The competitive edge means having the advantage to outperform the competition. The result is a “win,” be it in sports, entertainment, or brass-tacks business practice. This quarter we offer six variables, each leading to the same end, all detailing the slippery path to the top and how some individuals and companies successfully reached their goals by thinking both out of the box and within.

Hollywood Huckster: A Memoir of Hysterical Proportions  author: David Garber

Kevin Hartigan has been termed “the scourge of tinsel town dealmakers.” Author David Garber was his writing partner, and now vividly and accurately recalls the “anything goes” days of the ’70s and ’80s when he worked with Hartigan, a guy who would never take no for an answer. Among the anecdotes, read about how they stole a fighter jet from the Air Force, impersonated celebrities to get to a producer, or brought two full-grown lions to a meeting at MGM to show attendees how the cats really roared. Be prepared to laugh out loud.