Thank you for introducing me to Kate and Andy Spade ("Power Couple," March). I wasn't familiar with the Kate Spade brand previously, but one item in the article makes me certain this brand and the emerging Jack Spade line for men will be successful. CEO Andy Spade is quoted as saying, "Younger consumers are most intrigued by things they find themselves, not what's shoved down their throats through advertising." As a younger customer, truer words were never spoken, and a company that recognizes this is sure to do well.
Jason Russell
Provo, Utah
They say a picture tells a thousand words. If so, then your Kate and Andy Spade cover tells it all in one word -- unhappy! If that's the look of success in this decade, then I'll take failure and be able to smile all day.
Ed Pearson
St. Simons Island, Georgia
I enjoyed your story on Marcus Buckingham ("The Clear Leader," March). I particularly like Buckingham's correlation between leadership and winning, which I think might be the most important dimension of leadership. That's too often overlooked, even by leading writers on the subject.
Charles B. Larson
St. Joseph, Missouri
I want to thank you for one of the most focused and concise articles on leadership that I have ever read. I believe I have learned more in your three-page article than in many 200-page business books. You hit the nail on the head in your opening paragraph when you wrote, "[Leaders] succeed only when they find a way to make people excited by and confident in what comes next."
Rob Stickley
I want to thank you personally for choosing me and Sonicbids for this year's Fast 50 list (March). You cannot imagine my excitement when I received my FC issue and saw that I had been selected. It's truly an honor to be among such a distinguished group of fellow entrepreneurs and professionals. Fast Company has single-handedly influenced both the conception of Sonicbids (dating back to "Free Agent Nation") as well as its day-to-day management and strategy execution. Recent articles, such as the ones about Amazon's Jeff Bezos and Whole Foods' John Mackey, have shaped both my own personal thinking and business outlook, as well as that of our entire team. You guys manage to do something that few publications can boast: inspire. It's great to be recognized by a group of people you already admire.
Panos Panay
Boston, Massachusetts
I am a pet-store owner, and you guys completely missed the point on why Iams has shown the recent spike in sales, and really missed the point as to why it won't last ("The Fast 50," March). Iams is seeing record sales because of its entry into the mass market. Previously sold only through independent pet stores, Iams is now available at Wal-Mart and most major grocery stores. While these places initially took on the complete Iams line, they are quickly adjusting to carry only those SKUs that show the highest sales. Iams has already alienated the independent retailers, the very businesses that created it, many of which discontinued carrying its products. President Jeffrey Ansell is shortsighted and really has no clue as to how the pet industry operates. He is at best a shooting star.
Ty Hall
Waterford, Wisconsin
Marshall Goldsmith's March column, "Do You Love What You Do?" stopped me dead in my tracks. As an administrator at a large university undergoing many changes, it has made me walk around and think much more about what I am doing. Combined with the Playbook piece in that same edition, "Mount Morale," dealing with corporate goals and personal development, you've given me a lot of food for thought.
Joseph O'Leary
College Station, Texas
Marshall Goldsmith asks, "Do you love what you do?" Sadly, the answer for me is no, and I haven't for almost 33 years. I get more enjoyment from reading your magazine each month than from my job.
John K. Bieschke
Middletown, Virginia
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