Polly LaBarre is a bestselling author, agenda-setting writer, speaker, and television correspondent, who has contributed to the business conversation in a range of forums for over a dozen years. She is the author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling book, Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win. The Economist named Mavericks a “Book of the Year” and called the book "a pivotal work in the tradition of In Search of Excellence and Good to Great."



Currently, Polly is a business and innovation correspondent for CNN. In her thrice-weekly “Idea Factory” segments on the network’s American Morning and Your Money programs, she introduces viewers to a remarkable collection of inspiring leaders, innovative organizations, and exciting new ideas from the world of business and beyond.



As a member of the original team of Fast Company magazine, Polly played a central role in the remarkable success of a magazine that changed the way leaders at all levels think about working and winning—and earned a passionate following around the world. Polly’s writing has appeared in a variety of publications, including Fast Company and the New York Times. She is a co-author of The Big Moo: Stop Trying to Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable (Portfolio, 2005).



As the editorial director of Women 2.0, a web documentary project currently in development with the Meserve-Kunhardt Foundation, she helped to create an innovative platform for chronicling women’s movements around the globe and advancing the cause of gender equality. A graduate of Yale University, Polly lives in New York City.


Blog Entries by Polly LaBarre

Freedom=Success (And Not the Other Way Around)

Posted January 16, 2008 | 11:06 AM (EST)


I couldn't help but feel a pang for all the lawyers (yes, a pang) when I read this passage in the much-blogged New York Times article, "The Falling-Down Professions" by Alex Williams:

At the Chicago office of Perkins Coie, partners recently unveiled a "happiness committee," offering candy...

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Did You Make Your Customers Smarter Today?

Posted November 19, 2007 | 03:39 PM (EST)


On Friday, Starbucks rolled out its first-ever national television ad campaign--a surprising change-up from its history of pioneering new approaches to word-of-mouth marketing and brand building. That and Thursday's announcement that the average number of transactions per store fell for the first time ever (by 1%) last quarter...

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We Can't Say We Don't Know

Posted November 6, 2007 | 01:53 PM (EST)


Over the course of the last month or so, I've attended two extraordinary gatherings of business leaders, activists, and game-changers of all stripes: the Clinton Global Initiative, President Clinton's annual philanthropic summit in New York City and Pop!Tech, a decade-old assembly of executives, entrepreneurs, artists, activists, and thinkers...
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Don't Buy It

Posted October 22, 2007 | 10:59 AM (EST)


A powerful short film is climbing the ranks on YouTube--with about 600,000 viewings in its first week in release. Just over a minute long, the film starts out with an image of a self-possessed young redhead, freckled and tomboy cute, staring into the camera as the chorus of the Simian...

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