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Becoming An Intrapreneur: The Story of Skunk Works
Redefining Innovation.
I don’t know how, or why, or when it happened, but becoming an entrepreneur seems to be the best thing since sliced bread.
My best guess is that the thought of being your own boss and having potentially uncapped income is too tempting to resist. And if that were the case, it is certainly a tantalizing idea. However, what if I told you there was an easier way to do that? A way that didn’t involve potentially quitting your job, going into large amounts of debt and working ridiculous hours?
Enter Skunk Works.
Skunk Works is a pseudonym for Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Development Programs, a division within the company that over time has produced some of the most innovative aircraft and defense designs. So much so, that 85% of the work they do is on classified projects. It is quite an impressive program that has no doubt given Lockheed Martin both the resources and reputation it has.
It was initially founded in 1943 by Kelly Johnson, an engineer at the company who had a knack for unique ideas. When he was initially hired on in 1933, he was put on a salary of $83 a month (could you imagine an engineer at Lockheed Martin making that nowadays??).
