Since I’m a talker, I need two types of people to write a book. To generate ideas, I need people around me who are smart, witty, and nonlinear. For me, that’s the easy one. When it’s getting down to brass tacks, I need people who can translate nonlinear into chapter, verse, and action. Thank goodness for this group. Otherwise, I’d be where I was in 2019—a person prone to random and tangential ideas with little hope of something more than a battle cry—Burn Ladders!—much less a book.
Thank you, Jenny Knuth, for listening and shaping Ladderburning into something meaningful. You make clever and profound look easy. You made this book happen. Thanks to Kelly Norton, once the student, now the teacher. She knows what obsession sounds like and made a point to end our conversations with, “Just write and stop complaining.” Mark Walters, a bona fide man for all seasons, could have taken me to the woodshed to force it out of me. Instead, he used his Socratic skills to align my brain with my heart. Along with Jenny, Kelly, and Mark, thank you to Scott Zarret, Lacey Sadoff, Mert Aktar, Edward DeShazer, Kili Alwyn, Marian Sheridan, Peter Margaritis, Kim Huettl, Larry Lee, Kevin Faul, Carolyn and Randy Cole for sharing their personal experiences, insights, perspectives, and feedback.
Working with the crew at Business Expert Press again—the guiding hand of Scott Isenberg, the editorial direction of Vilma Barr, and the production supervision from Charlene Kronstedt—is as good as it gets. Thank you.
Special thanks to the Young Professionals of Fond du Lac, the 2021 YP Summit, UP Ties at Union Pacific, and FUEL Milwaukee for the opportunity to present and better understand your challenges and thoughts about the value of work.
For Sheli, who makes life simple and happiness, abundant; for Lacey and Ouigi, precious and priceless gifts; and Boogie and Blue, bunkmates who make our lives meaningful and lively, I could not be more grateful.