Every founder has a story about necessity forcing genius. The stories obscure the math: failures outnumber successes two to one. New research from Dencker, Bacq, Gruber, and Haas in the January 2021 Academy of Management Review reframes necessity as part of a motivational continuum, not a binary with opportunity. Basic needs, psychological needs, and self-fulfillment each demand a different focus. The process stays the same. The purpose changes. Leaders get to choose which.