Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2018 i Fast Company

When I was in my early twenties, a close relative of mine was murdered on the street by someone he didn’t know. It was a random act of violence that threw me into a spiral of sadness, fear, and negativity. I saw danger around every corner. The future was dark; the past was a fairy tale that had morphed into a cruel joke. But the days passed, and I muddled through. At some point, when I got up in the morning and looked in the mirror, I saw hope again in the eyes that looked back at me. And I started the next phase of my life. I am a believer in the power of optimism, the drive and creativity that possibility can engender. I believe in it not the…

Be forgiving “In my first job, I showed up to a meeting 30 minutes late. My boss said, ‘I know you’ll never sleep through a meeting again.’ The most empowering thing a leader can do is acknowledge a mistake and move ahead.” Eric Kinariwala Founder and CEO, Capsule Don’t be a perfectionist “[During the wildfires in California, when we lost our home,] my husband was in charge of coordinating everything. He taught me that we can’t think about being perfect, we just have to keep moving forward. The idea of imperfect progress saved people’s lives. It’s a good lesson for entrepreneurs.” Elizabeth Gore Entrepreneur-in-residence, Dell Technologies Take baby steps “Leading bike tours after college taught me the importance of chunking a long trip into segments that feel achievable.” David Rose…

Cofounder, Stripe MAKE VALUES WORK Stripe’s core values, says cofounder John Collison, have been key to the online payment powerhouse’s growth since he and his brother, Patrick, launched the company in 2011. Collison credits the company’s “users first” focus for its success in a financial services industry not famous for prioritizing user experience. This approach helped Stripe forge critical partnerships with brands such as Apple, Alibaba, Kickstarter, and Facebook. Here’s how Stripe preserved core principles while growing to serve hundreds of thousands of businesses in more than two dozen countries. “You’re used to seeing values listed on waiting-room walls. Communication, integrity, excellence, and respect. Those were actually Enron’s values. “It’s easy [to devise and live by a set of values] when you’re starting out. But as an organization grows, you…

Allow for failure “Permission to fail is part of morale boosting. People can’t be afraid of their jobs or they’ll never innovate for you.” George Swisher Founder and CEO, LiiRN Don’t settle for window dressing “If people are doing good work and there’s a good culture, morale comes with it. If you go through a rough patch, people pull together. Parties and things are add-ons. Morale doesn’t go up simply because you throw a Halloween party.” Gianpiero Puleo Co-owner, Ustwo Be redundant “You can get a little bored hearing yourself repeat things, but it’s helpful to people if there’s a continual reminder of how this thing you’re doing fits into a larger picture.” Kerri Hoffman CEO, PRX If all else fails, there’s always pie “We did a pie tasting during…

Inspire attentiveness “Most of us practice distraction throughout our lives, and I really believe whatever you practice will happen. Whatever you practice you will cultivate in your life. We talk about that as a company all the time. One of our core purposes is to actually practice focus.” Sadie Lincoln Cofounder and CEO, Barre3 Encourage daydreamers “Sometimes it’s good to lose a little focus. I believe in giving people the opportunity to let their brains wander and expand. Sometimes you can’t see your goal until you look away from it.” Jermaine Spradley Executive editor, Bleacher Report Nix multitasking “Don’t force people to work on three or four projects at a time. This enables them to focus on a clear set of challenges while having room to explore all the nuances…

Social media manager, The Met ropolitan Museum of Art USE YOUR VOICE Large institutions often lag when it comes to embracing social change, but there are advantages to being on the cultural frontier. Kimberly Drew, an activist with a large social media following of her own, helps the Met engage with its audience. Here’s her advice for how to break through. Meet People Where They Are One mistake the art world commonly makes, Drew says, “is that we assume everybody wants culture or art in their lives. We have to provide relevancy to the community. That’s what keeps our brand the most effective.” Learn to Use All Tools In much of the corporate and nonprofit spheres, “there’s this elitist thought that Twitter activism means absolutely nothing,” Drew says. “It’s ageist.…

Cofounder, Fabletics What she’s known for After acting in 22 films, Hudson launched Fabletics, a subscription-based athletic-wear brand, in 2013. It is now the fastestgrowing division of parent company TechStyle Fashion Group, with more than $250 million in annual revenue. Latest move Fabletics launched digital first, but the company has increased its physical presence, adding 6 new stores in 2017 for a total of 24. Celebrities such as Demi Lovato and Olympic athlete Will Claye have partnered with the brand on popular capsule collections.…

