Acknowledgments

I have read about writers who sit alone (usually in a wooded cabin) and without outside influence, are able to drain their brains of every last drop of imagination, experience, and inspiration. Six months later they emerge with a masterpiece. I'm not that guy. I need to soak up the world . . . to see what the current culture is up to. I read books, blogs, and I am a self-confessed news junkie. But my primary source of inspiration comes from the people I meet on my speaking engagements. I learn something inspirational from every job. That's why networking is so important at a corporate meeting: because somebody somewhere has invented or adopted a fresh practice that has kept their business vital . . . and scared the devil out of their competitors. I revel in the simple innovations created not by brain trusts or think tanks but rather by the seemingly ordinary people who are trying to meet payrolls during challenging economic times. So to the many men and women I've met on the road who found a way to dominate their industries against staggering odds, I thank you for allowing me to eavesdrop on your ideas and letting me share them with the readers of this book.

Since I don't have a writer's cabin—and because I don't want to end up like James Caan in the film Misery—I write from my home office. So I especially need to thank my loving wife, Leah, for allowing me to stay holed up in there while I sift and sort this stuff out. It's hard for Leah because she is quite busy herself—yet does her best to keep our active five-year old daughter, Lauren (Lolo), at bay while I'm mulling. Often, just when I've finally crystallized a thought and am anxious to get it down on paper, Lolo will get on the house intercom (which blares in my office) to ask if I can meet her in her room to hear a new song or play pet shop. I usually accommodate her; which is why my books take longer to write than, say, Tolstoy's.

I also want to thank my business partners, Cam Marston and Helen Broder. You two are my sounding boards and vent pipes. Your judgment is always more sound and less emotional than my own so I am grateful to have you in my life. Special thanks go to my other partner, Keith Harrell. Keith was my brother in this business and a daily source of inspiration. After you saw Keith—or talked to him on the phone—he always made you feel better about yourself. Keith and I are both from Seattle. We were both college athletes. And, we both gravitated toward speaking and writing as adults. God took Keith home last year, and still I think about him—and use his advice—every day.

Speaking of partners, I must thank the folks at John Wiley & Sons. Kudos go to Lauren Murphy, who has shepherded this project. And many thanks go to the editing team of Christine Moore, Deborah Schindlar, and Chris Furry. It takes a lot of people to decipher what I write.

Finally, I have to acknowledge my two fine sons, Adam and Ryan Shafer. They did not directly contribute to this book but they gave me less worry when they both married wonderful women, Holli and Anh, respectively. As the flower girl in their weddings, Little Lolo loves to brag about her two new sisters.