1️⃣ Innovation cannot be imposed or institutionalized. It is not the exclusive property of anyone, but rather a competence of anyone who works to improve healthcare systems. Innovation is a state of mind. You either have it or you don’t; it’s that simple.

2️⃣ Leadership is essential, from the very beginning and continuously. But you must daily remind yourself that leadership is not about you but about all those whom, as a leader, you must help through your activities.

3️⃣ People are the most important resource, and building a team, especially in an environment resistant to innovation, is the greatest challenge. The pressures are so strong that few resist the temptation of short-term benefits.

4️⃣ In some way, you have to become immune to hate, attempts to minimize, intimidate, disrupt, copy, and eliminate from the market. It’s not easy. But as long as the vision you have aligns with the direction scientific progress is heading, all the rest becomes smoke and mirrors. And sooner or later, you will succeed.

5️⃣ A NGO has the role of assisting the state and corporations in areas where their resources or competences are limited. The more disconnected the state and corporations are from the needs of citizens, the greater the space civil society has to cover. It’s important to never forget that the purpose is to serve people, not other interests.

6️⃣ You probably shouldn’t have expectations, especially not expecting things to happen quickly and for many people to support you just because you promote an innovative concept. Inertia is one of the traditional pillars of healthcare systems; it takes a lot of perseverance to achieve results.

7️⃣ There’s nothing wrong with talking about the good things you do; it’s challenging at first, especially if you were raised in a culture that promote (rightfully so) modesty and meritocracy. Don’t expect too many people to speak highly of your successes. It’s time for you to become (if you’re not already) your own communicator.

8️⃣ Nevertheless, you must learn the lesson of humility, promote dialogue with those who have shown you adversity (out of ignorance, pride, foolishness, or just for the sake of be against), and be there when someone needs your insight. Because yes, even in the most dismissive periods, someone needs you. And vice versa.

9️⃣ Silence is a phenomenon that will accompany you most of the time. First and foremost, inner silence—because you’re doing what you love and it fulfills you. And secondly, external silence, which I noticed from the beginning but only later understood: people remain silent for various reasons that can be explained by human nature alone.

💡💡💡To conclude, this is InoMed’s biggest secret: our activity is actually governed by three gods from Mount Olympys who occasionally descend into our hearts and minds: Chronos (the god of past, present, and future time), Kairos (the god of opportune time), and Aegon (the god of eternal time).