Chef, co-owner, Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns What he’s known for Barber has created a sustainable agriculture program in the Hudson River Valley—north of New York City—that’s informed his creative American cooking, earning him a seat at the table in the national conversation around the future of food systems. Latest move In Wasted!, a feature documentary about food waste released in October, Barber showcases his inventive uses for the often-discarded parts of vegetables, such as broccoli stems and leaves.…

Cofo under and creative director, Away What she’s known for After serving as head of social media for Warby Parker and global head of innovation for All- Saints, Rubio, along with cofounder Steph Korey, started the luggage brand Away in 2016 with a single carry-on-size roller bag. The company’s hard-side suitcase now comes in five sizes. Latest move Rubio and Korey are opening new stores in a handful of cities and, with the launch of a podcast and print magazine, Away is positioning itself as a broader travel company.…

President and CEO, Ford Motor Co. What he’s known for During his 33 years at the office-furniture maker Steelcase—with an almost-20-year tenure as CEO—Hackett streamlined and modernized the company. When he became CEO in 1994, he inherited a company that had just reported a $70 million loss. He did it by embracing design—he acquired the pioneering Ideo agency—and tech. He also explored new business models such as designing furniture for the healthcare industry. He took Steelcase public and grew revenues to almost $3 billion annually as well as profitability. Latest move In November, Hackett closed a deal for a joint venture with the Chinese automaker Anhui Zotye to manufacture and market all-electric vehicles under a new Chinese brand. Ford added that it would also use the joint venture to explore…

Business development, Global Thermostat What he’s known for A former musician (and Grammy-nominated producer for Kanye West), Bronf man launched the International Cannabis and Cannabinoid Institute in the Czech Republic in 2015. He also does business development for Global Thermostat, which seeks to reduce atmospheric C0 2 while generating electricity. Latest move As ICCI looks to delve deeper into cannabisbased medicine, the organization recently added a new director of research and development.…

Vice chairman, managing director, and senior client adviser, Morgan Stanley BREAK THE MOLD Carla Harris built her reputation on Wall Street by shepherding billions of dollars through initial public offerings. She now oversees Morgan Stanley’s Multicultural Innovation Lab. To gain an edge, she says, companies must start by having “a lot of different people in the room.” Here is her playbook for attracting—and keeping— diverse talent. Look Harder Hiring managers often hide behind the claim that qualified, diverse candidates seem scarce. “The easy answer is, ‘It’s hard to find them.’ When I hear people say that, I know right away they’re not really committed to making it happen, because the talented women and people of color—they’re out there.” Cultivate Success “When you bring somebody into your organization and have gone…

Bite the bullet “I’m always doing things I’ve never done before. No matter how difficult or frightening that is, you have to do it anyway and learn to love it.” Elaine Molinar Partner and managing director, Snøhetta Demand investment “It’s important that everyone has skin in the game. It forces you to make decisions differently, to want to be a builder. Ownership is the path to freedom.” Cindy Whitehead CEO, The Pink Ceiling Share responsibilities “When you delegate, you are giving somebody else the opportunity to step up and challenge themselves, and develop their own leadership and creative capacities.” Mary Zalla Global president, consumer brands, Landor Don’t be afraid to rankle people “Have the courage to make the unpopular decision. Where someone really demonstrates leadership is when they’re not afraid…

President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America DO MORE, THINK BIGGER During her 12 years as president of Planned Parenthood, Cecile Richards has tripled membership to more than 10 million and elevated the organization’s voice in the fight for women’s rights—all despite political headwinds. Here’s how she has used the fervor unleashed by partisan debate to amplify her mission. Talk, Listen, Learn When Planned Parenthood first started offering a text-chat service, Richards recalls, “a young woman texted us late at night and said, ‘I have no one to talk to.’ And we texted back and said, ‘We’re here to help you.’ And then she told us her story. She really did need to see a medical professional immediately, and we were able to make that appointment. And I’ll never forget—we texted…

