From Phil McKinney, formerly of HP, comes 9 easy steps:

1. Change your routines. "Get out of your comfort zone. Innovation is looking at things in new ways. If you talk to the same people or hang out at the same Starbucks, you don't see anything new."

2. Do a daily brainstorming session on ANYTHING. "The first third of your ideas will be obvious, the second third will be challenging. The final third are really hard and where the diamonds are."

3. Don't stop at the first answer to any question.

4. Apply focus to your brainstorming.

5. Notice assumptions. To find assumptions ask yourself: Why can't I do this idea? How do I know that reason is still true? What would it look like if it wasn't true?

6. Rank your ideas to find one worth pursuing.

7. NEVER let "not enough resources" stop you. Constraints make you be creative.

8. Ignore self doubt.

9. Bat down the naysayers. And have fun with it!

Entrepreneurs have to do all these things, too.

I guess that's why founders are innovators.