creativity | Fast Company

Is Your Company About To Be Knocked From Its Perch?

BY Josh LinknerMon Feb 6, 2012

In today's competitive environment, staying the course is the kiss of death. Nest disrupted thermostats; what will you choose to do in your industry?READ»

WORK/LIFE | Comment

Jonah Leher On The Three Types Of Creativity And How Brainstorming Doesn't Work

BY Rachel Z. ArndtFri Jan 27, 2012

An exploration both artistic and scientific, Jonah Lehrer's Imagine: How Creativity Works tells us why a walk can lead to a big idea and how brainstorming dulls imagination. FC: How does creativity work? Lehrer: The word ...READ»

WORK SMART | Comment

Work Smart: Overcoming Consensus

BY Scott BelskyTue Jan 3, 2012

How do you make everyone happy in a creative project with multiple constituencies?READ»

WORK SMART | Comment

Work Smart: The Power Of Circles

BY Scott BelskyTue Dec 27, 2011

The most successful circles are made up of people who have a shared commitment and are willing to keep a set of rules. READ»

LEADERSHIP | Comment

How Will You React When You Have An "Oh, S*&!" Moment?

BY Josh LinknerMon Dec 19, 2011

The real question isn't whether or not you'll experience this acute terror. Assuming you are pursuing anything worth doing, you will. The question becomes, how will you react?READ»

LEADERSHIP | Comment

Why In-Person Socializing Is A Mandatory To-Do Item

BY Kevin PurdySun Dec 11, 2011

We are genetically oriented toward learning from others, an easy thing to forget these days. Here's why in-person socializing is so important, and efficient.READ»

LEADERSHIP | Comment

5 Disastrous Moves That Will Botch Your Pitch

BY Josh LinknerTue Dec 6, 2011

Most of us have something to pitch--your startup to VCs, yourself for a new job, or your product to customers. In any situation, one rule applies: The better the pitch, the better the results. Here are five rookie mistakes that will sink even the best ideas. READ»

LEADERSHIP | Comment

How To Prepare When You Only Get One Shot At Persuasion

BY Kaihan KrippendorffTue Nov 29, 2011

Much of what is written about persuasion addresses the challenge of building influence over time. But when you have only one shot, you need to prepare differently.READ»

CORPORATE STRATEGY | Comment

To Move Your Business To A Higher Plane, Learn To Play 3-D Chess

BY Kaihan KrippendorffTue Nov 22, 2011

Great innovators think on multiple planes--think of the process as 3-D chess, the game Spock played to exercise his mind. 3-D chess requires you to not only protect against attack from pieces on your plane, but also from pieces above and below. A similar process of "strategic imagination" is the first step for anyone who wants to bring about significant change. READ»

CAREERS | Comment

The Disrupters: Working Outside The Business Norm

BY Fast Company StaffMon Nov 21, 2011

Can their creativity win big in the business world?READ»

WORK/LIFE | Comment

How To Lead A Creative Life

BY JASON FEIFER Mon Nov 21, 2011

Our complete guide to making your inner genius your greatest on-the-job asset.READ»

LEADERSHIP | Comment

The Creative Brain On Exercise

BY Jonathan FieldsThu Sep 29, 2011

The physical state of our bodies can either serve or subvert the quest to create genius. We all know this intuitively. But with rare exceptions, because life seems to value output over the humanity of the process and the ability to sustain genius, attention to health, fitness, and exercise almost always take a back seat. Here's why it shouldn't. READ»

LEADERSHIP | Comment

Why Your People Don’t Trust You, And How To Fix It

BY Kaihan KrippendorffWed Sep 28, 2011

The pace of organizational change is accelerating and old methods of building team cohesiveness haven't caught up. No matter your length of tenure or your level of expertise, though, there is one key way in which you can win the trust and support of your employees. READ»

LEADERSHIP | Comment

When Taking Aim At Your Goals, It Pays To Look To The Future

BY Josh LinknerMon Sep 26, 2011

As you seek to realize your fullest potential, never forget that we are all aiming at moving targets. Don’t let the past or even the present mislead you into taking a losing shot. Projecting your mind’s eye into the future when aiming your company or career will allow you to hit that bull's eye you desire.READ»

LEADERSHIP | Comment

Listening To Your Customers With The Five Digital Senses

BY Kaihan KrippendorffWed Sep 14, 2011

In person-to-person conversations, we listen and influence others based on our five senses. Online companies should similarly listen to their customers with the five digital senses. Here's what they are and how to gauge them to better serve your audience. READ»

CHICAGO | Comment

Hey Chicago! Fast Company Is Heading Your Way

BY Jocelyn HawkesTue Sep 13, 2011

Hey Chicagoans!On Tuesday, October 11, Fast Company will host a Creativity Summit at Chicago Ideas Week. Join us as we gather innovative leaders from a variety of disciplines to explore the importance of creativity and innovation in ...READ»

LEADERSHIP | Comment

A New Set Of Metrics Defines The True Scorecard Of Success

BY Josh LinknerMon Sep 12, 2011

We measure success by things like money, power, fame, good looks, possessions, toys, trophies, and degrees. We strive for likes, followers, a high Klout score, and a giant LinkedIn network. Adding some focus on a more enlightened set of measures can not only make the world a better place, it can even drive real business results.READ»

LEADERSHIP | Comment

11 Life Lessons I Learned From Steve Jobs

BY Josh LinknerMon Aug 29, 2011

Whether you’re building a tech startup, raising three kids, or running a soup kitchen, Steve Jobs's indelible philosophies serve as a roadmap to success.READ»

LEADERSHIP | Comment

Lessons In Corporate Strategy From BlackBerry's Flawed PlayBook

BY Kaihan KrippendorffWed Aug 17, 2011

RIM's PlayBook is, by many counts, superior to the iPad. It is thinner, lighter, has a better camera, and it runs Flash. Yet I--one of BlackBerry's most loyal fans--threw in the towel and returned my PlayBook. The reasons I did so help explain why a company whose revenue grew by $5 billion, or 33%, last year endured a stock decline of 60%. READ»

CREATIVITY | Comment

Need A Career Pep Talk? Lessons From Teddy Roosevelt On Going "All In"

BY Josh LinknerMon Aug 15, 2011

Think how silly Lady Gaga would look spending 10 hours a week working on her CPA license in case her music career flopped. Life is short and opportunities are fleeting. If you hope to achieve your full potential, you must put all your weight behind each punch. Of course, this isn't new advice: Theodore Roosevelt said it best all the way back in 1910. READ»