coming up with the next big idea

(MoneyWatch) COMMENTARY There's no magic formula for coming up with the next big thing, and there's no shortage of people trying. Luckily, there doesn't appear to be any shortage of demand for innovative ideas and products.

Having been around entrepreneurs, startups, and innovative companies my entire career, I've seen quite a few methods that seek to foster innovation. Here are eight "innovation catalysts" that really work:

Standing on the shoulders of giants. Innovators often elevate others' ideas into products people can use. There's a device called a ScareCrow that detects pesky animals like birds or rodents and shoots water at them. It's actually a motion sensor combined with an impulse sprinkler. It works, it's relatively inexpensive, and it's ingenious because there's nothing new; it's just two inventions used together in a unique way.

Unintended consequences. More often than not, products go viral or succeed for different reasons or uses than originally intended by their entrepreneurs. McDonald's (MCD) started with a hotdog, not a burger. Mark Zuckerberg's first stab at Facebook, dubbed Facemash, was to rate whether female Harvard University students were hot or not. Google's (GOOG) founders created a search engine, but the company's remarkable business success comes entirely from an advertising business model.

Think different. MP3 players, smartphones, and tablet computers were around long before Apple (AAPL) introduced the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. But Apple doesn't develop products the way other companies do. It ignores the status quo, doesn't use focus groups, and when it outsources functions it manages them meticulously, like a vertically integrated company. Apple doesn't look at competitive devices and ask, "How can we make it better?" It asks, "What do people really want to do that they can't" -- and delivers.

Innovators don't see different things -- they see things differently
Where does innovation come from?
Unusual origins of 15 innovative companies

Meet customer needs, one step at a time. Sony (SNE) was originally a radio repair shop. Toyota (TM) made looms. Nokia (NOK) was a paper mill. IBM (IBM) sold weight scales, meat slicers and coffee grinders. Xerox (XRX) made photographic paper. Sometimes, you just start somewhere, put one foot in front of the other, and end up somewhere else entirely. It helps if you follow the needs of your customers.

It's not the end; it's the beginning. Some people and companies have a great idea or develop a unique product, become incredibly enamored with what they've managed to come up with, and promptly sit on it. Kodak (EK) actually invented the digital camera. Tivo (TIVO) lost control of digital video-recording technology. Stanford Research (now SRI) and Xerox PARC had loads of inventions that were commercialized and popularized by others. And don't even get me started with RIM (RIM) and its BlackBerry smartphone. Once you've come up with something, don't stop -- keep innovating.

A focus group of one. Some people have a unique ability to intuit what customers want before they even know it themselves. Others have flashes of inspiration that come from who-knows-where. How do you know if someone in your organization has some of that Steve Jobs or Albert Einstein magic going on? I don't know, but for some people and organizations a focus group of one is all you need.

Fish or cut bait? Sometimes you've got to have a sense for when to keep going and when to quit. How do you know? I've heard everyone from top venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson to Oracle (ORCL) CEO Larry Ellison essentially say that, to be a successful entrepreneur, you need to be prepared for 100 people to tell you you're an idiot. I guess that means fish ... and keep fishing.

Brainstorm. Brainstorming has become a watered-down term in business. Like any process, there are a few ways to do it right and many ways to do it wrong. Nevertheless, if you get the right people in a room, the right leader, the right goal, ask the right questions, and use the right methodology, you'd be amazed what you can come up with. I know, that's a lot of rights, but believe me, it can be done

its just common sense

its very common for people to assume sense is common and yet we are victims of the lack of it at one time. when especially we are managers, we tend to take the high ground on many issues and overlook simplicity that makes a lot of sense. well, back to basics here are a few tips on common sense ...
Don’t be afraid of the phrase, “I don’t know”. If you don’t know the answer, don’t try to bluff. If you’re at fault, take the blame. If you’re wrong, apologize. A wise person once said, “if you always tell the truth, you never have to remember which lies you told to which person.”

Never gossip. If someone wants to gossip with you, politely say you’re not interested. Remember the old adage, “when someone gossips, two careers are hurt – the person being talked about, and the person doing the talking.”

No task is beneath you. Don’t think you are above anything. Pitch in – especially if the job is one no one wants to do.

Share the credit whenever possible. Leaders who spread around credit look much stronger that those who take all the credit for themselves.

