Disruptors are defined by several characteristics. They see beyond the existing status quo and challenge it by visualizing improvement and the outcome of that solution. Innovators do not provoke anger for its own sake, but they are not afraid to upset the competition or even potential allies. They are pioneering that solution not only to help themselves but also fix an issue that has long been plaguing their industry.

Although these can be seen as positive characteristics, innovators typically have their weaknesses as well. For one, their commitment to a solution is often too zealous for their own good. They develop a kind of tunnel vision, driven so strongly by a belief in their solution that it blinds them to the pushback on their amazing idea. That leaves them vulnerable to criticism and wholly unprepared to defend against the figurative arrows that will inevitably be launched against them.

 …