Steve Jobs’ fabled “Reality Distortion Field” describes his ability to lure people into a vision for the future which he painted — and made those around him believe.
Creating and vividly describing a future state is something entrepreneurs do exceptionally well. It’s the way to sell your vision, to hook employees, to get investors to part with their money and early adopters to try out your product. In the end it’s the essence of what you do as an entrepreneur: You create something out of nothing and along that path you need allies. And those allies need to see the vision as clear and vibrant as you do.
“Entrepreneurs beware: When you make Kool-Aid — don’t drink it yourself!”
But beware: Don’t drink your own Kool-Aid. Which is to say — remember that the story you tell about how your product will save humanity is just that (until you prove it).
We live in a culture where we increasingly celebrate startups for their myth-making instead of the reality of what they create. Don’t be one of them.