Innovation goes hand in hand with entrepreneurship

How often do you see companies, business leaders, and event programmes talking about the importance of innovation, finding the next ‘big idea’ or new way of doing  something that can change the face of an industry sector? But innovation is only one part of the process, it’s not the end game. Jim Clifton, the Chairman and CEO of Gallup, made an interesting observation on the subject, saying, “An innovation has no value until an ambitious entrepreneur builds a business model around it and turns it into a product or service that customers will buy. If you can't turn an innovative idea into something that creates a customer, it's worthless.” Big companies can get better at implementing innovation in their businesses by encouraging more entrepreneurial thinking. Over the past couple of years, we have seen our Lioness Lean In Intrapreneur Sessions setting the scene for a new wave of corporate venturing and intrapreneurship as large organizations try to tap into the dynamism and innovation of entrepreneurial businesses. The bottom line, as Jim Clifton suggests, is not that there isn't enough innovation, it’s that there aren't enough entrepreneurs turning those innovative ideas into viable businesses.