Ask for help. If you think you are in over your head, you are. Ask for help before things get out of hand. Besides saving yourself an embarrassment, you make a friend and ally.

When you don’t like someone, don’t let it show. Never burn bridges or offend others as you move ahead.

Let it go. What shouldn’t happen often does: you weren’t given the project you wanted, you were passed over for a promotion you thing you deserved. Be gracious and diplomatic – and move on. Harboring a grudge won’t advance your career.

When you’re right, don’t gloat. The only time you should ever use the phrase “I told you so”, is when someone says to you “you were right, I really could succeed at that job”.

These are some great common sense bits of wisdom. Use them, and watch you life, career and business blossom

print copy ... now out!

Advice is one of the hardest challenges...

Entrepreneurs are the driving force behind creating and growing new businesses. All too often, they are also the people holding them back.

The abilities that can help you launch a business are not the same as those you need to help it grow. It's vital not to fool yourself into valuing your own abilities too highly. It is likely that you'll need training to learn the skills and attitudes required by someone who is leading growth.

To grow your business, you need to learn to delegate properly, trusting your management team and giving up day-to-day control of every detail. It's all too easy to stifle creativity and motivation with excessive interference. As the business becomes more complex, you also need to develop your time management skills and learn to focus on what's really important.

As your business grows, you may need to bring in outsiders to help. You'll want to delegate responsibility for particular areas to different specialists, or appoint a non-executive director or two to strengthen your board. As you start tackling a new opportunity, someone who has experience of that activity can be vital. its at this point that entreprenuers see themselves as little Ainsteins! they become oblivious to advice!

For many successful entrepreneurs, learning to listen to - and take - advice is one of the hardest challenges they face. But it may also be essential if you are going to make the most of your opportunities. Some entrepreneurs, recognising their own limitations, even appoint someone else to act as managing director or chairperson

Time management!

When something new comes up, whether it's a request from someone or a new project or idea, before you say "Yes" to yourself or others look at your schedule and ask yourself, "Can I take this on right now?"
If it's not scheduled into your routine then chances are you don't have the time for it. Instead, schedule that activity or task for a future time. Make an appointment for this task or activity. Put it on your wish list. Otherwise, you'll find yourself doing everything except what you had originally intended.
This rule does have some flexibility. I took the extreme position in order to emphasize the importance of maintaining your focus and keeping your eye on the prize and your goals. So, use your best judgment. If the task that is pulling you away from you initial intention is considered a priority (a family situation, an emergency, a unique opportunity that supports your goals, an externality, a customer who is only able to meet with you at a certain time and not meeting with them can cost you their business, etc.) then clearly do it.
One of my clients recently had his second child. Now, let’s face it. All bets are off when have a newborn. After all, what's more important than that? If that's your priority then just own it, accept it and don't feel guilty for not honoring your routine. Something is going to have to give, even if that means taking time away from another activity in your routine.
Sometimes, life has a tendency to get in the way of our plans (no pun intended). However, these sudden jolts to your routine are usually temporary rather than long term. These occurrences are simply another opportunity to adjust your routine.
Exercise caution when choosing to engage in activities that will divert you from your planned activities. If you find that you are constantly being diverted from your routine, then you may be an adrenaline junkie and love the rush.
Regards . Shamirah

office fashion!

You will never get a second chance to make a first impression. no matter how good you are. when at work, how you carry your self is a reflection of what you feel inside. what you wear is a translation of what you think about your self.

with all this weather change, I find myself pulling and tugging at my clothes either for warmth or for fresh air. Yet no matter the weather, I must stay within the confines of my dress code - abaya. I am a lover of fashion but chose not to be a slave to it. I like the simple things in life and enjoying a good breeze or a sun kiss even when am at my desk,hard at work should not be made difficult by what am wearing, .

One thing I forgot to mention I love color and living on the edge. a few ideas for the working woman I know Monday is one of those days ... lift your spirits by what you are wearing ... no matter how hard my day gets, I am consoled by the fact that i feel and look good. Masha Allah, when you are alive, enjoy every bit of it, how ever small fashion a factor is, it makes a whole lot of difference.

Richard Branson: Conjuring Up The People Factor

Nicki McKenzie, of Malaga, Western Australia, asked: “If you were to list your top five rules for achieving success in business, what would they be and where would the ‘people factor’ come in?”