Musician and entrepreneur RESIST CONVENTION The drummer, producer, author, and frontman for the Roots—who has a new book coming out this spring—believes that we find new rhythms at different points in our career. Go Quiet Questlove says that the key component for creativity, “which I don’t think many people get nowadays, is silence. That’s really, really important—to be in a secluded, quiet place where you can hear your thoughts. When we get bored, we pull out our phones and [get] instant gratification. I embrace the idea of being bored and just sitting around. That’s when the best ideas come to you.” Let Controversy Motivate You, Not Paralyze You When the Roots became the house band for The Tonight Show in 2009, the move provoked a bit of backlash. “Some website…

Environmental protection and equal opportunity are two of today’s most pressing global issues. Nike sustainability head Hannah Jones and soccer star Abby Wambach talk with Fast Company’s Jill Bernstein about how international corporations and individuals alike can bring meaningful change to the world. How did you two become challengers of the status quo? ABBY WAMBACH: The thing that led me into activism is that I am a little different. I’m so lucky for that. I always try to fight for the little guy or the voiceless, because in certain parts of my life I’m the minority, whether because I’m gay or a woman. That’s where any true activism is born—my heartbreaks. Find out what breaks your heart and do whatever you can to fix it. HANNAH JONES: When I was…

Cofounder, The Kitchen What he’s known for In the 1990s, Musk sold a tech startup that he cofounded with his brother, Elon, for more than $300 million. Now a restaurateur, he uses his eateries—the Kitchen, Next Door, and Hedge Row—to promote healthy food. The restaurants also help support his philanthropic work building educational gardens for schools. Latest move Next Door, Musk’s casualdining concept, is expanding rapidly. There are now seven locations—in Colorado, Indiana, and Tennessee—with plans to add another 50 by 2020.…

Cofounder and co-CEO, Sweetgreen What he’s known for Jammet and his cofounders, Nathaniel Ru and Jonathan Neman, launched Sweetgreen soon after graduating from Georgetown in 2007. With Jammet in charge of food operations, the fast-casual salad chain has grown to more than 80 locations in eight markets. Latest move Sweetgreen is bolstering its digital capacity: It went fully cashless last year in nearly all of its restaurants and has been taking more orders through its app, which allows customers to sync calorie counts with Apple Health.…

How do you lead a legacy company like Ford through the major shifts the automotive industry is facing today, not to mention the economy in general? The only way to do it is with constant communication— and painting a picture of the future for our employees so that they understand both the challenges of what we’re up against and the tremendous opportunities we have going forward. And then get them excited and invested in those opportunities. The most important thing is to let them ask anything that they want to ask. It’s not enough to just stand up and give them a speech and tell them what’s on my mind. I really need to hear what’s on their mind. The worst thing you can do is mislead them, so if…

Founder, The Players’ Tribune; co-owner and CEO, Miami Marlins KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL Upon retiring from the Yankees in 2014, Derek Jeter launched the Players’ Tribune, a media company offering elite athletes a platform for engaging directly with fans. Some of the world’s most high-profile athletes (from Kobe Bryant to Venus Williams) have chosen the site to announce career news and explore such issues as racism, violence, family struggles, and poverty. Now, as co-owner and CEO of the Miami Marlins, Jeter has discovered that what he learned on the diamond also applies to his work in the corner office. Expect Uncertainty In business, as in sports, Jeter says that you have to do your homework. He points to the way athletes talk about playing during pivotal moments in…

CEO, BuzzFeed MAKE EVERY CONNECTION COUNT As a cofounder of both The Huffington Post and BuzzFeed, Jonah Peretti has spent more than a decade experimenting with content, social amplification, and data analysis. Here’s what he’s learned about building a diverse, devoted audience. “I went to Oakland, California, public schools until eighth grade. It was normal to have a diverse group of friends. Everyone made fun of everyone else. It wasn’t a PC environment by any means. But there was a familiarity and a mutual respect that makes a huge difference in terms of how you see the world. Art can fill this role. If you can get people to experience authentic characters in a fictional universe that they would never meet in real life, that will change their view of…

Chief growth officer, Sundial BE PROMISCUOUS Bonin Bough has helped America’s largest consumer packaged goods corporations— PepsiCo, Kraft, Mondelez— modernize how they speak to customers. At beauty products company Sundial (recently acquired by Unilever), he’s focused on connecting to a new wave of digitally native consumers. “I’m nervous for traditional businesses. Many were so arrogant that they didn’t learn how to capture data about consumers. Companies like Brandless and Dollar Shave Club—retailers of this generation— know everything about their customers. Consumers are happy to have their data known to brands, as long as it is responsibly used and creates value. But will that traditional ecosystem actually see the value in change? “I was talking to a cosmetics executive who said, ‘Our consumers used to be loyal. Now they are promiscuous.…

