ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to thank God for allowing me to do what I love and aligning my passion with the gift I have been given. I want to thank my wife, cowriter, best friend, and super mother, Shannon; without her I would not be as blessed as I am today. My three daughters Nyla, Paige, and Savannah who every day remind Shannon and I just how blessed we are. My son Anthony, who this year will be a father himself and will understand a father's love for the first time.

Of course, my entire family: Mom, Dad, and brothers for giving me the gift of family and love. I also would like to thank Jim Eber for doing what he does and working his magic on this book. I am always amazed with how he can take my writing and stories and make them come alive.

Thank you to Megan Close for believing in the book and helping us connect with Career Press. When I started this book, I did not know exactly what the words or the stories were going to be, but I knew my intent and my goal. My intent was to write a book that would truly help leaders, a book that would be used and read for decades to come. My goal was to write a book that could truly change and benefit any organization—not just from the top down or bottom up but from the middle out!

Lastly, I want to thank all of the great leaders whom I have been fortunate enough to work with and learn from over the many years. As I say in many of my speeches, I am the luckiest, most blessed person in world. Know that I may not be worthy, but I am eternally grateful.

Thank you for reading my book.