In this book, we met a French lieutenant, a manicurist, and a Mexican dog.

We sat on a riverbank in Sri Lanka and talked about American woodpeckers, German fly catchers, and Russian folklore. World War II tanks rolled past us. We rode the Hiawatha, witnessed UFOs, and slept in the bed of a Greek psychopath. We counted bones.

Irradiated Missourians persuaded us. We learned about ethos, pathos, and bears that run as quickly as house cats. Authority gave way to relevancy in the flowering hills of Munnar. Dorothy Parker showed us we could all laugh, even when destroying a laser printer.

Pandas and baby oxen brought us gifts. King Frederick grew us potatoes. Tolstoy and Myspace came at a cost. Chinese rail workers and philosophers taught us about marketing.

North Korea helped us run a project. Waterfall, Agile, and Lean dug us a tunnel. Along the way, we played The Dating Game, got tattoos, and drank gunpowder and rum.

Star Trek’s Kobayashi Maru flew by Plato’s cave and left us on an tropical island. The Red Queen raced up a hillside. From there, we charted our journey to the end.

The end of any journey elicits at least one disclaimer—every project, client, and team is different. What works well in one place may fall flat in another. This book contains a wealth of opinions, advice, and observations; but they all pale in comparison to your unique understanding of your own circumstances.

Although this book’s knowledge is limited, its lessons are universal. Sometimes you are the creator; sometimes you are the user. Sometimes you are the author; sometimes you are the reader. But what remains is always an experience. I hope yours was a pleasant one.