Acknowledgments

Since this book was first published over a decade ago, my gratitude for all the people who contributed to its success has only grown. First and foremost is the team of professionals I get to work with at Giant Leap Consulting. These remarkable courage-builders deserve a big high five for faithfully bringing our mission of “helping people and organizations live more courageously” to life.

If the size of a person’s challenge is a measure of his courage, then Steve Piersanti, my publisher, is a superhero. The mission of Berrett-Koehler Publishers is “creating a world that works for all.” Steve may look like Clark Kent, but he leaps over obstacles like a caped crusader. Thank you, Steve, for holding me accountable to higher standards. Thanks, too, to the wonderful team at Berrett-Koehler, including the review team, who used much TELL Courage in giving me feedback about the book. Your hard work makes it easy to be an author.

A special thanks goes out to Mark Levy, founder of Levy Innovation, a marketing strategy company. My work as a courage-building consultant wouldn’t have been possible without Mark’s keen insights and bold, precise, and thought-provoking questions. Mark’s TELL Courage bucket spilleth over!

I am grateful for Giant Leap’s courageous clients. I am honored that you have brought us into your worlds and allowed us to know your hopes, fears, and secrets. We are grateful for all of our clients, but especially grateful for those people who go out of their way to help us be successful in their organizations—namely, Ken Aldridge, Dan and Matt Walsh, Steve Rivi, Dan Plote, Craig Atkinson, Krista Roberts, Mike Calihan, Wendy Whiteash, Nancy Rooney, Michael Wallace, Stacy McNeil, and Lori Guiseppe.

A special thanks goes out to Dr. David Albala for his robotic wizardry and for helping me to put heaven on hold. I remain cancer-free since the first publishing of this book.

A debt of gratitude goes to Bruce Cockburn for his luscious instrumental soundtrack Speechless. Writing this book was much easier when listening to fast-fingered masterpieces like “Train in the Rain.” I am also grateful to Hal White, my big-hearted compadre, for turning me on to Bruce Cockburn, RatDog, kayaking, the NOC, and Asheville, N.C.—my home.

I am most grateful for the people who bring my life meaning, refuge, and joy: my wife, Shannon, and our three spirited children, Alex, Bina, and Ian. My sisters, Karen and Jeannie, and my brother, Doug, also deserve thanks for their lifelong love and support. Finally, my parents, Toby and Bill, deserve special thanks for helping me to navigate through life’s rough seas, such as those in the Tropic of Cancer.