It`s the new era of accountability: Most of the nation`s worst-performing bosses have been shown the door. But what about the guys who just won`t go? Meet the Teflon CEOs. Poor results, declining stock prices, and strategic blunders just seem to slide right off them. Jennifer Reingold
Viruses, flaws, and worms, oh my! With PCs crashing and the Internet wheezing, Gates & Co. are on the quality hot seat. We`ll take you inside Microsoft`s effort to get its software right, right from the start. Bill Breen
And the best place to work is . . . Des Moines? Okay, we admit it`s a stretch. But unemployment here is so low, and work-life balance so important, that Iowa`s capital city seems pretty cool to us. Alison Overholt
Howard Dean`s campaign manager has used the Internet to turn an obscure ex-governor into a real presidential contender. It`s anything but politics as usual. Will it work? Linda Tischler
Last year, Deb Meyerson and Steve Zuckerman dropped out of successful careers and went sailing with their kids. How do you make a dream a reality? Good fortune, of course, but also resolve, discipline, and a willingness to live with uncertainty. Keith H. Hammonds
Creativity starts with a blank space: an unwritten novel, an uninvented product, a blinking cursor on a computer screen. For Twyla Tharp, it`s an empty dance studio. Keith H. Hammonds
Many of the New Economy tenets Tom Peters espoused have fallen by the wayside. But this most famous of management thinkers wants you to know he remains riled--and relevant. Jennifer Reingold
His players are called undersized and undertalented. They also haven`t lost a game in 11 straight seasons. Study the leadership secrets of an extraordinary high-school football coach. Don Wallace
Ideo has had a hand in everything from Prada`s Manhattan store to the Palm V. Now it has put its unique consumer-research system on cards, so everyone can play along at home. Daniel H. Pink
We asked top leaders about their mentors. What did they learn? What lessons do they still apply? What do they pass on to mentees of their own? Fiona Haley; Christine Canabou
The life of a contract harvester: on the road with a combine half the year, migrating north from Texas to Canada, working everything from spring wheat to canola. Charles Fishman
