ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Writing this book has been a true journey of engaging with Not Knowing – we experienced the initial tendency to rely on expertise, the struggle at the edge when faced with our own questions and doubts, and the surprising discovery of new spaces of learning and wonder. This experience provided rich insights that guided our exploration and writing. We overcame the challenges of collaborating across two different continents and time zones by finding our own rhythm, following the natural balance of night and day. As one of us would be collapsing exhausted in bed after a day’s writing, the other would be waking up full of energy for the day’s work ahead. We feel privileged for the chance meeting at Harvard Kennedy School in May 2012 that led to us working together on this book, and for the partnership that we have created.

We have been inspired by many writers, thought leaders and academics in writing this book. There are too many to list here, but we would like to especially mention the work of academics Robert French and Peter Simpson who applied the concept of “negative capability” to leadership; Marty Linsky and Ronald Heifetz, the creators of the Adaptive Leadership Model; Arnold Mindell, the founder of Process-Oriented Psychology; Otto Scharmer and the Presencing Institute; Byron Katie, founder of the “The Work”; and Fritz and Laura Perls, creators of Gestalt Psychotherapy.

This book would not have been possible without the contribution of the many people who generously shared with us their stories and advice over numerous conversations that sparked insight and supported the examples and case studies in this book. We could not include every idea or story in the book but we would like to sincerely acknowledge and thank everybody who contributed. If we have omitted anyone we ask forgiveness; it is not by design, and we thank you too for your support.

We would like to thank:

Eliat Aram, Marshall Arisman, Jean Claude Audergon, Arlene Audergon, Stella Avramopolous, Gina Badenoch, the late Alastair Bain, Anthony Ball, Paul Barber, Berrin Bas, Anna Beckman, Simon Berryman, Michelle Brailsford, Raisa Breslava, Christian Busch, Bruce “Harv” Busta, Michael Chaskalson, Michelle Chaso, Michael Cherock, Sherry Coutu, Michelle Crawford Sainsbury, Reka Czegledi-Brown, Niall and Elaine da Costa, Kito de Boer, Elitsa Dermendzhiskya, Teotonio de Souza, Rajeeb Dey, Julie Diamond, Tanya Downs, Simon D’Orsogna, Gordon D’Silva, Benjamin Erben, Maxime Fern, Danny Gal, Jennifer Garvey Berger and the Growth Edge Network, Nicola Gatti, Joseph Geary, David Hamilton, Charles and Liz Handy, Jane Harrison, Susan Hatch, Jennifer Hewit, Hans Hoppe, Ben Hughes, Master Ja An, Beth Jandernoa, Michael Johnston, Ron Jungalwalla, Nassif Kazan, Peter King, Nicole Lessio, Robbie Macpherson, Karen Mahood, Julian Marwitz, Marco Antonio Martinez, Nadine McCarthy, Geoff Mendal, Jane Meredith, Megumi Miki, Deb Mills-Scofield, Maria Nekrassova, Suzana Nikiforova, Brigid Nossal, Simon Parke, Edurne Pasaban, David Pearl, Francisca Zanoguera, Nicolas Petrovic, Joseph Pistrui, Anna Plotkina, Daniel Ramamoorthy, Samir Rath, Mobin Asghar Rana, Vicki Renner, José Keith Romero, Alex Sangster, Yvan Schaepman, Otto Scharmer, Alex Schlotter-beck, Aboodi Shabi, Anna Simioni, Liz Skelton, Terri Soller, Grant Soosalu, Carsten Sudhof, Jeremi Suri, Nick Thorpe,

Peter Tyler, Guy Vandevijvere, Tania van Megchelen, Rachael Vincent, Mark Walsh, Jon White, Randy White, Nick Williams, Jo Godfrey Wood, Chris Worman and Annick Zinck.

Thank you especially to Erin Smith for sharing with us her insights about vulnerability.

Thank you to Sarah Lloyd-Hughes for the metaphor of the present, which opened the book.

We would also like to thank Martin Liu, our publisher; David Woods, our editor; and the whole team at LID. We are grateful to Sally Averill for the introduction.

Thank you to Benjamin Erben, Nadine Rosenkranz, Maria Helena Toscano and the Iconic team for the inspiring artwork and design of the book, including the beautiful cover.

Thank you to Julia McCutchen, Director of International Association of Conscious & Creative Writers, our writing coach who helped us find our voice and stay motivated in the dark times.

A special thanks to Marty Linsky for his generous support and encouragement.

Steven

I want to thank my wonderful family, Silo, Christine, Selwyn and Charlene who are a constant support to me when I’m going into the unknown. When I fall, they pick me up and give me the encouragement to risk and grow.

I also want to thank: my mentor Joseph Pistrui who always sees possibility in me and opens my mind with his wit and wisdom; my Gestalt therapist Tommi Raissnen and my Gestalt teachers and training group members who have been my support in the times of anxiety that come with Not Knowing; and my teachers at Ashridge Business School and colleagues at IE Business School.

Special thanks to: Magdalena Bak-Maier, Kevin Coutinho, Matt Dean, Santiago Iniguez de Onzono, Marcus Docherty, Nicholas Frank, Anne Gabl, Sue Henley, Laura Hurmuz, Omar Ismail, Olivia Jamison, Nathan John, Gareth Jones, Dorota Juszkiewicz, Gulamabbas Lakha, Justine Lutterodt, Emma Pace, Ryan Pereira, Edina Szaszik, Jed Tai, Felix Valdivieso and Gerald West who all have played an important part in supporting this book.

Diana

I feel privileged to be part of the Adaptive Leadership and Process Oriented Psychology communities and thankful for all the rich experiences and learning.

Thank you to Meg Wheatley for the conversation in November 2013 which opened up a new door of inspiration and motivation.

I am grateful to Jane Martin, Process Oriented psychologist and teacher, for her support and insightful feedback on the manuscript.

Above all, my deepest appreciation goes to my family; my husband Dale for discussing, brainstorming, challenging and improving my ideas; and my children Anica and Theo for being a reminder of all that is important in life – love, laughter and lots of questions.