One of the greatest joys of coaching work is seeing people raise their game and step up to take on bigger and more demanding roles successfully. All the people I work with have influenced my thinking. I am grateful to them for giving me the privilege of spending time working with them and giving me the joy of seeing them grow and develop.

I have talked to many people about ideas in the book. Those who have had a particular influence include Paul West, Brian Leveson, Julie Taylor, Louise Tulett, John Suffolk, Mel Zuydam, Kevin White, Una O'Brien, Tom McLaughlan, Andrew Hudson, Tony Dean, Finlay Scott, Archie Hughes, Judith Macgregor, Melanie Dawes, Anna Walker, June Milligan, Gordon MacDonald, Hazel Mackenzie, Jane Frost, Martin Oakley, Martin Sinclair, Adele Townsend, Jeremy Oates, Sarah Walker, Oliver Rowe, Chetan Patel, Fiona Spencer, Sunil Patel, John Pritchard, Dominic Jermey, Penny Ciniewicz, Jonathan Slater, Paula Higson, Lesley Strathie, Hugh Taylor and Igor Judge. I take full responsibility for the views in the book but the perspectives of those above have been especially influential.

I am grateful to a number of people who read the manuscript and gave me clear comments. The observations of Mairi Eastwood, Heather Dawson, Zoe Stear and Hilary Douglas have been invaluable in ensuring the text is clear and structured.

I am grateful to Suma Chakrabarti for contributing the foreword to this book. I have always found Suma a constructive and thoughtful leader who has stepped up through a sequence of demanding jobs to become one of the most influential Permanent Secretaries in government. I have always been grateful for Suma's encouragement both when in government and now in coaching and writing.

I am grateful to John Wiley for their practical support. Sarah Sutton commissioned the book, Emma Swaisland has taken it forward to publication and Jenny Ng has looked after the detailed arrangements for publication.

My Executive Assistant, Claire Pratt, has managed the diary with considerable foresight to ensure that I have been able to slot in conversations with a wide range of people in preparing the book. Jackie Tookey and Tracy Easthope have typed the manuscript, slotting it into their other work. They have always been cheerful and helpful.

I am grateful to my colleagues at Praesta Partners who always bring practical advice and a level-headed approach. We learn a great deal from each other because of our diverse backgrounds and different approaches.

My family are an important source of encouragement in the writing. It has been such a joy for Frances and me to see our children step up to take on a wide range of different responsibilities in their chosen spheres. This book is dedicated to our daughter, Ruth, who is always perceptive and wise. Her generosity and kindness have been an encouragement to many friends and colleagues as they have been raising their game to cope with new and demanding situations.

Finally, raising your game is not just about your own efforts. It flows from the encouragement, support and stretch of others. Those who have particularly helped me raise my game in my second career of coaching and writing have been Mairi Eastwood, Robin Linnecar, Liz Walmsley, Paul Gray, Hilary Douglas and Claire Pratt. To them, and all the people I work with, I say a big thank you.