Shaq is the perfect role model for healthcare companies to emulate, especially Theranos

When we don’t see an idea through to the end, we are only hurting ourselves as creatives.

Shaq and Penny--the duo that rose the Orlando Magic out of the ashes and put the team on the NBA’s map. Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway had contagious chemistry that quickly spread throughout the team leading them to the NBA Finals after just two years of playing together. Both players garnered massive media fame as the NBA’s up-and-coming stars.

But, a year after their historic run to the NBA Finals, Shaq accepted a deal to play for the LA Lakers, breaking up a team that was poised to win multiple championships, thus not realizing their full potential.

In essence, they were an idea. An idea whose creators didn’t allow enough time for the idea to come to fruition and assumed it was at its end. Shaq said one of his biggest regrets in life is not seeing what Shaq and Penny could’ve become.

You do yourself a great disservice every time you give up on an idea before you see through to its end.

How do you know when an idea is at its end? Well, often times ideas are ever-changing. They may never have an end and are constantly evolving. So, it may not have been a bad thing that Shaq left Penny. In fact, the idea of a dominant big-man with an unconventionally tall point guard may have just been an evolution from Penny to Kobe.

Other people will say you know an idea is finished when you have something concrete to show for it. For instance, finishing a painting, turning a business plan profitable, or gaining FDA approval for your medical device.

Whether you believe an idea’s end is non-existent or is defined by concrete results, there is one thing you must always avoid, and that is focusing on the finished product or the idea’s end. This stagnates creativity. The free flow of creativity should be uninterrupted by the thought of what the result has to look like.

Instead, ask yourself, “What might this idea become?” Then begin building towards that until you hit a block and then pivot. Imaginary guidelines or deadlines will only limit the evolution of the idea.

Theranos, a healthcare company founded by Elizabeth Holmes in 2003, took on the huge goal of changing the way blood tests were given, with an idea to minimize the amount of blood needed to run the tests down to a finger prick. Now they are being sued for $100 million by one of their investors, claiming Elizabeth raised money on false promises and progress.

My guess is she told a small lie while painting the picture of her idea in order to get the funding needed to test her idea. Obviously, this is commonplace when raising money for a startup to describe the upside potential.

Unfortunately, her investors assumed the finished idea would be exactly what she described in her vision of the future and Theranos became shortsighted as well. Too much focus on the envisioned end product killed the creative execution and marks what could be the end of Theranos. I’m furthering this discussion on vision for health tech companies here, so come join me and the Redox crew.

Other young entrepreneurs in healthcare, Elizabeth Asai, Keven Stonewall, Zoe Barry, Josh Bruno, among many others, can learn from Elizabeth’s mistake. Don’t be close-minded on what the end product is going to look like. Instead, it is important as creatives to not get caught up in what your finished idea is going to look like. Become engulfed in your creative flow and let your idea evolve on its own. There will be turning points and sharp curves. Ride them out and communicate to your team (investors included) your idea’s end is merely taking shape through an evolution.

I don’t believe the news should be limited guidelines and the end-goal, which is why I create these Quick Theories. So, if you thought the way I covered the Theranos scandal was a breath of fresh air, come sign up for my weekly newsletter and start looking at the news differently. Sign up here:quicktheories.com