CONTENTS

• CoF Community News
• Books That Matter
• Member Discount: Wingate Inns
• Upcoming CoF Events
• Special CoF Discount for FC Subscriptions

CoF Community News

London: Natural Leadership | by Jonathan Priest
A group discussion with "business shaman" David Hill addresses the application of survival skills to business and details the five qualities of natural leadership.

Philadelphia: Organizational Value | by Valeria Maltoni
Investment banker Richard Ward outlines realistic market valuations of businesses. His comparison of two organizations also covered the regulatory environment and leaders' exit strategies.

Houston: Six Heads Are Better Than One | by Theresa Quintanilla
Robert Thompson of Cathexi Consulting demonstrates the different thinking styles featured in Edward de Bono's "Six Thinking Hats."

Chickamauga, Georgia: Southern Fried Off-Road Show II | by Chuck Morris
About 25 CoF members from several southern states gather for a weekend grassroots leadership development workshop drawing on the knowledge of Bill Jensen, Nick Wreden, and Maureen McCarthy and Zelle Nelson. These candid snapshots capture some of the content -- and context -- of the event.

If you'd like to help document your local CoF group's activities and discussions, contact your coordinator to volunteer as a scribe. Reporting on events in the CoF's Minutes and Notes can help better manage a group's collective knowledge.

CoF Community News

Books That Matter

Book Club Reports | by Leslie Banks and Dan Limbach
In late March, members of the Chicago CoF group sat down with Robin Koval, co-author of Bang!: Getting Your Message Heard in a Noisy World, to discuss advertising strategies, effective teamwork, and working with celebrities.

FC Now Guest Host: Steve Farber | by Fast Company
Starting Monday, May 3, Steve Farber, former vice president of the Tom Peters Company and author of The Radical Leap, the Readers' Choice selection for May, will guest host FC Now, Fast Company's team blog.

Fast Company Book Club Meetup | by Fast Company
Join CoF members and Fast Company readers around the world for the monthly FC Book Club Meetup event. Help select the gathering place, and meet other reading leaders to further explore the current Readers' Choice selection.

Start a Book Club | by Fast Company
Put the leading-edge business practices you read about to use in your work and in your organization.

Member Discount: Wingate Inns

Fast Company and the Company of Friends are proud to announce a partnership with Wingate Inn, the award-winning hotel chain designed for the active business traveler. Each guest room features a dedicated work area complete with high-speed Internet access and additional tools. And with free telephone calls, faxing, printing, and a 24-hour self-service business center, Wingate is perfect for working while on the road.

As the preferred hotel of the Company of Friends, Wingate offers members the Best Available rate each time you stay at a Wingate Inn. Additionally, Wingate will make its facilities available to CoF groups around the world for discussions, events, and other activities.

Book your next stay today!

Wingate Inn: Built for Business

Upcoming CoF Events

To help you learn more about -- and get involved in -- the best and brightest CoF events organized by members and groups every month, Fast Company offers a global, public calendar.

This network-at-a-glance calendar is accessible by non-members, as well as by CoF members. Use the global calendar as you travel on business. Share it with friends who don't belong to the network.

CoF gatherings are a great way to meet other FC readers and forward-thinking business leaders and innovators in your area. We hope to see you at a CoF event soon!

Special CoF Discount for FC Subscriptions

As special thanks for your involvement in the Company of Friends -- and for your ongoing support -- Fast Company offers a special subscription discount for CoF members.

If you're a member of the CoF living or working in the United States, you can subscribe to Fast Company for $10.50 a year -- more than 80% off the cover price! (For Canadian subscribers, we need to add $17 to cover postage and GST.)

If you live outside of North America, the subscription price is $56 -- $30 less than our previous international rate.

Subscribe today!

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