ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In many ways, our book owes its existence to the hundreds of alumni of Think to Win workshops and programs, who over the years asked us to capture the principles and process of TTW in a form that would serve as a refresher for them and as an introduction for their uninitiated associates. Their enthusiasm for the results achieved, as well as our own deep-seated belief in the transformative value of TTW, led us take on what has been a challenging, time-consuming, but also very rewarding effort.

With us each step of the way were Mary Glenn, associate publisher at McGraw Hill Professional, and Margret McBride, our one-of-a-kind literary agent. Their commitment to our book and its potential impact were essential to it seeing the light of day. Margret also helped shape our preliminary thoughts into a cogent proposal. Her associate, Faye Atcheson, also provided valuable assistance and feedback, especially at critical times.

Special acknowledgement and thanks go to each of the people we interviewed in preparing our book. The insights, observations and stories of some of these associates are an important part of our book. While many others—including Eric Amour, Mark Bertolami, Roger Deromedi, Joe Dooley, Stephanie Franklin, Ned Guillet, Blair Hawley, Carole Herman, Bryan Hesse, Rick Kash, Ed Lonergan, Nancy Reardon, Alan Sequeira, and Ken Sobaski—are not directly referenced, they were no less important. Their words and thoughts greatly informed our thinking as we wrote the book.

Contributing to the drafting were Digby and Kay Diehl, whose distinguished careers include writing numerous books, reporting and editing for newspapers, radio, and television, film and movie criticism, and serving as university lecturers. Their efforts are greatly appreciated.

John acknowledges the lessons learned from his many associates during his career with several consumer product companies and as head of a consulting company and as writer and business book author. He especially acknowledges the leadership and mentorship of James M. Kilts, CEO of both Nabisco Foods and Gillette, where John served on the senior management teams. Jim, who championed the TTW approach throughout his career, broadened John’s understanding of how to win in business by doing what matters—for the business and all its stakeholders, especially the associates, by encouraging them to learn, develop, and grow, and rewarding them for their performance.

Also important to John are the senior leaders of the client companies he has counseled over the years, people with special capabilities, who invariably distinguished themselves and their companies—leaders like James White of Jamba Juice, who demonstrated the importance of vision, commitment, and integrity to achieving transformational change and success.

John would also like to thank his loving family, his wife Doreen, and daughters Hadley, Kendre, and Nicole and her family for their support and encouragement. Doreen worked tirelessly editing and proofing each chapter, providing constructive criticism throughout. Her efforts made a big difference in many aspects of our book.

Paul first acknowledges and dedicates this book to his wife Becky, whose ongoing love, support, and belief in him, has made a difference in his life. Because of her, he feels like the true winner! He would also like to thank his children Jim, Erin, and Lindsay, who are constant reminders to him of what is most important!

He would also like to thank his partners and associates at GlobalEdg—especially Sally Arconti, Bonnie Bauer, Jack Mastrianni, Emma Huebenthal, June McPherson, and Brian Somma, whose review and contributions to the manuscript were extremely helpful.

There are other behind the scenes individuals whose contributions need to be recognized: Dana Robinson, Diane Ramos, Mark Safferstone, Kerry Robinson, and Norm Smallwood’s inspiration, insights, and friendship.

In addition to his Gillette colleagues, Paul truly appreciates his many clients who help him to grow, learn, and sharpen his techniques and tools. It is an honor and a privilege to collaborate with so many of them.

Peter acknowledges the importance of his career of 45+ years working at and with over 40 consumer product companies and three consultancies—Marketing Corporation of America, The Cambridge Group, and his own PK Associates—in addition, he has witnessed the TTW model and process succeed in delivering results at Kraft Foods, Nabisco Foods, Gillette, and other companies. He thanks the many people throughout his career on both sides of the desk from whom he learned. He borrowed a few key takeaways from many of them for which he is deeply appreciative and apologetic if any show up in the book not appropriately credited. Peter also thanks the folks who provided testimonials for our book. Critically important, he thanks his wife Anne and his children Alex and Liz and their families (Sandy, Gary, Misha, Xander, Zachary, and Dylan) for their constant love, support, and ability to make him laugh.