And on behalf of her students studying business at the high school level, teacher Annette Moran of Wavell Heights, Queensland, asked me a similar question.

The “people factor” appears over and over on my list of top five tips. It is the basis of many entrepreneurial successes and, because many business leaders discount it, innumerable failures.

While the current thinking in business schools holds that all someone with an idea needs to succeed are focus, clarity and a good business plan, I have found that bringing together a great team that’s united by strong motivation, determination and bravery is much more important. Let’s look at how to get started.

FIND GOOD PEOPLE

The successes of Virgin businesses such as Active, Atlantic, Money and Mobile were all based on our assembling a great management team that had a vision, passion and a real sense of ownership.

Specifically, we look for leaders who have the ability to listen to feedback from employees and customers - this is crucial to keeping a service or product fresh and innovative. Often, when things start going wrong, you’ll notice that the staff members feel they are being ignored and good ideas are not bubbling to the top.

Leaders should have the character to make tough decisions and the passion and ability to inspire their staff and carry them through difficult times. Our best CEOs tend to be unconcerned about the size of their office or the thickness of the carpet. REALIZE THAT THE EMPLOYEES ARE THE BUSINESS

A successful business isn’t the product or service it sells, its supply chain or its corporate culture: It is a group of people bound together by a common purpose and vision. In Virgin’s case, we fly the same planes as our competitors and our gyms offer much of the same equipment as other gyms. What separates our businesses from the competition? Our employees.

The best designed business plan will come to nothing if it is not carried out by an enthusiastic and passionate staff. This is especially true when things go slightly wrong; a friendly and proactive team can often win people round, averting a potential disaster or even turning it to your benefit.

Earlier this year, a Virgin America flight was diverted from New York to an airport in nearby Connecticut due to bad weather. The passengers were stuck on the plane for many hours while the small airport struggled to cope with the huge number of extra planes. It took far too long.

Afterward, CEO David Cush himself called many of the passengers to apologise, which may have helped to give those customers a sense of all the Virgin staffers who had been worrying about them and working to fix the situation.

LOOK FOR THE BEST IN YOUR PEOPLE - LAVISH PRAISE, NEVER CRITICISE

Rather than focusing on mistakes, a leader needs to catch someone doing something right every day. If this culture of fostering employee development through praise and recognition starts at the top, it will go far toward stamping out the employee fear of failure that can stunt a business, particularly in its early days. When mistakes happen - which is inevitable - I always take the position that you have to learn from them and try not to dwell on what went wrong. It’s almost always better not to go over the obvious with the people involved. They know exactly what happened.

DON’T TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY

We at Virgin pride ourselves on trying to find the fun in our businesses, by which I mean that we try to ensure that both our staff and customers feel a real sense of warmth and affection.

I have led from the front on this - dressing up in costumes, trying all manner of stunts (not all going 100-per-cent right!), and generally showing that I do not take myself too seriously. My approach will not work for all businesses, but keeping a sense of perspective and not allowing management to be seen as aloof will help keep your staff onside.

To foster employees’ sense of warm, personal interest in clients’ needs, it’s crucial to ensure that everyone who works with you enjoys what he or she is doing, which means that everyone must be proud of the company. This is vital to building lasting success and ensuring your service has an edge over the competition.

To find employees who will take such an interest in our customers, we look for people who show genuine enthusiasm and character.

We have a bit of an advantage over our competitors, partly because of our brand and partly because our roots include having hired people to work in the music industry, and now aviation and space, all of which attract real enthusiasts.

JUST DO IT

Finally, to succeed in business, you must have the bravery to give it a go. Starting a business is a big risk; an entrepreneur needs resolve and conviction to overcome the early hurdles. Most start-ups fail in the first few years, so a key ingredient of success is the ability to pick yourself up and try again.

If it starts to look like your business is not going to make it, some on your team might start to lose courage. At that crucial time, your knowledge of the people factor may make or break your company.

Richard Branson is the founder of the Virgin Group and companies such as Virgin Atlantic, Virgin America, Virgin Mobile and Virgin Active. Questions from readers will be answered in future columns. Send them toRichardBranson@nytimes.com, including your name, country, email address and the name of the publication where you read the column