Understanding Context

Acknowledgments

I WANT MOST OF ALL TO THANK MY WIFE, Erin, who has been a patient supporter through the long, often angst-ridden process of writing this book. She not only went without a husband for many weekends, evenings, and so-called vacation days; she then weathered my verbose ruminations and bouts of self-doubt when I was in her presence. She doesn’t believe it, but it’s true that I could not have done this without her.

Thanks also to Madeline, my daughter, who has also endured my authorial tribulations, and who has been such an inspiration to me as I’ve watched her grow up, tackle huge challenges, and already become so much more than I could’ve imagined.

Thanks to Peter Morville, who told me a long time ago, regarding a completely different subject, “you should write a book,” and who then helped me find a path to get it done, with wise counsel along the way. Also thanks to Lou Rosenfeld, who has also given me such generous encouragement and advice over the years. And thanks to Christina Wodtke, especially for that email invitation circa 2001, and all the invaluable conversations since.

A special thanks to Dan Klyn and Bob Royce, who both have enriched and influenced my perspective on this book’s subject, and who invited me along on their joint mission to bring “making things be good” to the world—something they called The Understanding Group. I can’t imagine any other vocational home giving me the room to work out these ideas and be the self I needed to be while writing this ...