This book is the culmination of so many moments at Bluewolf over the last 15 years. Our story as a company is not terribly unique. We have only followed the path that so many other companies have followed in the pursuit of entrepreneurial ideas mixed with collaboration and the need to “put food on the table.”

Along the way we believe that we found better ways of doing things for both ourselves and our customers. Client engagement, customer experience, and employee engagement are the three areas where we have excelled and where we are passionate as consultants.

Halfway through writing this book we achieved an incredible milestone at Bluewolf when we were acquired by the most trusted and storied technology company in the world: IBM. While the details surrounding this event are a story unto itself, it goes without saying that our future as an IBM company is bright. We are proud of this milestone and how it validates our vision, and excited about how we can shape a bigger future in customer experience with IBM iX and Salesforce.

There are too many people to acknowledge as contributors to this text, but I will give it my best shot: My parents, who valued education above all else, which benefits me every day; my wife, Melissa, and our three children Scottie, Emmeline, and Charlie; my bosses over the years, each of whom were mentors and who left me with advice that I use every day: Stacey Estrella, Noosheen Hashemi, Greg Herrera, Paul Hoffman, David Dewalt, Kevin Kern, Danny Turano, Joe Dibartolomeo, Lindsey Armstrong, Kevin Dwyer, and Scott Matthews. Just about every person I've ever met at Salesforce—and there are hundreds—all of whom have taken the leadership of Marc Benioff and built an everlasting technology company that is so much more important than we realize. And thanks to Marc himself for pushing me out of my comfort zone and teaching me the value of customer and employee success.

There are hundreds of “pack members” at Bluewolf to whom I owe a debt of gratitude. My team: Greg Kaplan, Jolene Chan, Corinne Sklar, Glen Stoffel, Paulo Kaiser, Lou Fox, Caryn Fried, and Vaibhav Nalwaya are incredible people and the most trusting and loyal individuals one could imagine. My cofounder, Michael Kirven, has shared more hours with me than anyone but my family, and I thank him immensely for being the tireless worker and trusted partner for the decade that we shared an office, a company, and a life. There were many more laughs than sorrows, and for that I am blessed.

Last, and most important, with regard to this book, thank you to Erin Pendleton for being the incredible writer, organizer, and thought-provoker that made it happen. You are a joy to work with and this project is a product of your hard work and creative self.