Meet the innovators and upstarts who are inventing the future of business. Their unconventional ideas and groundbreaking strategies can become your business plan for the twenty-first century -- a better way to lead, compete, and succeed.

Business as usual is a bust. In industry after industry, the old guard is cutting back and losing ground. Meanwhile, organizations that were once dismissed as upstarts, as wildcards -- or mavericks -- are making waves and growing fast. There is a reason: In an age of hypercompetition and nonstop innovation, the only way to stand out from the crowd is to stand for something truly original.

That's the lesson behind the companies, executives, and entrepreneurs you'll meet in Mavericks at Work. They are winning big in business by rethinking the logic of how business gets done. They have devised exciting new answers to the timeless challenges facing organizations of every size and leaders in every field: how you make strategy, how you unleash new ideas, how you connect with customers, how your best people achieve great results.

Who are these mavericks? They are break-the-mold business units inside giants such as IBM and Procter & Gamble, as well as high-profile innovators such as HBO and Pixar. They are Internet banks and gold mines, fashion retailers and advertising agencies, funky sandwich shops and hard-charging computer programmers. Together, they are creating an inspiring agenda that every business can put to work.

Their success demonstrates that:

• Being different makes all the difference
• Sharing values beats selling value
• The company with the smartest customers wins
• Nobody is as smart as everybody
• Character counts for as much as credentials
• Great leaders are insatiable learners

Whether you're a young professional setting out on your career, a senior executive looking to make your organization grow, or an entrepreneur building a company from scratch, Mavericks at Work will help you think better, aim higher, and win more decisively.

William C. Taylor is a cofounder and founding editor of Fast Company. During his tenure, the magazine won numerous awards (including two National Magazine Awards) and earned a passionate following among executives and entrepreneurs. He writes the "Under New Management" column for the New York Times and has published essays and CEO interviews in the Harvard Business Review. He lives in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with his wife and two daughters.

Polly LaBarre spent eight years as a senior editor of Fast Company, where she wrote articles on strategy, creativity, and personal success, and cohosted the magazine's Real Time conferences. She has spoken to business audiences around the world and has appeared on Good Morning America, CNBC, and PBS's Nightly Business Report. She lives in New York City.