Leaders today face challenges for which they are utterly unprepared.

Data about an innovative idea is rarely crystal clear.

The sad truth is as difficult as the first mile can be for entrepreneurs, it is doubly tough inside most large companies as innovators can face some significant headwinds.

Most companies are built to execute today's business model, not discover tomorrow's.

Good innovators are careful observers, network extensively, run experiments, ask lots of questions, and find ways to bring diverse ideas together. Overarching all of this is an intrinsic interest in working through puzzles.

If you are a large company and you want to do something unique, you almost by definition have to tap onto the core business in some way. Otherwise you are going into a naked fight against startups, and that's just a tough place to be.

Leaders today face challenges for which they are utterly unprepared.