Your brain is like a quilt: Experiences are threaded together, and new ideas come from what you already know. Here's how to move the process forward, intentionally.

There's one question at the core of innovation, and it's the title of Michael Schrage's new book: "Who Do You Want Your Customers to Become?"

From HBO to Cisco, from digital entertainment to startups changing the world, our Innovation Uncensored event in San Francisco will be touching on everything that is shaping business today. Register to be part of the conversation.

Take a quick look at your schedule. Most of us have calendars that are packed to the gills with endless appointments, meetings, conference calls, and deadlines. When, in this insanely-busy schedule, are you planning to come up with your best ideas?

Newborn ideas need to be protected and nurtured in the same way a mother cares for her baby. Early ideas are fragile, requiring care and feeding before they'’re ready to stand on their own. Before eviscerating original thoughts, give them time to breathe and flourish.

It's difficult to predict what will make a brand successful in the future. But I believe there are five pillars that will help brands survive, and thrive in our brave new world.

We have been trained so well to associate the light bulb with insight and creative thinking that simply sitting under one can inspire, well, insight and creative thinking. That's the conclusion researchers at Tufts University came up with after putting students through a series of experiments under both a bare incandescent 25-watt light bulb and an overhead fluorescent light.

Dynamic leadership starts with insight. Are you brave enough to use yours?

The 2010 Toyota Prius is set to achieve a combined city/highway EPA estimated fuel efficiency rating of 50 miles-per-gallon, the highest ever for a consumer retail vehicle. The original Prius came in at 41 MPG, and the current model gets 46 MPG.