Bill Gates saw the future of the PC as a tool, and he decided to exploit the power of standard hardware to provide the platform for standard software. Hasso Plattner of SAP understood the potential benefits to companies of integrating a full suite of corporate software and of using established consulting firms to sell and implement it. Sergey Brin and Larry Page recognized that the search engine wasn't a consumer product, it was a corporate platform for managing information. And Mark Zuckerberg saw the power of human communities to beat viral marketing as a way to spread the word. Of course, Steve Jobs is a serial innovator--advancing new models for computers, animation, media and personal communications.

Management legend Peter Drucker understood that management is a social science; its success depends on how well human beings interact, rather than on following predetermined processes.

Innovation demands pure, instinctive management. You may not have conventional wisdom to fall back on when determining how projects should proceed.

Meanwhile, your team needs your energy and passion to see the project through. Once you are committed to executing a single, innovative idea, it is important to behave as you would when leading any business ­initiative: setting a direction and guiding your team to the goal. As Shaun Higgins might say, now that you know where you're going, choose the best road to get there.