Cracking the Leadership Code

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The journey toward success is not a straight line, and neither was the process of writing this book. This project (my first book) has been humbling, exhilarating, and exhausting—and often on the same day. It's something I envisioned doing for a very long time. Now that the vision is a reality, finding words to adequately express the depth of gratitude that I have is surprisingly challenging.

So many people have touched the creation of this book. I've been influenced, shaped, and improved by a tremendous number of people: writers, leaders, teachers, clients, colleagues, and friends. I'm grateful to them all. Within that group, there are some who deserve special mention.

First, a huge thank-you to the tens of thousands of participants in the various leadership seminars I've been privileged to lead. Your willingness to share the good, the bad, and the ugly of what worklife is really like has taught me more about organizational leadership than any graduate program ever could. Special thanks to the leaders whose real stories appear in this book. I've changed certain details to preserve confidentiality.

This book wouldn't have been possible without the team at Eagle's Flight. I'm honored to have worked with them for more than 20 years. They've been incredibly supportive in fostering my professional growth. It's a place where I've gotten to live connection, communication, and collaboration daily. Special thanks to these colleagues past and present: Kristin Abell, Sue ...