Execution

My primitive idea was simple. You've got to be smart to have good ideas, but it involves an entirely different aspect of capability to execute an idea - determination, planning, and endurance.

By the way, it is a common misconception that Emotional Intelligence means the ability to identify and control ones own emotion. In fact, the famous Stanford Marshmallow Experiment - the result of which correlates with the score of high school examination - tests whether a child accepts deferred gratification, not the ability of handling emotion as outlined in the models of Stanley Greenspan and Daniel Goleman.

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But, let's go one step forward. We should not always blame extraterrestrials (for example, administrators of research grants). As mentioned above, it is often the problem of ourselves rather than any extrinsic force. However, many a time it is a mathematical problem.

In fact, other than medical research, many things in our life could be taken as an example. The paradox is: having many brilliant ideas does not coexist with carrying out a lot of work.