Most of us have a fairly negative view of such huge pharmaceutical companies as Pfizer ("The Thrill of Defeat," June). I am not prepared to acknowledge them as altruistic giants, at least not in their corporate mentalities, but your wonderful illumination of the people who are working every day to try to improve and save lives lends a whole new human aura to the names on the stock ticker. The next time I pop a pill, which will be all too soon and frequently, I'll think of the people like Dr. Oates and Dr. Hutson and feel a twinge of gratitude for their efforts on our behalf.
Mark L. Chien
Wine-grape agent
College of Agricultural Sciences, Penn State University Cooperative Extension
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
As a pastor, I find each issue of Fast Company helpful in pushing me to think creatively about leadership and change in the context of my congregation. After reading "The Thrill of Defeat," I was excited to pass the article along to our leadership team to encourage them in the midst of seemingly frequent failure and discouragement.
J.R. Briggs
Pastor
Pierced Chapel/Woodmen Valley Chapel
Colorado Springs, Colorado
I am a bench scientist at a Pfizer research site. It is so nice to read an accurate, positive piece about our work. I work 60 hours a week in the hope that we will improve the quality of life for patients. I have printed this article and posted it in our lab and in my office. Whenever ABC and Peter Jennings chews us up, I'll read it again and know at least one journalist got it right!
Laura Fleischer
Senior associate scientist
Pfizer
Ann Arbor, Michigan
I loved your article about the masters of design (June). However, I wonder if J Mays and Ford can pull off the new/old 2005 Mustang design. This model is based on the 1967 Mustang, which is fine for some nostalgia buffs. But the people who remember the 1967 Mustang when it was new are now well into their fifties -- and about ready for Lincoln Town Cars. This philosophy does not exactly appeal to young generation-Y buyers starved for fresh, new designs. Auto manufacturers need young buyers for long-term, repeat sales, which explains what Toyota is trying to do with Scion. After all, the retro Thunderbird also designed by Mays didn't exactly set sales charts on fire.
Joseph Panozzo
Real estate researcher
Infotrack
Chicago, Illinois
J Mays has it so very right when he talks about automotive beauty, saying, "I want each car to have a classic timelessness. . . ." Such beauty is instantly, viscerally recognizable, as is ugliness. That's why he spurred me to reach for my wallet with his gorgeous Ford Thunderbird. Mine's an '03. On a recent weekend, a young man drove his SUV smack into a tree while gawking at my parked 'Bird! I felt sorry for him, but I understood. . . .
Bob Luce
Managing member
Luce Associates LLC
Riverside, Connecticut
I wanted to thank you for this powerful contribution to the advancement of design. Those of us on the front line of "demonstrating design's power and promise" can sometimes feel battle- weary. To see this recognition of our progress is heartening and invigorating. It provides needed inspiration to those of us who are seeking to inspire others.
Marcia Lausen
Principal
Studio/lab
Chicago, Illinois
Mintzberg's advice ("The MBA Menace," June) is to "find an industry you like, get a good job, and stick with it." That refrain is no different from what I heard my first year of business school. There is no claim to a special sauce or the issuance of a key to the fast track. Instead, I am receiving tools and experience that will make me a better businessperson -- and maybe one day a great manager.
Matt Koidin
MBA student, Fuqua School of Business
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
While I don't disagree that leadership is a set of practiced skills, I think it's shortsighted to assume that leadership is only a trait exhibited in the professional world and by those with managerial responsibilities. Almost everyone has had to display leadership at some point in their lives. It could have happened as far back as high school and college. Rarely is leadership first experienced and applied in the workplace. Great leadership lessons can be learned in the classroom if the course and instructor understand that leadership is a life skill and not merely a professional one.
Chris Bailey
Manager, membership
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Reston, Virginia
Email
Digg
StumbleUpon
Facebook
Buzz Up!
LinkedIn
