgement. He doesn’t even his wife, his one Achilles heel, to stop him from doing what he thinks is right.
Always Move Forward
Frank Underwood develops a relationship with the reporter Zoey Barnes. He gives her a good piece of advice: “For people like us treading water is the same as drowning.”
In business and life if you’re not moving forward you are drowning and your competitors will eventually overtake you.
We like to be comfortable, to not allow things to change but we don’t realize by not moving forward we are falling behind. We need to keep learning new skills, keep getting better. Only by staying competitive will we be successful.
Joel Mark Harris is a Canadian writer, producer and journalist. (@joelmarkharris) He is the proud founder of Scene2Studio and you can download for FREE his award-winning thriller novel A Thousand Bayonets HERE
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