ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book chronicles a journey that spans fifteen years, beginning after the completion of my first book, Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership. Along the way, I continued to meet the most remarkable people who added important new dimensions to my life and to my understanding of the capacity we have to sense and actualize emerging futures and to shape the future instead of simply responding to the forces at large. Many of these remarkable people are mentioned among the pages of this book, but others are not. To all of them, I express my heartfelt gratitude.

I owe an additional debt of gratitude:

• To my business partner, Susan M. Taylor, for the consistent and unwavering support she gave to me from the moment I decided to write this book. I say this literally: but for her support, her care, and attention to the project all along the way, this book would not exist today. She has devoted over four years of her life-energy to helping me in every phase of the work. She encouraged me to begin the project, served as Director of Research, and provided encouragement, support, and invaluable advice as a thinking partner.

• To Betty Sue Flowers for her exceedingly high competence in acting as my editor and collaborator. Her experience as a member of my team of scenario planners at the Royal Dutch Shell Group of companies and her work with me on both editions of Synchronicity provided the foundation needed for her extraordinary contribution to this work.

• To my dear friend and distinguished colleague W. Brian Arthur, who has served Generon and me as guide and teacher for over thirteen years.

• To my friend John P. Milton, who has acted as my trusted guide and mentor all these years.

• To my business partner, Kazimierz Gozdz, for his vigorous and intelligent support during the final phase of writing the manuscript and for sharing with me the product of two decades of his work in the field of community building, transpersonal psychology, and organizational development.

• To Arthur Klebanoff of Scott Meredith Agency, my friend of over thirty years, who provided intellectual and moral support at every stage.

• To Steve Piersanti and his team at Berrett-Koehler for all their hard work and good suggestions.

• And, finally, to Deborah A. Moore, for her usual high competence in preparation of the manuscript.