Many people like to use pro sports as a means to release stress. Yell at the team. Yell at the refs. It's a lot better than yelling at the kids or your employees. Well, I'm definitely there for the Pats and Red Sox. I was definitely at that point for Aviator, starring Leonard DiCaprio as the eccentric entrepreneur, Howard Hughes. This was especially during the Senate hearings where Senator Owen Brewster tried to smear Hughes for war profiteering and all sorts of seemingly unsavory practices. He was basically in the pocket of the CEO of Pan Am.
If you want to get me going, talk about anti-competitive policy in the national security or interest realm. The Senator used his office to hold back competition from a visionary player.
Though Hughes was definitely over the top, he was a true innovator in the aviation and film industry. His story reminded me of the movie, Tucker: Man and His Dreams. Preston Tucker was an innovator who's ideas later became part of automobiles years later: disk brakes, fuel injection, seat belt, safety windshields and padded dashboards. Like Hughes, the established players tried to run him out of business using the Congress as their stick rather than innovations. That backward attitude is why the US auto industry suffers today against Japanese competitors.
Our government should find ways to foster innovation and not prevent it. It should not allow corporate money to stifle entrepreneurialism.
For me, Hughes inspired me to continue creating innovative business. Nothing's more fun than holding the "tiger by the tail."
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