Greetings.  Popular Science magazine has just announced its picks for the 100 best innovations of 2009, and the list might be a perfect starting point for thinking about how to unlock the true potential of your company and its offerings.  It's also fun place to explore what really drives technological innovation because most of the winning ideas build on products and solutions that we often take for granted–by making them smarter, faster, more versatile, much easier to use, and far more powerful.

One brilliant example is this year's "Grand Award" winner in the health category–the 3M Healthcare Littmann Electronic Stethoscope Model, with Zargis Medical Corporation Cardioscan.  It's a long name for a remarkable update to a very old product.  In fact, the stethoscope was actually invented in 1816 by the French physician Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laennec (who himself had a long name) and has been tooling along as a simple and essential part of medical practice for almost 200 years.  Now, thanks to some very clever folks at 3M and Zargis, it has the ability to capture harder to detect heartbeats and sounds, record them for later review, transmit them to someone's PC or PDA using Bluetooth technology, and even analyze them quickly and accurately reducing the need for doctor's visits and costly echocardiograms.  Talk about an extreme medical device makeover! 

And it's just one of a hundred ideas worth exploring.  Other include:

• Roofing tiles that also serve as solar panels.
• A dramatically improved way to clean contaminated water.
• A much faster way to build skyscrapers.
• Eyeglasses with adjustable focus.
• Argon-filled clothing as truly warm alternative.
• Load-bearing structures made out of glass.
• Wallpaper strong enough to protect against bomb blasts.
• The first 3-D point-and-shoot camera.
• Tires that save fuel.

If you are in the business of creating technology products, a closer look at these innovations could provide an energizing way to jump start your thinking about how to reinvent your offerings.  And if you are in the service or solution business, you might want to pay close attention to the ways that many of these "reinvented" ideas are changing our notion of how to create a more compelling customer or user experience.

We win in business by re-imagining what's possible in new and powerful ways.  Maybe it's time for you and the geniuses you work with to take a fresh look at your offerings and the value they could deliver.  

Cheers!