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Features

The 10 Lives of George Stalk

The star strategy consultant was declared dead three times -- and came back unrepentant and tougher than ever. His new book sees competition as a matter of life or death. Jennifer Reingold

Fast Take: How to Play Hardball

Stalk`s decades of consulting experience have brought him to several strategies companies need to follow if they want to be hardball players. Jennifer Reingold

Fast Take: The Hardball Mind-Set

To win at hardball, you need the guts and the passion to confront the fundamental issues that are harming your business. Here`s what you have to do. Jennifer Reingold

Written in the Stars

Sirius and XM are taking strategy and competition to the skies in an epic, multibillion-dollar struggle to dominate next-generation radio. Bill Breen

Fast Take: Celestial Competition

Lessons from the race between XM and Sirius Bill Breen

Super Size Me!

Mercedes is bringing a bigger, bloated version of its Smart car to the United States. Is this cowardice -- or clever strategy? Two writers argue the case. Alan Deutschman; John A. Byrne

Gospels of Failure

The reports on three high-profile disasters offer rich lessons in why organizations fail -- and how not to. Jena McGregor

"The Imagination Was There"

Jamie Gorelick, a 9/11 Commission member and partner in the law firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, has been sharing the lessons of 9/11 with clients and business groups since the book`s release. Jena McGregor

Embracing the Hard Part of the Job

In an extended interview, 9/11 Commission member Jamie Gorelick offers additional insights from her experiences. Jena McGregor

Fast Take: Imagination

Connexion by Boeing: Competitive Intelligence. Jena McGregor

Fast Take: Culture

Eli Lilly: Productive Failure. Jena McGregor

Fast Take: Communication

Cisco: Shared Insights. Jena McGregor

Four Leaders You Need To Know

They may not be CNBC regulars, but this fab four represent what`s needed today: CEOs with vision who also aren`t afraid to get their hands dirty. Scott Kirsner

Hondas in Space

The ex-CEO of PayPal is spending a fortune to prove you can build rockets faster, cheaper, and better. Innovation, it seems, isn`t always rocket science. Jennifer Reingold

Model Rockets

How SpaceX aligns its processes (link opens in new window).

Fast Take: How to Innovate Faster, Cheaper, Better

At Space Exploration Technologies, innovation is measured in small, incremental improvements. Here`s how they do it. Jennifer Reingold

My Life As A Yahoo

Dan Rosensweig, the COO of Yahoo, on seeing people realize their dreams, the luxury of time, and foosball. Paul B. Brown

Fast Talk: Being Interactive

Barry Diller`s InterActiveCorp aims to acquire top businesses in a bunch of markets, then get them to work together to build a winning suite of online brands. So many companies crash on the rocks trying to create synergies. How do IAC`s leaders do it? David Lidsky

Next

The Urge To Unbundle

From music to PR, consumers are increasingly demanding products and services a la carte. George Mannes

Search us

Questions from the Google Labs Aptitude Test, recently circulated by the search-engine company as a sort of geek-recruiting device.

Exec Meets Blog. Exec Falls in Love.

Execs are blogging about everything from war to kangaroo meat. But should you tune in? Mark Walsh

CEO See-ya!

This month: Wilfred J. Corrigan, CEO of LSI Logic. Jennifer Reingold

In Tune With the Environment

How a guitar maker got eco-friendly -- out of sheer self-interest. Ryan Underwood

Mr. Bubble: Gareth Halliwell

A Welsh engineer takes Guinness` "widget" from the lab to production. Paul Lukas

On a Roll

Charmin created the ultimate marketing device: a traveling Porta-Potty. We can`t wait. Lucas Conley

Bad News Bearers

Knowing how to deliver bad news can be the difference between brand meltdown and more-loyal customers. Diana Ransom

60 Seconds On Status

There`s one thing we want more than money, reckons London-based philosopher Alain de Botton. In Status Anxiety (Pantheon Books, 2004), he observes that we crave status -- and that as a result, our meritocratic workplaces are full of "status anxiety" victims. Fast Company asked de Botton what he was so anxious about. Ian Wylie

At 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, of Course, It`s " Rush Limbaugh"

What: Block-by-Block Radio Monitoring; Available: Now. Lucas Conley

You Got Game Theory!

It was all such fun until we realized that no business really uses game theory. Martin Kihn

Game Boy

Shaq speaks -- and proves that game theory isn`t a game easily played. Martin Kihn

So Call Us Hijackers

Are the best marketing campaigns the ones that let others do the marketing for them? Jena McGregor

Datebook

Critical calendar listings for February 2005. Danielle Sacks

Bangalore, Georgia

Offshoring has come home to Georgia, where lots of Indian firms have set up shop. Brenda Goodman

Office Handbook

Performance reviews, Trump-style. Ryan Underwood

The Corporate Shrink

If you really liked it, then it wouldn`t be called work. Dr. Kerry J. Sulkowicz

Playbook

Are You Being Coached?

From reality TV to rock bands, coaching has gone mainstream. A guide to get you started, if you`re ready to play. Ryan Underwood

Coaching School Dropout

We sent our intrepid reporter to a five-day coaching seminar. Here`s why he lasted just two days. Ryan Underwood

Battle of the Network Stars

Headhunter Sunny Bates on name-dropping, networking, and keeping your foot out of your mouth. Danielle Sacks

Strategy Unmasked

Create a breakthrough strategy like P&G and GE -- or suffer, suffer, suffer. Jennifer Vilaga

Readers' Choice

Survival of the Savvy navigates the shallow waters of office politics.

Don`t Just Check the Box

Why your say-so won`t make it so, and how to follow up. Marshall Goldsmith

Finding the Future Around Us

Reinvention is daunting. Fortunately, new ways of doing business are all around us. Shoshana Zuboff

More Great Stuff

Competing to Win

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

The Time of Our Life

With our November 2005 issue, Fast Company will celebrate 10 years of publication. Each month until then, we`ll review one of our favorite editions from the first decade. Lucas Conley

Feedback

Letters. Updates. Advice.

Delicious Growth

A report from the past. Chuck Salter

Slam Dunk

From feedbag to feedback: Readers weigh in on the Starbucks-Dunkin` Donuts debate. Heath Row

The Net/Net

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