There are leaders all over the world endeavoring to create a more human future, and society is a better place thanks to them. Thank you to everyone who is already working to improve our world and the human experience.

To each of the individuals I have had the opportunity to lead, partner with, work for, and learn from, I want to thank you for being the inspiration and foundation for Autonomous Transformation.

My name may be on the front cover, but this book would not have been possible without the leaders I interviewed across the public and private sectors, enterprises large and small, research institutions, and academia. Thank you to Andreas, Berardino, Bonnie, Brian, Brant, Chad, Dan, Ellen, Heather, Ira, Jeff, John, Jonathan, Keith, Liz, Mark, Mike, Mohan, Nancy, Noelle, Paul, Prabu, Ragu, Reid, Ron, Salim, Seth, Steve, Sudhi, Tad, Thorsten, Tim, and Tom.

My former colleagues at Microsoft were an invaluable resource in sharing their experiences with me, and I would like to particularly thank Ashley, Gurdeep, Hemant, Jennifer, Keen, Kence, Mark, Natasha, Somanna, and Wolfgang.

Systems thinking and systemic design are a critical component of this book, and I want to express my deep gratitude to Harold Nelson, Roger Martin, the late Russell Ackoff, and the systems movement for laying the foundation for leaders around the world to see, understand, and design for the complexities of the twenty‐first century.

The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, home to Edison’s Menlo Park, the Wright Brother’s Bicycle Shop, one of the last functioning Jacquard Looms, and a wealth of information and inspiration, was gracious enough to host me during the research phase of this book. Thank you to Sherri, Marc, Kristen, Debra, Spence, and Lucie.

Writing a book one can be proud of is a significant undertaking. The experience is surprisingly existential and vulnerable. I want to thank the individuals who helped make this book happen. Thank you to Sheck, Susan, Philo, Kevin, Jean-Karl, Amy, Missy, Tami, and the whole Wiley team.

I want to thank Jacque Vonk, who has been an instrumental collaborator in breathing visual life into the ideas in this book.

Thank you, Audrey Evergreen, for your tireless support in carving out time and space for me to write by moonlight and in vetting, challenging, and refining my ideas. This book would not exist if it were not for you.