The Courage Issue

Is courage obsolete? Heroism is awfully hard to find in this era of expedience, excuses, and evasion. But as the people and ideas we explore in this special issue make resoundingly clear, courage is still the essential virtue. And the truly courageous still walk among us.

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Features

Why Guts Matter

In Search of Courage
Finding the courage within you. John McCain

The Greatness That Cannot Be Taught
His personal hero. David Halberstam

Unliving a Lie
Daring to admit you're wrong. David Brock

The Unthinkable...and the Mundane
Guts in chess and life. Garry Kasparov

Words Worth Fighting For
Weasel words and truth telling. Pete Hamill

Profiles in Courage

Googling for Courage
With their daring IPO, Larry Page and Sergey Brin are fighting the Wall Street cartel. Alan Deutschman

No Other Obligation
Against daunting odds, Tom Kean led the investigation into the most devastating attack in our nation`s history. Jena McGregor

Gap`s New Look: The See-Through
When it comes to working conditions in their factories, Dan Henkle and Anne Gust have opted for full disclosure. Cheryl Dahle

Soldiering On
With an honest answer to a simple question, General Eric Shinseki enraged his bosses -- and capped a brilliant military career. Jennifer Reingold

One Tough Assignment
When CEO Ed Breen took over at Tyco, he fired the very board that had hired him. And that was just the start. Scott Kirsner

On Thin Ice
After a history-making, 94-day trek across Antarctica, Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen faced the toughest challenge of their journey: finding the courage to surrender. Cheryl Dahle

It`s All About the Shoes
When nearly all of his competitors were exporting work overseas, John Stollenwerk kept his 700 factory jobs in the United States -- but not for the reasons you`d think. Jena McGregor

The Trials of ImClone
A founder in handcuffs, financials in disarray, and a vital product in doubt-for CEO Daniel Lynch, it was the turnaround from hell. Linda Tischler

Mr. Inside Speaks Out
Former Medtronic CEO Bill George has split with his brethren to make an impassioned case for courageous leadership. Chuck Salter

The Housewife Who Got Up Off the Couch
Threats, nay-saying, and a firebombing only made Eleanor Josaitis more determined to make the world a better place. Alison Overholt

Everything You Wanted to Know About Courage...But Were Afraid to Ask.

We asked some of the world`s foremost leadership thinkers 15 questions to get to the core of courage.

A Day in the Life of Work: No Brakes

For wheelchair racer Cheri Blauwet, every day is an exercise in self-sufficiency, every race a test of faith. Ryan Underwood

Next

The Realist-Idealist Dilemma

Is President Bush a man of principle or pragmatism? So far, he has vacillated between the two. But leaders can`t have it both ways. James O`Toole

Chatter

Stump Speech: President George W. Bush on leadership, terrorists, soldiers, and a strong, resilient America. Maxine Clayton

Cowards of the Year: 2003-2004 Edition

This flock of chickens is really something to cluck over. Michael Aneiro and Melissa Korn

" Ain`t It the Truth!"

An appreciation of the Cowardly Lion.

" Nothing is easy in Iraq. But you can`t not do it."

A British brigadier on the rebuilding of Iraq`s police force. Keith H. Hammonds

Is It Still Craig's List?

When you're a small, spirited startup built on community, personal attention, and customer service, attracting the investment of one of the world's largest dotcoms can be daunting. Craig's List's leaders had the courage to collaborate with eBay, and early reports indicate that the company will remain grounded -- while still having more room to grow. Lucas Conley

Home Depot`s Hardware Warriors

The DIY store is drafting former military officers to lead the charge against rivals Wal-Mart and Lowe`s. Rebecca Zicarelli

Battling Billionaires

Mark Cuban and Richard Branson are taking on the Donald with their own brand of reality TV. Here`s our sneak preview. Ryan Underwood

Writing Flint`s New Story

An automobile town made famous by filmmaker Michael Moore is trying to pull itself out of a decades-long slump. Fara Warner

Finding Your " Best-Stress Zone"

Stress -- it`s a good thing. So says an executive coach who should know what she`s talking about: She`s also an ER doc. Chuck Salter

The Price of Courage

Having trouble channeling your inner moxie? Or perhaps you just want the look of bravery. Five ideas for courage to go. Ryan Underwood

God Bless Our Corrupt Leaders

Our founding fathers created a system that embraces self-interested hustling. Ryan Underwood

No Secrets

Can you keep a secret? Not if it`s about leadership, judging by the raft of books exposing secrets of nearly everyone. Michael Aneiro

The New World-Changer

Social entrepreneurs and business school students the world over indicate that dot-orgs may be more powerful than dot-coms. Cheryl Dahle

Leadership by Osmosis

Soak up the secrets of SpongeBob SquarePants. Lucas Conley

Office Handbook

Appendix A: Leadership. Ryan Underwood

The Corporate Shrink

Advice for a recent grad with an eye on the corner office; the girlfriend of an overworked exec wonders whether to love him or leave him. Dr. Kerry J. Sulkowicz

Playbook

How Do You Rate?

Fortune favors the bold. Can you make the tough calls at work? Take this quiz to test your leadership mettle. David Lidsky

Captain Courageous

A headhunter on the qualities that mark a brave CEO. Danielle Sacks

Keeping SCORE

Like many retirees, Frank Leibold travels, fishes, and plays golf. But the former executive and business professor also relishes an unusual gig: mentoring more than 800 entrepreneurs. Having coached business leaders in all 50 states in just over six months, his leadership lessons have spread far and wide. Shasha Dai

Tough-Love Leadership

The value of disappointment, loss, and resistance in the workplace. Fiona Haley

Readers` Choice: No Leading Without Reading

This month, we turn over Readers` Choice to three of our favorite leadership experts for their book recommendations on leadership and change.

Readers' Choice

This month, we asked three of our favorite thinkers to recommend books about courageous leadership.

More Great Stuff

Why Courage?

This month`s letter from the editor. John A. Byrne

Calling for Courage

What's the most difficult business decision you've ever had to make? When have you been called on to be brave under fire on behalf of your colleagues, your team, your company -- and your customers? Share your story.

Contest Results: This Brand Can Be Better

Fast Company asked readers to help reinvent several successful -- and struggling -- brands.

Between The Lines

The stories behind this issue`s stories.

Feedback

Letters. Updates. Advice.