For nearly 20 years Polly LaBarre has worked to embolden and equip leaders in every realm of endeavor to make their organizations more resilient, innovative, inspiring, and accountable. As a founding member at Fast Company magazine, Polly helped to shape the remarkable success of a magazine that changed the way leaders at all levels think about working and winning. She was a creator and host of the magazine’s agenda-setting Real Time gatherings, high-level roundtable series “Fast Talk,” and signature women’s leadership event.
Now, as co-founder (with Gary Hamel) of the Management Innovation eXchange (MIX), Polly has built a platform to unleash in-the-trenches innovators, maverick entrepreneurs, and celebrated thought leaders to make real progress when it comes to making all organizations fundamentally fit for the future. The MIX hosts the world’s leading idea contest in the field of organizations and management (The Harvard Business Review/McKinsey M-Prize for Management Innovation) and an annual gathering of the vanguard of management innovators, the MIX Mashup, which Polly designs and hosts.
Polly is co-author of the bestseller, Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win – published in 16 languages. She served as a business and innovation correspondent for CNN and provided regular commentary on PBS’ Nightly Business Report. Her writing has appeared in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review online, Fortune.com and the McKinsey Quarterly. Her widely syndicated blog, the Fresh MIX, convenes important thinkers, daring practitioners and agenda-setting ideas. A rigorous thinker, energetic storyteller, and tireless explorer of the frontiers of the business world, Polly takes audiences on an inspiring journey. She brings to life the people, organizations and ideas creating the future—and unpacks the most practical and high-impact ways to innovate, adapt and succeed.