The consequences of not being realistic can be catastrophic and a perfect example of this is Elizabeth Holme’s case.
She started Theranos, a company based on an idea that could not be done, or at least not the way she wanted it to. People tried to talk her out of it, but she didn’t hear and kept on going until she lost her sense of reality, affecting too many people in the process.
We have to recognize that Elizabeth was very persistent, smart and great at networking. She knew how to use her abilities for her advantage, but she reached the limits. She was so persistent that she ignored and even fired anyone who disagreed with her. She was so smart that she knew exactly what to say to fool everyone. And she was so good at networking that she made true followers out of very important people.
Although she made these mistakes, they all came from the same foundation: she fell in love with her solution instead of the problem.
We should NEVER innovate for money or any reason other than solving a problem, that is what makes an innovation great and what really adds value to it. We always need to have this in mind, if not… well, we might be at risk of losing our sense of reality too.
