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—mavericks— are making waves and growing fast. There is a reason: In an age of hyper-competition and non-stop 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 companies don’t just sell competitive products. They stand for important ideas – ideas that shape the future of their industry, ideas that reshape the sense of what’s possible among customer, employees, and investors.