I don't think it's contradictory at all. There are really three things here: * Make something people want * Ship it on time * If you screw up everything

I don't think it's contradictory at all. There are really three things here: * Make something people want * Ship it on time * If you screw up everything else but still manage to sell your product somehow, you'll be ok As for the self esteem part, you don't need to disassociate yourself, but it helps for mental health. This is more of a sidenote.