• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers

2

College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind

3

An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948

1

New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers

2

College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind

3

An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
Commentary

Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Set Irrational Goals

By
Dheeraj Pandey
Dheeraj Pandey
and
Bethany Cianciolo
Bethany Cianciolo
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Dheeraj Pandey
Dheeraj Pandey
and
Bethany Cianciolo
Bethany Cianciolo
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 7, 2017, 2:23 PM ET
Reach For The Stars
A woman's arm reaching for the stars in the night sky.sdominick—iStockphoto/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

The Entrepreneur Insiders network is an online community where the most thoughtful and influential people in America’s startup scene contribute answers to timely questions about entrepreneurship and careers. Today’s answer to the question, “What should budding entrepreneurs know about building a business?” is written by Dheeraj Pandey, founder, CEO, and chairman of Nutanix.

Two of the most important pieces of advice I can provide to entrepreneurs are to not be afraid to be irrational when you set your goals, and that if you hope to realize these goals you need to focus on, you need to listen to and respect your team.

Regarding the first piece of advice, history shows that the entrepreneurs who fundamentally changed how people work, play, and live were the ones who acted irrationally. It was irrational for Steve Jobs to introduce a new Apple (AAPL) phone to compete with the powerful, established players in the mobile phone market. It was irrational for Jeff Bezos to move Amazon (AMZN) beyond online book sales and build a complete e-commerce platform designed to take on Walmart (WMT) and transform the world of retail. It was irrational for Reed Hastings to move Netflix (NFLX) beyond renting DVDs and challenge the established cable and satellite TV companies with streaming movies and TV shows. All of these decisions involved uncertainty, where the worst-case scenario—the possible destruction of their existing businesses—was more likely than success. You must have the courage to be irrational if you want to change the world.

See also: Passion Won’t Make You Successful Unless You Have This

Of course, it is one thing to be willing to set out to achieve a seemingly irrational, impossible goal. It is another thing to actually achieve this goal. On a tactical level, the saying I have found to be the most helpful is one I have used for a long time: Focus. Listen. Respect.

Just as a child needs to focus on, listen to, and respect others if he or she is going to learn in school, build friendships, and achieve other childhood goals—be they earning more screen time or building a tree house—so does an entrepreneur. In particular, you need to focus on, listen to, and respect your employees, customers, and partners—in that order—if you hope to translate your seemingly “crazy” dreams into reality. No entrepreneur can change the world, or realize irrational goals, by themselves. And you will not be able to convince others to help you accomplish your crazy vision if you neglect them, ignore them, or disrespect them. In the end, your success depends on these other people—not just you.

While this saying can be easy to remember when you are launching a small company, it can be easy to forget as your company grows. The complexity and difficulty that comes with running a business increases as you hire more employees, gain more customers, and expand your partner network. When you get big and are growing rapidly, it’s easy to begin treating each employee, customer, and partner as another number or name in a database, rather than a crucial team member helping you realize your goal.

 

Entrepreneurs need to be willing—eager, even—to be irrational, to court uncertainty, and to embrace seemingly impossible goals. And for them to achieve those goals, they need to focus on, listen to, and respect their employees, customers, and partners, because in the world of business, at least, no entrepreneur has realized their crazy goal without a team that was willing to work and sacrifice to realize that goal with them.

About the Authors
By Dheeraj Pandey
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Bethany Cianciolo
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Commentary

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Commentary

trump
CommentaryMarkets
In the Age of Big Players, $100,000 buys you a head start on Trump’s mood
By Steve H. Hanke and Roger KopplJuly 27, 2026
13 hours ago
Europe has an electrification target. Here’s how it can become a competitive advantage
Commentaryclean energy
Europe has an electrification target. Here’s how it can become a competitive advantage
By Andreas SchierenbeckJuly 27, 2026
13 hours ago
raikes
CommentaryMicrosoft
Jeff Raikes: The talent debt I warned about is now showing up in the data
By Jeff RaikesJuly 26, 2026
2 days ago
beatles
CommentaryLeadership
George Martin never out-wrote the Beatles. That’s exactly why he’s the AI leadership lesson we need now
By Jeff DeGraffJuly 26, 2026
2 days ago
students
CommentaryEducation
I’ve been teaching college students for decades. Most of them can no longer finish a book
By Austin SaratJuly 26, 2026
2 days ago
katty
CommentaryLeadership
Katty Kay: confidence is the skill that turns thoughts into action—and companies need to start teaching it
By Katty KayJuly 26, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers
Retail
New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers
By Sarah GlodekJuly 27, 2026
18 hours ago
College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind
Economy
College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind
By Mia OsmonbekovJuly 26, 2026
2 days ago
An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
Success
An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 25, 2026
3 days ago
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
Real Estate
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 25, 2026
3 days ago
Why did a $154 billion CEO just endorse stripping most Americans of voting rights—and taking us back to the 19th century?
C-Suite
Why did a $154 billion CEO just endorse stripping most Americans of voting rights—and taking us back to the 19th century?
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 27, 2026
9 hours ago
I've been teaching college students for decades. Most of them can no longer finish a book
Commentary
I've been teaching college students for decades. Most of them can no longer finish a book
By Austin SaratJuly 26, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.