PEAK, 2nd Edition

Acknowledgments

What a long, strange trip it has been! Writing two books in barely more than a year while running a company that's growing by leaps and bounds is not for the faint of heart. I could not have done this without the support of so many friends and colleagues. First off, I can't say enough about Debra Amador DeLaRosa, my research partner, editor extraordinaire, publicist, and good friend who was my midwife through this birthing process. This was our second collaboration, and I still feel so lucky to have her unfailing support in all my endeavors. My executive committee and home office colleagues (especially my assistant Rachel Carlton) at Joie de Vivre put up with many Monday morning arrivals by a very sleep-deprived Chip—after my weekends were spent writing by candlelight. Of course, none of this would be possible without the labors of love that more than 3,000 Joie de Vivre employees put into their work every day. Thanks to all of you for putting up with my experiments in how to implement Maslow's principles in our workplace. And a very special thank you to Rachel Carlton. Before she came along, I'd never had an executive assistant. I am now deeply spoiled, as Rachel keeps more balls in the air than I do—and she does it with real grace, efficiency, and smarts.

There are so many others who helped contribute ideas or editing to this process. Alan Webber read my initial concept for the book and bluntly told me, “The world doesn't need another business book.” His advice ...