Acknowledgments

Micheal’s Thanks

How do you appropriately thank all of the people who help take a project like this from a conversation to an idea to a discussion to a Model and ultimately to a book? To make this book project go it first took people believing in me to give me the chance to lead and use the Model of growth we speak and write about. Wib Evans at FirstBank was the first person to say “I believe in you” and “We don’t want you to just speak about this Model—we want you to implement it with our people.” From there many enlightened people who saw the value of having a coach in their life have allowed me into their lives with a message that says we can be better tomorrow than we are today with the help of a coach. John Floyd, Pat Weiland, Ralph Huff, Shane Reeves, and Rick Sain, Norman Brown, John Jones, and many other business Leaders have brought me in to coach and develop their people, and for that I’ll always be grateful. Marc Fortune has been a tremendous enterprise mentor to me to help take my business to new levels of success and formalize my team. Thank you to Spike McDaniel, my director of operations, for getting me to the many engagements around the world so we can share and impact.

I would like to say thank you to a host of people directly tied to the book. First, Colby Jubenville, the co-author of this book, for believing in a former basketball coach who said we would impact the world, and second, for helping see this project through to its logical conclusion. To Rick Smith who listened to our ideas and gave great feedback including the concept of The Current of the Urgent. To Heather Adams, who connected us with our fantastic literary agent, Shannon Marven at Dupree Miller, and to our wonderful editors, Adrianna Johnson and Christine Moore at John Wiley & Sons, for seeing the value in looking different and standing out. To Joe Calloway, who wrote the forward for the book and for mentoring Colby and me. Many years ago before I met Joe I was using his “Category of One” concept with my teams to speak to differentiation and owning a field versus merely being in the field.

To mentors whom I’ve met briefly or studied their work and who have deeply impacted my philosophy: the late Dr. Stephen Covey, Randy Gage, Coach Don Meyer, Jim Collins, and Dan Sullivan.

And finally to my support system: Mom, you believed in me and my potential from an early age and watched every game I ever coached. To my good friends Tommy Davidson and Brandon Burks for continuing to have long philosophic discussions about life and success, and to Natalie, the best mom a little girl could ever have and a wonderful partner in life.

Colby’s Thanks

Without question this book (and almost all other professional projects in my life) would not have happened without the insight and knowledge of my best friend, Dr. Benjamin D. Goss. I can’t say it enough: Thank You.

Thank you to Micheal Burt, the co-author and in all cases the Coach. Let’s get ready to do it again!

Thank you to Heather Adams and her steady commitment to the project. Without Heather we would not have connected to Shannon Marven, Executive Vice President of Dupree Miller and Associates.

To Shannon Marven, thank you for enlightening us to the process and securing the right relationship with John Wiley & Sons.

To Adrianna Johnson and Christine Moore at Wiley, I say thank you. Throughout this project, you proved that editing is truly an art form!

To Joe Calloway, who wrote the Foreword for the book. Your encouragement and advice continue to be at the front of my mind every day. We need to go to lunch real soon!

To Coach Norman Joseph, who took a chance on me and let me be part of one of the most unique opportunities a young coach could ever have. I hope this book is a testament to your ability to validate the worth and potential in others.

To Brian Shulman, founder and CEO of LTS Education Systems, who continues to allow me to be part of the great work he does throughout the country. You, without question, are a Zebra and Cheetah Leader.

To the many people I have worked with or under, including the late Coach Tommy Ranager, Dr. Don Roy, Dr. Jon MacBeth, Dr. Dennis Phillips, Mr. Christer Czajkowski, Mr. Michael Lawson, Mr. Nick Perlick. Each one of you created a defining moment in my life.

Without Ernie Gray, Red Herring Innovation and Design would not be a reality. I thank him for the immeasurable contribution he makes in my life.

And to my high school mentors, the late Coach Bob Rutledge, Coach Charlie Miller, Coach Sandy Santoli, Mr. Pat Taylor, Mr. Charlie Christmas, Coach Andy Robbins,
Coach Scott Atkins, Coach Charlie Shipp, and Coach Palmer Kennedy—without you, I wouldn’t be who I am today.

To my Mom who sat on our den floor on Hathaway and taught me how to write sentences and later tie ideas together. Without her, I would not be the writer I am today.

And finally, to Katie, who through it all has always been by my side. Together, I think we continue to write a bestseller.