I would like to thank all of the people who have generously given their time and shared their stories for this book. While the book is partly drawn from my own experience and from research, its energy comes largely from all these amazing women and men I've met throughout my career. These are impressive, hardworking, thoughtful individuals who I've been fortunate to encounter. Thank you all for being willing to candidly share your tales.

I feel fortunate to have found Lucy Raymond and the global Wiley team, and am grateful for all their insights, work and support. Thank you CJ Wu for introducing me to Lucy and helping find this book a home. I could not have written this book without my co‐writer, Wendy Paris. Thank you, Wendy, for endless hours on video conference and that one final week of working in person, with the unseasonably cold Santa Monica air coursing through the lobby of the Fairmont Hotel. Thanks to Christine Kenneally for introducing me to Wendy and helping make this book happen.

Thanks to all the people who have hired me over the years, the great leaders I've had (you know who you are) and the team members I've managed, especially those who were brave enough to offer a critique, helping me grow and pushing me closer to the 10‐to‐one critique‐to‐praise ratio Kim Scott recommends. Much thanks to my family for supporting me throughout my whole career and on this project — I'm especially proud of my sons, Zack and Jesse, who, having watched me over the years, expect to see women in leadership roles and in organisations and clubs, and speak out when that participation is lacking.

Many thanks to Aliza Knox for giving me the chance to learn so much about how people rise and thrive within organisations, and to talk to her mentees and hear their inspiring stories. Throughout the process of working on this book, I'd find myself thinking, Huh! That's what you're supposed to do at an organisation?! Who knew? I wish someone had told me that back in 1990 or 2010. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and help share these valuable insights with others.

Thanks to Chris Kenneally and Annie Murphy Paul for introducing me to Aliza, and to Lucy Raymond for her early, very astute articulation of what this book could offer to the conversation and how to best help it do that. A million thanks to Sharon Krum for pitching in at the last minute to help. Thanks to the experts who made themselves available to provide insight, and to everyone else who offered moral support and guidance including Wendy Hammers, Laura Rich, Abby Ellin, Joy Paris, Sidney Callahan, and my son, Alexander Paris‐Callahan.