Why so many good executives make so many terrible choices. The high stakes, the pressure to perform, and the temptation to go for the dough are part of the problem. Keith H. Hammonds page 81
Here's the truth: The problem isn't the market's rise or fall. The problem is people who react to events, rather than seek to create something great. Jim Collins page 88
Looking for inspired leadership, passionate employees, unsurpassed productivity, and grateful customers? Forget the dispirited corridors of corporate America. Look instead to the bursting-with-life corridors of Parkland Memorial Hospital, a remarkable place that delivers more than 16,000 babies per year -- more babies than any other hospital in the country. That's more babies, in fact, than are born in 10 of America's states. There is still a way for giant organizations to do great work -- whatever "products" they deliver: the Parkland Way. Charles Fishman page 106
Feeling overworked? Overwhelmed? The dirty little secret of the slow-growth economy is that most of us are busier than ever: We're doing our jobs, plus the jobs of one or two gone-but-not-replaced colleagues -- and doing it all with less support. How do we manage to stay sane in the face of such crazy demands? Action item number one: Follow the savvy, reality-tested advice of some of the most effective executives we know. It's all in our ultimate guide to successful multitasking. Alison Overholt page 118
It's a popular dream, almost a cliché: Hard-charging businesspeople buy a Napa Valley vineyard and live the good life. But for Garen and Shari Staglin, proprietors of the Staglin Family Vineyard, it is neither a dream nor a cliché - and it's as demanding as it is glamorous. Katharine Mieszkowski page 126
So you don't feel as rich as you did two years ago. And you're not retiring anytime soon. It's time to take stock of the role of money in your life, the road to financial security, and the price of success. Lucy McCauley page 65
We've heard all the proposals for reform. More oversight. Tighter controls. Tougher penalties. Here's a radical idea! What if CEOs had to earn their pay? Daniel H. Pink page 41
Who: Lawrence A. Zimmerman Title: Senior vice president and chief financial officer Company: Xerox - Stamford, CT Challenge: Return a once-proud company to liquidity and profitablility by being conservative and persistent -- and never fudging the numbers again. Fara Warner page 56
