As I was choosing way-worthy articles from past Fast Company issues for Volume 2 of my FAST COMPANY’s COLLECTVE GENIUS series (Vol. 1 here), I started wondering why Fast Company didn’t ask its subscribers to submit a list of articles that had significant influence on their business life. Or, why not simply include a line listing of the most read/downloaded articles from fastcompany.com in the book.
Hmm … there are countless ways Fast Company could have tapped into the collective wisdom of its subscriber base to choose articles for inclusion its book.
Instead, the editorial staff at Fast Company selected articles for inclusion in Fast Company's Greatest Hits: Ten Years of the Most Innovative Ideas in Business. Not including its community of readers signals a missed opportunity that may speak volumes about the magazine losing some of its relevance with its readership.
But wait … this just in … David Lidsky of Fast Company has posted a blog entry on FC NOW asking readers to submit their favorite reads along with a story. It’s a contest so have at it boys and girls.
Anyways, I hope Volume Two of my favorite Fast Company reads from issues #41 to #72 become some your favorite reads. (Volume 3 will be posted early next month and Volume 1 can be accessed here.)
How To Make Your Mark
ISSUE #41 | December 2000 |pg. 205
”Ultimately, making your mark means making a contribution -- to your company, to your professional field, to your coworkers, even to the world -- by making the best use of your talents.” Right on!
Want to Grow as a Leader? Get a Mentor!
ISSUE #42 | January 2001 | pg. 58
I served as a mentor for a young, whipper-snapper Starbucks marketer but unfortunately, I never took the initiative to establish an official mentor/mentee relationship with a super-duper Starbucks executive. Don’t do as I didn’t do. Read this short article and get a mentor!
Rule #3: Leadership is Confusing as Hell [PART 1 | PART 2]
ISSUE #44 | March 2001 | pg. 124
The shrapnel from the Internet bubble burst litters every page of issue #44. With that context in mind, Tom Peters shares 50 Rules leaders should follow in order to thrive during confusing times.
Lead Softly, but Carry a Big Baton
ISSUE #48 | July 2001 | pg. 46
At a Starbucks Leadership Conference back in the day, symphony conductor Roger Nierenberg delivered a killer presentation drawing parallels between conducting an orchestra and managing a project. This article touches upon some of Roger’s crescendo notes.
In My Humble Opinion (Seth Godin)
ISSUE #48 | July 2001 | pg. 84
By this time in my Starbucks career, I was becoming very worried the company had become too big and too ubiquitous. Seth’s article on how and why the authentic becomes inauthentic only added fuel to the fire burning inside me. Thought-provoking stuff!
Marcus Buckingham Thinks Your Boss has an Attitude Problem
ISSUE #49 | August 2001 | pg. 88
This is yet another article I spent time slaving over a photocopy machine autopsying paper jams to produce countless handouts for countless Starbucks middle managers. Starbucks has been heavily influenced by Marcus Buckingham’s great book, NOW DISCOVER YOUR STRENGTHS. And this article shows company leaders how to maximize the strengths of its employees rather than (a) trying to change people and (b) looking to outsiders to solve insider problems. A must-read!
Love is the Killer App
ISSUE #55 | February 2002 | pg. 64
If you haven’t read Tim Sander’s LOVE IS THE KILLER APP, you should. In the book, and in this summary article, Tim muses on why/how we grow as people and professionals by giving generously. Giving of our time, giving of our knowledge, and giving of ourselves will actually give us the opportunity to succeed. It’s the real world business application of the more you give, the more you receive proverb.
Memo to: Media Monopolists
ISSUE #60 | July 2002 | pg. 90
I must have missed this way worthy read from Seth Godin when it was first published. Or maybe the lasting echoes of the Citizen Marketer theory and the Long Tail theory help to make this treatise on how not to think like a monopolist more relevant today than it was yesterday. Good stuff.
Handle with Care
ISSUE #61 | August 2002 | pg. 102
Great profile piece on how UPS delivers the right package to its employees. The advice on “It’s all right to drop a few” is priceless.
SIZE is Not a Strategy
ISSUE #62 | September 2002 | pg. 78
Before Think Big Act Small. Before Small Giants. Before Small is the New Big. And before jumboSHRIMP, there was Keith Hammond’s article scrutinizing the strategy behind bigger is better.
Keith Yamashita Wants to Reinvent Your Company
ISSUE # 64 | November 2002 | pg. 88
Fast Company put Keith Yamashita on my marketing radar screen and once I saw his UNSTUCK book … I knew I HAD to buy it. This is a way tasty and thought-provoking article. Don’t sleep on Keith’s “10 Ways to Reinvent Your Company” sidebar … it makes for great fodder.
Sophisticated Sell
ISSUE #65 | December 2002 | pg. 92
As a marketer, I adore Anthropologie. They do a masterful job of making sure every store is the same, yet different. “The same, yet different” retailing strategy is something we strived to do at Starbucks and because of me, this article found its way on many a chair at Starbucks’ HQ. In fact, I still freely share this article with retailers wanting marketing advice.
Bigger. Better. Faster.
Size and other issues aside, Wal-Mart is a “great” company. This piece has Jim Collins putting Wal-Mart through his GOOD TO GREAT lens and offering up some reasons why Wal-Mart has become truly great at what they do.
Is Your Company Up to Speed
ISSUE #71 | June 2003 | pg. 81
This worthwhile piece includes “10 make-or-break questions to evaluate your company’s performance.” I guarantee if you ask these ten questions, your answers will deliver tens of new ideas to improve your business.
How To Make Your Own Luck
ISSUE # 72 | July 2004 | pg. 78
Maybe you don’t need to read this particular article on how to increase your “luckability.” But you should read this line from the article: ”Unlucky people are stuck in routines … Lucky people always want something more.” Heck, slap that line on a PowerPoint slide, print it out, and post it in your office.
I stumbled across your blog while I was doing some online research. I was intrigued by many of these titles, as these are areas of interest that I routinely write about. I'm sure I'll get some new ideas through these pieces.
Posted by: panasianbiz | July 20, 2006 at 08:04 PM
I these these was one of the best "leadership" articles I read:
http://www.fastcompany.com/online/44/rules_Printer_Friendly.html
http://www.fastcompany.com/online/44/rules2_Printer_Friendly.html
-Steven Burda
Posted by: Steven Burda | July 21, 2006 at 09:37 AM
Steven ... that article from Tom Peters you listed is in my Vol. 2 collection. Great stuff indeed.
Posted by: johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy) | July 21, 2006 at 10:35 AM
Quite a list here John. I agree with you about what Fast Company SHOULD have done. Maybe their next book will be reader based, or maybe it'll just be from you? Well done!
Posted by: Phil Gerbyshak | July 22, 2006 at 12:26 AM