Beating the Global Odds: Successful Decision-making in a Confused and Troubled World

Acknowledgments

This book is as much about seeking a personal path through the thicket of information overload and frenetic activity of our modern world as it is about helping the reader find sanity and clarity in the midst of our technology-dominated lives that increasingly respect no boundaries.

But in the process of seeking to cut a path through the jungle of a demanding life, I am afraid I have offloaded many of the critical personal demands on my time to those closest to me—my wife, children, and friends. So as I bring an important chapter of my life to a close and get ready to start a new one, I pause to thank them profoundly for generously excusing me from all those important daily demands on time and attention that would have delayed, if not deprived me of, the insights central to the experience that illuminates this book. To my wife, Louise, and four children—Chris, Lee, Carla, and Nikki—I say, “Thank you.” I also want to assure them that I will take my own medicine and be back, focused with clarity and purpose on those priorities that should rightly be at the center of everyone’s life.

I am also deeply indebted to my leadership team at A.T. Kearney that has so ably and loyally helped steer our firm off the early post-MBO shoals to the fair winds of strong, sustainable performance. You have made it easy for me to take the lead, effectively orchestrating the respective talents of our team to gain the trust and confidence of the whole global A.T. Kearney family of clients ...