US actor Dwayne Johnson arrives for the 47th People's Choice Awards at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, December 7, 2021. (Photo by Lisa O'CONNOR / AFP) (Photo by LISA O'CONNOR/AFP via Getty Images)LISA O'CONNOR/AFP/Getty Images
It is patently impossible to hate the Rock, that shiny charmer who went from football washout to WWE fan fave to actor, producer, entrepreneur and Instagram king. (He also has Canadian bona fides—his dad was wrestling champ Rocky Johnson.) Whether he’s promoting his latest blockbuster, selling tequila or working out, he projects a down-to-earth magnetism that has won him legions of fans—and made him mega-rich. Here are five lessons from a business genius hiding in a beefcake’s bod.
Know that you are a lucky boy
The gregarious human mountain that is the Rock is fond of telling his rags-to-riches tale—about how he couldn’t make it in the NFL and was picked up by the CFL instead, where he pulled in “$250 a week—Canadian!” And then he was cut! Somehow, he went on to become one of the highest-paid leading men in Hollywood. But he never forgets that he is, as he has said, one lucky boy. So yes, reward yourself for your accomplishments—but don’t get complacent. The business graveyard is littered with companies that did.
Control the controllables
One of the Rock’s favourite aphorisms (he has many) necessarily means letting go of the uncontrollables. As the past two years of wave and lockdown and wave and wave and lockdown and Omicron have shown us, there are some things you simply can’t will into (or, in the case of COVID-19, out of) reality. An agile leader saves their energy for the things it is within their power to manage and leaves the rest to fate, knowing they are prepared for anything.
Don’t cheat yourself
Although the Rock is vocal about discipline (those muscles!), he’s not rigid—no sir. “Don’t cheat yourself, treat yourself!” he frequently urges his nearly 300 million Insta followers in videos that show him on the brink of consuming massive quantities of meat. The Rock might have a clearly defined brand, but that doesn’t mean he can’t veer off the path every now and again. Imagine if Netflix had said, “Nah—we’re going to keep on sending DVDs in the mail.”
Always be selling
If there’s one thing that can inarguably be said about the Rock, it’s that he is very into liquids. To wit, he owns a brand of tequila, a line of energy drinks, and has a stake in Voss Water. Johnson is a man who promotes what he lives by, which means relentlessly shilling the smoky smoothness of Teremana Tequila Blanco or the refreshing punch of a Zoa energy drink. The point is, consumers buy what he’s selling because he truly believes in his products. Teremana sold 5.4 million litres of hooch in 2021. Zoa (distributed by Molson Coors) expects sales of US$20 million in its first year.
Admit your mistakes
Though his name suggests inertness, the Rock is open to having his mind changed. Recently, our guy met with some backlash after expressing support for COVID skeptic Joe Rogan. Then Johnson was informed Rogan had a long history of using racist language. “I’ve become educated to his complete narrative,” he admitted. So you messed up—the Rock has proven that with a dash of self-education and humility, we can return to what matters most: selling tequila.
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