ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There are, of course, many people to thank for the inspiration to write this book and their help throughout the process. I’ll start with my co-founder, Jay Jamrog, without whom i4cp would not exist. Jay has been a great business partner, an insightful mentor, and a fearless leader of this organization for decades—long before he ever met me. Over most of that time he’s been a culture change critic, but now he has seen the light. I appreciate him challenging my assumptions, and constantly reminding me that he studied everything I think is new decades ago.

I’d like to also thank i4cp’s chief research officer, Kevin Martin, for spearheading our research on culture and many of the other research studies that are referenced—either explicitly or implicitly—in these pages. Kevin, with his unbridled enthusiasm, and his team have consistently done great work and are the foundation for what makes i4cp special.

The research team, many of whom contributed to the original culture study and the others cited, continues to produce next practices that high-performance organizations use every day. That team revolves around Lorrie Lykins, our VP of research and managing editor, whose fingerprints are on everything we publish. Other members of that team include Carol Morrison, Joe Jamrog, Kevin Wilde, Tom Stone, and Marianne Menta. Special thanks to Mark McGraw, who tirelessly transcribed many interviews I conducted, and Eric Davis for his superior graphics work in the study and the book, including his influence on the cover.

In addition to Jay and Kevin Martin, I’d like to thank the members of the executive team of i4cp who have been supportive of this effort throughout, a team that includes Jennifer Deutsch, Madeline Borkin, Mark Englizian, Mark Walker, and Norm Thomas. Special thanks to Patrick Murray who has developed numerous tools to support this effort, and Erik Samdahl who has been a primary partner in all aspects of making this book happen, and whose influence on me and i4cp probably doesn’t get enough credit (by me or others).

I’d also like to thank so many other members of the team who supported me with ideas, interview subjects, and patience: Adam Mucci, Alex Mattsson, Alyssa McGaha, April Lough, Bryan Baldwin, Carrie Bevis, Chris Holtz, Chris Pascale, David Schmidt, Debra Joseph, Ellie Judd, Hayley Stanton, Jaylen Thompson, Kevin Copestick, Kevin Osborne, Kevin Schulhof, Lindsay Rice, Matthew Boman, Michele DeGabriele, Nina Holtsberry, Patricia Murakami, Pauline Camenos, Ryan Dunn, Stephanie Werner, and Theresa Corrigan.

By the way, if you haven’t noticed, we have many Kevins in the company. It’s a running joke, and most of us go by nicknames (I’m KO). If your name is Kevin, think twice before applying for a role at i4cp; the joke has gotten old.

As I continue my acknowledgments, I can’t forget our board of directors—Andy Dale, Jeff Bussgang, John Boudreau, and Paul Esdale—who have been great partners in helping to build a fantastic organization. As an HR rock star, John has been a great coach for me, and I am forever grateful for his insight and perspective, along with former board member Elliott Masie, who has served as an endless source of innovation and creativity. I also want to recognize our longtime corporate attorney, John Robertson, who has been a constant expert sounding board and guide to me and the company over many years.

And without a doubt, most influential in all of this are our members. We are so fortunate to work with some of the top organizations and most prominent human capital executives in the world . . . many who are featured in this book and in our supporting research studies. The spirit of collaboration and community in the human capital field is unlike that of any other, and their willingness to share their next practices is what made this book possible.

Last, but not least, I’d like to thank my family—Kim, Truman, Ashley, and Audrey—for respecting my writing “process,” much of it while sheltered in place, even though I think I can still hear Audrey practicing her ballet on the floor above my home office. My family appreciation extends to my parents—Gordon and Pam—and my two brothers, Brian and Tim. They formed the vocal majority of the all-important book cover artwork team, a process that I never imagined would be as lengthy and garner as many opinions as it did.

One final note: I’d also like to have a shout-out to Amazon for not only (I hope) shipping out many copies of this book, but also for sending me an email recommending it to me as “a book I might like” while I was in the middle of writing it.

That’s impressive. And they were right.