Skip navigation

Issue 87

October 2004

Balance Is Bunk!

  • It's the central myth of the modern workplace: With a few compromises, you can have it all. But it's all wrong, and it's making us crazy. Here's how to have a life anyway.

    Read More
Follow Fast Company

Features

  • The Gonzo Way of Branding

    Billionaire Richard Branson has thrived by breaking the rules. Now he's tackling his greatest challenge, setting his sights on the United States and a new airline. He's testing himself and the limits of the Virgin brand.

  • Business the Branson Way
  • Branding the Branson Way
  • Mutual Benefit

    Let employees design their own headquarters? Here's how a biotech company nurtures people with imaginative benefits, keeping them happy, loyal -- and productive.

  • Suggestion Box
  • The Man Behind the Curtain

    Michael Sheehan is the go-to guy for ambitious politicians and nervous CEOs who want to become great communicators. So what are his secrets?

  • Staying on Message
  • Ford's Escape Route

    The new Escape Hybrid was the most complex project in Ford's history -- and maybe its most important product since the Model T. To pull it off, the company had to act in some very un-Ford-like ways.

  • Driving Lessons
  • A Day in the Life of Work: King of the Ring

    Think you put it on the line at work? Try sticking your head in a lion's mouth and hoping he's in a good mood. One plus, at least: Camels have worse breath.

Now

  • Winning the Relationship Game

    Some ace relationship builders tell us why it's vital to turn business acquaintances into trusted partners and friends -- and how to do it.

  • Don't Analyze This

    Take a deep breath. What you think you know about visualization is all wrong.

  • All the Right Moves

    Headhunter Peter Crist on when and how to make your next move. And, yes, Churchill.

  • Beyond Multitasking

    As it continues to be important to do more with less, business people don't just need to multitask -- they need to multiproject. Here's what you need to know to better manage multiple projects -- with multiple requirements, deadlines, and stakeholders.

  • Peek in the Mirror

    The Center for Creative Leadership guides you through the looking glass.

  • It's Not About the Coach

    The best leaders are the ones least noticed.

  • Only the Brave Surrender

Next

  • The Corporate Shrink

    Your type is... the type who uses personality tests in business.

  • In Search Of Dwarfs

    Our Consultant Debunking Unit shows, with the help of the Seven Dwarfs, why three of the most popular management books are really just hi-ho-hum.

  • We Have Met the Enemy...

    Sometimes, to get your point across, you need to play the role of devil's advocate. The creator of the Society for Leadership of Change did more than that; he created an entire professional association of devil's advocates.

  • Amateur Revolution

    From astronomy to computing, networks of amateurs are displacing the pros and spawning some of the greatest innovations.

  • 60 Seconds with Mira Nair

    The director of Vanity Fair and Monsoon Wedding looks at why stories resonate, the challenges of managing a large team, and the role of a leader.

  • Leading Listener: Trader Joe's

    Customer feedback doesn't have to come from sophisticated research. At Trader Joe's, it's all about listening to people.

  • Conducting the Future

    Innovation: Conductive plastics; Available: Now

  • Be a Publicity Glutton! (Film at 11)

    Two brothers are building bulging bellies into a burgeoning brand.

  • The Battery Bust

    A laptop that runs forever on a single quick charge? Not anytime soon. Here are some tips for making the current crop of batteries keep going and going and going....

  • The Check-Clearing Quagmire

    Soon, it won't take a week to clear a check.

  • Customer-Centered Leader: Chick-fil-A

    Chick-fil-A's Dan Cathy practices servant leadership -- and customers and employees of the restaurant chain eat it up.

  • Profitable Player: Progressive

    With such innovations as on-the-spot claims handling, Progressive is practically insuring customer loyalty and profitability.

  • Face-Off

    Who's got the stiffer upper lip when contemplating the pokey, Ken Lay or Martha Stewart?

  • Tricks for Treats

    The McKeesport Candy Co.'s tips for taking pixie sticks from bricks to clicks.

  • Fast Take: Long-Distance Leadership

    What challenges do American leaders face while managing multicultural teams? Leaders bridging two continents share what they've learned about working across time zones and navigating different corporate -- and country -- culture.

  • Between The Lines

    The stories behind this issue's stories.

  • High-Tech Achiever: Mini USA

    Mini USA uses Web technology to achieve one of the toughest feats in customer service: It makes waiting fun.

  • Office Handbook

    Chapter 29: Work-Life Balance.

  • Putting Customers First

    You'd think more companies would have gotten it by now. Unfortunately, organizations that put customers at the center of what they do are rare -- so rare that we're celebrating them. Meet the best customer-focused outfits, and learn from them.

  • Listen Like a Rock Star

    Custom-made, personalized ear phones make listening to music a life-altering experience.

  • UNTITLED
  • UNTITLED
  • Offshoring in Reverse

    When many leaders think about offshoring, what comes to mind is Indian call centers, the loss of American jobs, and Indian workers replacing laid-off Americans. Meanwhile, more American executives are taking leadership posts in Indian -- and other overseas -- companies. Will it balance out?

  • Bar-Coding: Claude Fenstermaker

    One of the UPC's earliest implementers celebrates the pricing symbol's 30th anniversary.

  • Employee Innovator: Wegmans

    Moving the cheese: Wegmans relies on smart, deeply trained employees to create a "theater of food."

  • How to Sell a Hybrid

    Hand-raisers, Mother Jones, and test drives

  • At Your Service

    Lessons From the Customers First Awards Finalists.

  • CEO See-Ya! Anniversary Special!

    How are five bosses faring a year after we said they should get the boot?

  • Amateur Revolution

    From astronomy to computing, networks of amateurs are displacing the pros and spawning some of the greatest innovations.

  • Chatter

    Low-Carb Carnage.

Fast Talk

  • Fast Talk: The Business of Politics

    What skills do business leaders most rely on when they make a switch to public service? And what have these five businesspeople turned politicians learned?

Next

  • Between The Lines

    The stories behind this issue's stories.

  • The Net/Net

    A go-to guide of the products and services featured in this month's issue

  • The Net/Net
  • Ideas From Smart Friends

    An online discussion led by Indian business school students revisits a Fast Company feature from last year -- and yields some new ideas and insights.

From the Editor