Acknowledgments

Hello! My name is John, and I'm a weirdo! (Hi, John!) That's the first (and last) step in my recovery program. My weirdness has served me well, but has also created some difficult challenges for me, for my wife, and for others in my life! As you may have read in the dedication, my wife, Loriann, did not want me to embark upon this project, but my weirdness took over, and I did it anyway. Not to spite her, but to surprise her, and more importantly, to prove something to us both.

Without boring you with a dissertation on my personal life, Loriann did not want to see me go through the trauma, both mental and physical, that I experienced during the writing of my first book, Get Weird!, and I am sure that she did not want to go through it either. But I learned a lot of painful lessons in that process and planned to overcome them this time around. (That's another story for another time.)

In effect, she was trying to protect me from myself, as she so admirably does so many times. So, I shelved the concept for a while, but it just wouldn't stay there. As my weird, creative comrades will concur, there are certain seeds that, once planted in a weirdo's brain, cannot be kept from growing. There are some who might say that this is because there is an abundance of fertilizer up there! Who said fertilizer is a bad thing? Again, another story for another time!

Whatever the reason, I could not hold it down any longer, so I decided to try to complete this project on the sly, on the side, and on the fly, in an effort to learn how to contain the stressful side effects, with the ultimate hope that I could spring it on her once I received an advance from a publisher. Money has a certain calming effect, ya know? After all, how else were we going to pay for that cottage on Chautauqua Lake? Debt and fear can be powerful motivators!

Well, I am proud to inform you that I dunnit! And I'm still married ... yes, to Loriann! Which brings me to my first acknowledgement (long time comin', huh?), and that is to Loriann. Not just for staying married to me in spite of this sneaky little book, but for sticking with me through all my weirdness to date. It is said that one's strength is also one's weakness, and I know that my weirdness was endearing to her when we first met, but I am also sure that it can be equally taxing at times, and she handles it, and me, quite well.

As you will learn in reading this book, weirdos can be difficult people, and I am no exception. I admit it. Maybe this book is, in some weird way, an attempt to validate myself, or some type of justification for the burdens I place on the people around me. I know that I have to be reined in on occasion. You will better understand this phenomenon when you read about low self-monitoring and high self-efficacy later in the book. It can be a good thing and a bad thing at the same time. Yin and Yang have surrounded me all my life, including my corporate logo for FirStep, Inc. (www.firstepinc.com)

I am truly blessed to have family, friends, and colleagues who give me enough rope to swing to the edges of life, but not so much rope as to hang myself (yet!). At my best, this "edginess" is what makes me who I am as a writer, speaker, and business advisor and what differentiates me in the world of work. I now get paid to say things that I used to get fired for! So, thank you, God, for the weird brain you have given me, for those who have fostered it, and for the people around me who have even learned how to appreciate it!

OK, enough about me and my problems! On the business and professional side of things, I would be remiss if I did not thank a number of people who were critical players and partners in getting this book into your hands. To begin, I am deeply grateful for the contributions of Eugene K. Connors, Esq., termed by America's Leading Business Lawyers as among the top 15 management-side employment and labor attorneys in Pennsylvania, who provided a unique blend of legal and practical insights into several of the more off-beat cases.

The unique thing about Gene is not only his sense of humor and writing style, but the fact that he didn't even send me a bill! Gene is known for being able to guide companies on how to best balance employer–employee needs to eliminate employment concerns while maximizing management options. Just what we needed for this book!

On a "weirder" note, you need to know just how Financial Times Prentice Hall became the publisher of this book. Long story short, I was one day away from signing with my former publisher. The contract was sitting in my in-tray, awaiting my return from a business trip, and while on a flight home from Atlanta to Pittsburgh, I just happened to be assigned a seat (thank God for that first class upgrade!) right next to Ms. Emily Williams Knight, CIS Marketing Manager for Prentice Hall.

After the cursory "Hello, what do you do?" schtick, we got into more depth about book writing, publishing, etc., and when I told her that I was just finishing my second book, she thought that there might be something to this chance meeting. After a couple of emails and a referral, I was forwarding my manuscript and proposal to Mr. Jim Boyd, Executive Editor of Financial Times Prentice Hall, and within a matter of days, we had a deal! Who says big publishers are slow? So, THANK YOU, Emily and Jim!

And Jim, thank you for making me a better writer. Jim has a way of communicating tough love that doesn't hurt (too badly). I am deeply indebted to all the pre-publication reviewers to whom you sent my manuscript, and to them for having the backbone and talent to give me the whack on the side of the head I needed to make a good book even better. Even though it required a heck of a lot more work, in a very short amount of time, both I and the book are better for it. Thank you!

That should do it! Unfortunately, there are always so many others who contribute to a "successful" book after it comes out, but I cannot thank them here because I don't even know who they are yet. So, for all of you who invite me to appear on your talk shows, publish my articles, hire me to speak, etc., thank you in advance!

But most importantly, that YOU for buying and reading Weirdos in the Workplace, because nothing else matters until you, the reader, make it happen. ENJOY!