Having a clear, ethical goal helps; things always get muddy in the implementation.

Example: I want to cure cancer. In order to cure cancer, I have to hire the right people to develop the IP. In order to hire the right people, I need to obtain the financial resources, either through a big-company budgeting process, a political process, talking to investors, etc.

At bottom, it's all about power: who has it, how to get it, and how to wield the tools of influence. It's hard to accomplish anything involving other people without understanding how to wield this toolset effectively.