We’re compiling the definitive guide to the best in business

07/09/2024, 7:12 AM
fastcompany.com

Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week, this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning.

When I have to write a long feature story, which admittedly isn’t that often these days, I often go back and read great journalism for inspiration. If I’m writing about a complicated person, for example, I might revisit Emily Nussbaum’s New Yorker profile of musician Fiona Apple. If I need to prove an unpopular thesis, I’ll turn to Carol Loomis’s prescient report in Fortune on how the overhyped 2000 merger of AOL and Time Warner didn’t add up.

Blueprints for greatness

Founders and executives may find similar encouragement from examples of high-performing companies, which is why Inc. is dedicating its year-end issue to the Best in Business. “You have AI, this big revolutionary technology” says editor-in-chief Mike Hofman. “The workplace is evolving, and industries are going through huge transitions. We’re also seeing a record number of new business starts. With all this activity, and all this change, we thought it was a great time to look at companies that are killing it.”

In addition to recognizing companies that are doing superlative work in their industries, Inc. will highlight companies and leaders that excel at executing core elements of business, such as sales, marketing, and operations.

Lessons in leadership

Hofman and his fellow editors are inviting organizations worldwide of all sizes to apply to be recognized as a Best in Business company. While Inc.’s editorial focus is inspiring and empowering founders and leaders of growing companies, Hofman believes entrepreneurs have much to learn from large enterprises—and vice versa. “If you’re a small company, learning the best practices and the ‘cheat codes’ that big companies have when they achieve scale is a tried-and-true way to get a competitive advantage,” he says. “Conversely, if you’re a corporate CEO and you want to think about how your company can be more nimble, looking at the ways in which the most creative small companies operate will give you an edge.”

Is your company the best in its industry? Are you, to use Hofman’s words, “killing it” in a core aspect of business? Apply here to be recognized in one of three dozen categories. Many of the best of the best will be featured in Inc.’s year-end issue.

At Netflix, it’s not lonely at the top

I also want to highlight a new Fast Company story that explores the dynamic between Netflix’s co-CEOs, Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters. The piece offers some interesting insights on how these two very different executives successfully share power when so many other attempts to do so have failed. Amy Wallace shares examples of how these CEOs peacefully coexist, but the conclusions around consistency, culture, and coaching constitute great advice for any modern CEO or leader.