So much has been written about innovation in recent years that it’s become the key buzzword in business circles, like TMQ was several years ago. Of course, management “guru” Peter Drucker also once said, “Because its purpose is to find and keep customers, the business enterprise has two – and only two – basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are ‘costs.’”

If innovation is so important to the success of any business (or any organization for that matter), where does it begin? Does it begin with a Mission Statement? Perhaps. But go back further. We could say innovation starts with an idea. Someone has an idea and then he or she (or a group of people) act on that idea and bring it to fruition. Continue reading »