Reply to post: Re: Methinks it's lawyers all the way down on this one...

COO of failed bio-biz Theranos found guilty on all twelve fraud counts

Antron Argaiv Silver badge
Holmes

Re: Methinks it's lawyers all the way down on this one...

She was the result of relentless reinforcement "you can do anything!" with not enough failures. You learn from failures, and learn about yourself as well. She didn't, and never learned how to deal with personal failure.

As a consequence, she was convinced she was brighter and smarter than everyone around her.

I actually felt sorry for her, up until she started lying, because she had convinced herself she could not be wrong.

I have had bosses who had the same problem...inability to admit they had chosen the wrong approach to a design problem, and that the one they had chosen was not going to work.

Whatever else Theranos teaches us (and I'm sure it will provide fodder for more than one HBS case study), it should stand as an example of the dangers of hubris, specifically the dangers of schools who don't fail any student.

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon