A 2010 study of 1,500 chief executives conducted by IBM's (IBM) Institute for Business Value identified creativity as the No. 1 leadership competency of the future. This paints a broad role for creativity in the business world in spurring economic growth. Creative solutions are needed for organizations to thrive, but how can business leaders deliberately increase creativity? Allow us to introduce the four Ps of Creativity, a holistic model for looking at creativity that leverages People, Products, Process, and Press to build creative competency, develop radically innovative solutions, and increase revenue.

Strategy No. 1 People: Form diverse teams adept at ideating, clarifying, developing, and implementing.

The Greek philosopher Plato believed people were born creative, but prevailing scientific research today refutes this theory. We now understand the question is not, "Are you creative?" but "How are you creative?"

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today unveiled a new report that highlights the impact of the 21st Century Jobs Fund, which was first called for by the governor in her 2005 State of the State address. The 21st Century Jobs Fund is a 10-year initiative passed with overwhelming bipartisan legislative support to accelerate the diversification of Michigan’s economy and create jobs. It is administered by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

“The 21st Century Jobs Fund was designed to reshape and diversify Michigan’s economy by focusing on innovative, entrepreneurial small businesses,” Granholm said. “Through the fund, we are laying the foundation for a new Michigan economy by developing a multi dimensional entrepreneurial ecosystem that provides start-up businesses with seed capital, coaching and the support infrastructure needed to develop businesses in Michigan.”

The report, titled “Foundation for a New Michigan Economy,” tracks the impact of the diversification efforts of the 21st Century Jobs Fund, including the 1,497 companies that have benefited, creating or retaining more than 24,400 jobs. The governor unveiled the report during a visit to Display Pack, a Grand Rapids-based global manufacturer of packing products.

Since the legislation to help small businesses weather the storm in still stuck with the legislators, it’s good to know that on the state level there are some programs that aim to help small businesses.

In a recent article in Forbes.com (with the help of CB Insight, a New York firm that tracks private company funding trends), they compiled a list of 11 states that have grants, loans and equity capital to help small businesses – you just have to know where to look. Some of the programs have been operating for two decades now and have invested billions of dollars collectively.

Most of the programs are aimed at technology firms in an attempt to lure young entrepreneurs into their states and bring in more jobs to the area. But as you will find by looking at the list, the fields differ and vary from state to state.

The research study, Global Entrepreneurship and the United States, by Zoltan Acs and Laslo Szerb, constructs a multifaceted tool for measuring and comparing countries’ overall entrepreneurial health.

Washington, D.C. - infoZine - How does the United States compare to other nations in the field of entrepreneurship? A paper released today by the Office of Advocacy titled Global Entrepreneurship and the United States by Zoltan J. Acs and Laszlo Szerb looks at this question. Using the Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index (GEDI), the United States ranks third overall; it ranks first on the entrepreneurial aspirations, sixth in entrepreneurial attitudes, and eighth in entrepreneurial activity. The GEDI is a research tool that captures the contextual features of entrepreneurship in 71 countries.

“Entrepreneurship is essential for an economy to grow and flourish,” said Winslow Sargeant, Chief Counsel for Advocacy. “This important study provides a better understanding of our strengths and where we need to improve in order for us to compete in a global economy”

A copy of the report ( PDF ) and the research summary ( PDF ).

Beijing — Perhaps the most crucial technology at Tsinghua University is the bicycle.

Bikes are everywhere on the campus here, parked by the hundreds outside of classroom buildings, or wheeling along the sidewalks, bike lanes, and streets inside the university's gates.

When I stopped at lunchtime today to ask a student for directions to the nearest cafeteria, he pointed me off into the distance but then stressed that it was too far to go on foot. So he offered to give me a lift on the back panel of his beat-up old ride.

Using a new way of analyzing brain-imaging data, scientists have mapped out how the complex networks of connections in the brain evolve as children age. The researchers are now using the technology to examine how brain development in children with specific disorders, such as autism, veers off the norm. Ultimately, researchers aim to use the technology to predict, for example, whether a child at risk for autism will actually develop the disorder, or what treatments might work best for that individual.

Previous research by the same team at the Washington University School of Medicine had shown that between age five and 30, the short-range connections in the brain tend to weaken, while longer-range connections get stronger. In the new study, scientists plotted the trajectory for normal brain development and showed for the first time that they could determine a child's development based on a brain scan.

Product Management is an art and as a startup, you need to  find out the product/market fit at a very early stage in the company.
In all my workshops, I insist startups to not outsource the Product Management activity – even hiring a PM at an early stage is outsourcing to an extent, as defining a product is part of your bplan (and vice versa as well).

We have extensively covered Product Management articles and let me share a few resources that I have found tremendously useful. We hope you like it too.

The Kauffman Economic Outlook: A Quarterly Survey of Leading Economics Bloggers for the third quarter of 2010 has recently been released. Compared to the responses in the second-quarter 2010 Outlook–which was not all that rosy--the viewpoint this time around has become far more pessimistic.

Sixty-eight percent of economics bloggers who responded to the Q3 survey (conducted in mid-July) described the U.S. economy’s overall condition as “mixed.” None described it as “strong and growing.” The rest were split three to one toward an assessment of “weak.”

When asked for open-ended responses to describe the state of the economy, the most common word bloggers used was “uncertainty,” followed by “weak.” And in response to one survey question, the respondents rated the probability of a double-dip recession at 44 percent.

We’re all familiar with birds that are as comfortable diving as they are flying but only one family of fish has made the reverse journey. Flying fish can remain airborne for over 40s, covering distances of up to 400m at speeds of 70km/h. Haecheon Choi, a mechanical engineer from Seoul National University, Korea, became fascinated by flying fish when reading a science book to his children. Realising that flying fish really do fly, he and his colleague, Hyungmin Park, decided to find out how these unexpected fliers stay aloft and publish their discovery that flying fish glide as well as birds on 10 September 2010 in The Journal of Experimental Biology at http://jeb.biologists.org.

But getting hold of flying fish to test in a wind tunnel turned out to be
easier said than done. After travelling to Japan to try to buy fish from
the world famous Tsukiji fish market, the duo eventually struck up a
collaboration with the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives of
Korea. Park went fishing in the East Korean Sea, successfully landing 40
darkedged-wing flying fish. Selecting five similarly sized fish, Park
took them to the Korean Research Centre of Maritime Animals, where they
were dried and stuffed, some with their fins extended (as in flight) and
one with its fins held back against the body, ready to test their
aerodynamics in the wind tunnel. Fitting 6-axis force sensors to the
fishs wings and tilting the fish's body at angles ranging from degrees to 45 degrees, Park and Choi measured the forces on the flying fish’s fins and body as they simulated flights.

Here's Jay Shafer of Tumbleweed Houses taking you on a tour of his clever, 100-square-foot house, which reminds me of a wooden, super-luxury first-class plane-seat on the flagship airline of some oil-soaked, cash-infused land.

If you’re tired of being just another cog, and you crave a sense of personal fulfillment and long-term passion, then it might be time to take the plunge. Here are seven signs you should quit your job and start your own business.

1. You’re Extremely Confident

To be a truly successful entrepreneur, there can never be any doubt in your mind that you will accomplish your goals, even if you must occasionally alter your plans or refine your targets. Your success is as much a matter of your belief in yourself as it is of the skills you will develop on your journey.

Even though your attitude is focused on winning, you should not be emotionally attached to the outcome of any one transaction or activity. In order to achieve success, you need to be flexible enough to evolve.

There is no doubt that the Internet is changing the retail experience, and with it how we shop. Beloved stores are feeling the pressure of the prices and convenience e-commerce retailers offer.

An ongoing study by IPG Media Lab reveals that shopper satisfaction at retail stores is declining up to 15% per year. Stores that used to define the diversity of shopping centers, from bookstores and clothing to consumer electronics and home goods, are closing. Small and large brands alike are searching for strategies to react to the change in customer expectation, where online retailers win on prices and convenience. For the first time in centuries, the role of the storefront is changing.

In the first week at Singularity University, we were introduced to a team project called “Food for Cities.” The project was suggested as one way to meet a goal of Singularity University: to come up with solutions that can positively affect the lives of a billion people. It was only one of several projects that seemed interesting, but it aligned with our interest in organic gardening and sustainable food production. Coming from Vancouver Island in Canada (Derek) and Cambridge in England (Maggie), local food is a hot topic.

When it came time to make a final decision on projects, Food for Cities was our choice, along with four other students, two of them more business-focused – a Stanford MBA and a Danish businessman, a biotechnology student, and a guy with a background in bioinformatics. I (Maggie) come from a more academic background of history of science. I (Derek) am a computer science student at the University of Victoria and joined this team because I wanted to build a working prototype to take home and grow some food with.

Creating and building a business is not a one-man show. It requires a team effort, or at least the ability to build trust and confidence among key players, and effectively communicate with partners, team members, investors, vendors, and customers. These actions are the hallmark of an effective leader.

Behind the actions are a set of principles and characteristics that entrepreneurial leaders, like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, seem to have in common. Look for these and nurture them in your own context to improve the odds of success for your own startup:

1. Clarity of vision and expectations. You must be able and willing to communicate to everyone your vision, goals, and objectives. Just as importantly, you have to be absolutely clear about who you are, what you stand for, and what you expect from everyone around you. People won't follow you if they are in the dark or confused.

David Barrett’s exit from his job at Akamai Technologies Inc. is notorious. But it’s really just the beginning of a better story.

Barrett joined the Akamai team when his company, file-delivery service Red Swoosh Inc., was acquired in 2007. He lasted only a year, reportedly fired for speaking to a journalist on the record about his opposing view of a $5 music tax Warner Music hoped to push on U.S. residents by tacking the fee onto Internet service bills.

As Warner Music is a major Akamai client, the remarks were apparently not appreciated - Barrett was shown the door. The incident went on to become the subject of an MIT ethics debate regarding the boundaries between personal and professional communications.

As President of a local inventors group I can’t tell you how many inventors I meet who have spent big bucks to procure a patent but never built a prototype. So they have no idea if the invention really works. Others who have a garage full of product, just collecting dust because they never tested the market before hand. However, most successful inventors and product development companies that I know, start off with a Proof of Concept Analysis BEFORE they start spending money. So if they do it, why not you?

A full Proof of Concept Analysis consists of three equally important parts: Business Analysis, Ownership Analysis and Product Analysis. These steps should be developed simultaneously or at least completed before moving on to development or you WILL certainly regret it later. I usually start with the one that I consider to be the weakest link in the chain. For example, if I think ownership might be an issue I will do a pretty strong patent, product and industry search especially if I think I have seen something similar.

Email marketing lists are only as effective as the number of your list members. One of your first goals should be to increase the members of your email list. Think about it this way - if you have a 1% conversion rate with your list, you’ll have 5 sales from your list of 500. If you grow your list to 5000, you’ll have 50 sales. Getting more members on your list should be your top priority. Fortunately, there are several different places you can grow your list.

1.    On your website

This is the first place that people think of when they want to grow their email marketing list. It’s a natural fit. Placing your opt in form on your website or your blog will encourage website visitors to sign up for your list. All they have to do is enter their email address and name in order to be included. You can encourage the sign ups by offering a free course, whitepaper or other incentive.

2.    Social media platforms

Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms can help you introduce your list and promote your incentive. As you grow a following on these sites, you can increase your list as well. You can place an opt in box on your company’s Facebook page. Tweet about your list and encourage your followers to opt in for your incentive. Since you have already built a relationship with these people they’ll be more likely to opt into your list.

Madison, Wisconsin has always been known as a progressive town - in part because it's home to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. But over the last few years, the city has gained a reputation as an emerging technology startup hub in the Midwest.

Earlier this year, Forbes Magazine named Madison the 7th most innovative city in the U.S., ranking it ahead of the noted startup hotspot of Boston.

Like many cities that foster thriving startup communities, Madison benefits from strong university and government support (the latter in the form of a 25% tax credit for angel investors and a 2% forgivable loan for startups), as well as a number of entrepreneur-friendly events organizations.

A majority of the advice aimed at helping startups manage relationships with venture capitalists is tailored for when that startup is raising or has raised funding. Certainly a lot of the interaction between startups and investors takes place during and after financing rounds, but there is a lot entrepreneurs can be doing before they seek funding to set themselves up for success with VCs. In a response to a question on the Q&A site Quora, VC Mark Suster offered his advice to entrepreneurs on how to manage relationships with VCs before fundraising begins.

Suster's first point is to pick and choose which VCs you decide to build a relationship with very carefully. There's no point in spending time on a relationship with a VC who is irrelevant to your product sector or who you can't imagine actually working with in the future (for any reason). It's a lot like dating when you think about it - if you're seriously looking to meet your future spouse, why waste time dating someone you'd never consider marrying?