I think many people get more upset at someone who violates the unwritten rules than when they break the ones on paper. I just finished reading the Wired profile on Kim Dotcom. Fascinating and a wonderful read. Taken at face value his fault was breaking the unwritten rules of copyright more than the written ones.
Look around and you’ll see the same story over and over in every industry. If you disrupt a business by changing the “unwritten” rules you are looked at as the enemy. If you break the ones written in paper you’re just trying to create an advantage for yourself. The first gets you blacklisted. The second makes you the fun person to talk to at parties.
I’d like to posit that this is due to fear and uncertainty. Written rules have a certainty to them. If you break them you know the motivation and the penalties of getting caught.
But break the unwritten rules and who knows what ripples could follow. Invent a new, automated and successful way to source leases and you may find brokers looking at you as the next coming of the taxman meets Satan. Don’t count on many invitations to the golf course.
But this is the story of value creation. Nothing good happens without some level of disruption. It’s what built this great country. People may not like how it happened but this story is no different that the railroads and the men who caused their construction. Hell, it’s no different than the automobile. Just try riding a horse and buggy down Main Street – just see what happens.
All this to say – don’t hate. It’s going to happen to you and your industry. The only question I have for you is how hard are you going to fight before you realize it was the best thing to ever happen to you?