From the M*A*S*H Library 37: “Make Your Own Rules”

What is it?

Rogers, Wayne with Josh Young. Make Your Own Rules: A Renegade Guide to Unconventional Success. New York: American Management Association, 2011.

Why should M*A*S*H fans care?

Wayne Rogers is well known for his role of “Trapper John” McIntyre during the first three seasons of M*A*S*H, but he is probably less known by fans for his background in investing and entrepreneurship. In this book, Rogers offers advice on business, investing, and management while recounting anecdotes from his career.

As a M*A*S*H fan, what part(s) should I read?

Fans of Rogers acting career will be disappointed to find that this book is not a memoir of his career, but it offers business and investment advice with brief stories from his career. He does briefly discuss his time on M*A*S*H, but that section is four pages long.

TL;DR Review

Fans of Rogers and “Trapper John” from M*A*S*H might be disappointed by the lack of M*A*S*H memories from Rogers in this book, but he offers tips for succeeding in business and with investments. He was a successful businessman outside of his acting roles, and it is that experience that he largely draws upon for this book. It is an interesting read for those interested in business and investing, but those who are expecting the memoir of an actor will be disappointed.

Full Review

Memoirs are often written in of two format: chronological or thematic. Like Alan Alda’s books (Never Have Your Dog Stuffed and Other Things I’ve Learned, Things I Overheard while Talking to Myself, and If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?), Rogers does not present the stories his life in the typical chronological order. Instead, he frames the book around lessons in life and business and offers anecdotes from his life and career to illustrate them. Rogers realized success as an actor in the 1970s, and it was around that time that he began to find success in the business world. It is with that framework that he offers roughly ten lessons learned over his decades long career,

After beginning with a brief view of the business world in 2011 (the year the book was published), he begins to outline the key lessons he believes leads to success. He offers several lessons that are still relevant today. Rogers advocates researching before investing or getting into business with anyone. This is sound advice, especially in today’s fast paced world of start-ups. He says he was successful because he understood the broader markets he was invested in, and because of that, he knew what he was up against in those fields. Before investing, or even working for a business, it is good practice to look at the broader market and understand the competition. He advocates for taking risks by ignoring conventional thinking and by being open to unexpected opportunities. Risks can be smart and balanced, and sometimes the unconventional pays off. But I think one of the most valuable lesson he came away with was finding the right people (or person) to work with. Having a business partner you can trust can be extremely helpful in more risky situations.

It is in the chapter about choosing business partners that Rogers discusses M*A*S*H. Rogers discusses his “beef” with Fox and the fact that he had never signed his contract. They had inserted a “morals clause” into the contract that he disagreed with, and by the show’s third season, he was considering leaving the show. While M*A*S*H brought him success and notoriety for acting, he met Lew Wolff, a real estate businessman who had been hired by Fox to help settle issues with the Fox lot. In between shooting scenes of M*A*S*H, Rogers would meet with Lew and discuss business. Rogers confided in him that he was considering leaving M*A*S*H, and Wolff admitted he was considering leaving Fox as well. So, after season three concluded, Rogers and Wolff both left Fox and went into business together. They worked together for decades to come. While Rogers may have been at Fox for M*A*S*H, the show helped him find the business partner with which he found success. He found his partner, and he made the unconventional decision to leave a successful series. Did he regret the decision? He says, “No, because I made the decision based on the circumstances at the time.” Rogers goes on to say that M*A*S*H brought him financial security with residuals, but it also led him to meeting his life long friends: Wolff and Alda.

Fans of M*A*S*H anticipating a memoir about Rogers’ acting career and time on the series will find this book disappointing. While M*A*S*H is mentioned in one chapter, it is not even the primary focus of the chapter. His acting career is hardly mentioned despite being heavily publicized on the book’s jacket. That leads to the chief criticism of this book. The book is billed as a business guide with a bit of memoir. And while the book is certainly entertaining and offers some important tips, it is neither a great memoir nor a great business guide. Instead, it is a good business guide with a little bit of biography. Had Rogers focused on one or the other, I feel like it the book would have been more successful. As I read, I found myself wanting either more of a story from his career, or I expected to read more about a business case he presented. Since the book strives to do both, it is not strong at either. That does not mean that this is not a good book. In fact, I found his broader tips for entrepreneurship still relevant today. As a fan of M*A*S*H, and as someone who has worked in the corporate world, I would have liked two books from Rogers: a strict memoir and strict business guide following Rogers’ keys to success. As it is, Make Your Rules: A Renegade Guide to Unconventional Success is a book I would recommend to fans of M*A*S*H as I believe it offers insight into the man behind the actor (and because I am a completionist!).