Partner, Ideo TALK IT OUT Despite technological advances, our ability to communicate meaningfully is deteriorating, says Fred Dust, a partner at creative consultancy Ideo. The remedy, he believes, lies in finding ways to restore real conversation to our daily lives. Sit Face-to-Face Real conversation, Dust believes, died with the invention of the television—more specifically, the TV dinner, in 1953. “That was the moment where we invited technology to our dining-room table,” he says. Being talked at through a metal box, instead of talking among ourselves, eroded our capacity for empathy and true dialogue. Engage Through Adversity “The times when people are most open to change are when they are coming out of a crisis,” Dust says. “We are seeing crisis after crisis, with no time to have conversation. Talking can…

CEO, Four square FOSTER EXPERIENCE Forty-five million users provide Foursquare CEO Jeff Glueck with a treasure trove of data about where consumers are spending their time—and his findings show that brick-andmortar stores are still a big draw. “I think the demise of physical retail is way overstated. What most people forget is that 92% of consumer activity is still in the real world. Where people go is still an indication of their values. Two of the most innovative retailers of the last decade are Bonobos and Warby Parker. Both started out online but ultimately went to [physical]. Warby didn’t find success until it opened these boutiques, because shipping five glasses is not the same as trying on 50 and having a social experience with someone helping you. “We’re seeing an…

As e-commerce continues to show double-digit year-over-year growth in the multitrillion-dollar U.S. retail market, two notable figures in the space—Jet.com cofounder and Walmart e-commerce CEO Marc Lore and Fabletics cofounder Kate Hudson—share with Fast Company’s Robert Safian why being a digitally native company offers a leg up. It’s a challenging time for retailers. Do digitally native brands have an advantage? MARC LORE: I think that digitally native brands are the future. Having that direct connection to the customer is very important. Millennial shoppers want to not only buy the product but know where the product’s made, the environmental position of the company, the social impact that the company’s making. And then when you look at the margin structure where you can sell to the entire country from one location, it…

Chef Dan Barber, co-owner of the Michelin-starred restaurants Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, helped pioneer the farmto- table movement and continues to advocate for sustainable food and agricultural policies. Tech veteran Kimbal Musk runs the Kitchen, a restaurant group, venture fund, and philanthropic organization that develops teaching gardens within municipal school systems. They talk to food editor and entrepreneur Dana Cowin about their differing views for improving agriculture— and our health. Let’s start by discussing the problem of industrial food. What are the challenges, and what do you think are the solutions? KIMBAL MUSK: More than 50 years ago, we created this marketing term: “We have to feed the world.” We ended up taking our farmland and using it for high-calorie, low-nutrition food. We had massive oversupply.…

More than a century ago, Ford Motor Co. made the automobile a mass-market consumer product accessible to all. Last May, Jim Hackett took over as the company’s CEO and faced a challenge as big as anything Henry Ford ever encountered: to lead the company into a future defined by autonomous vehicles, clean fuel alternatives, and the concept of mobility as a techdriven mobile service. Hackett talks to Fast Company’s Robert Safian about the need for agility and how it’s shaping his plans to recast Ford’s business model and culture. You were previously the CEO of another company, Steelcase, which went through some transitions and culture changes. This is a different kind of spotlight. I had this interim assignment as the University of Michigan athletic director where I hired [former star…

The legal cannabis industry generated nearly $7 billion in revenue in 2016, a figure that is expected to more than double by 2020. Some of the arena’s most forwardthinking leaders—investor and entrepreneur Benjamin Bronfman, consultant Andrew Freedman, delivery service founder David Hua, and attorney Tsion “Sunshine” Lencho— talk with Gossamer’s Verena von Pfetten about the sector as a hotbed of innovation. You’ve all done a multitude of things. David, you’ve launched several companies. Andrew, you were in government. Sunshine, you’re a practicing lawyer, and Ben, you’re an entrepreneur and a musician. Why get into the cannabis space? BEN BRONFMAN: For me, it was deeply personal. My family [which founded the Seagram Company] made its wealth in Prohibition, so there was this historical mirror. My mom’s side was African American, and…