Vital in the sense that this is one of the opportunities life gives you to either demonstrate greatness or be a bit of a weasel. If you aspire to be more than a weasel you can find a little bit of Cato inside yourself, take what seems in the short term to be the tough road and respond with integrity.

As far as VCs and investors are concerned, I have seen all sides of that coin. There definitely are VCs and investors who are always and only out for a quick buck and others who think long-term, act with integrity and respond positively to it in others. In my experience the more you can surround yourselves with the second type the better your life will be, although as a public company, Boeing doesn't have that much opportunity to pick its investors.