ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

HOWIE:I'm so ready to be done with this book. I really don't have energy for this part.
PETER:You sound exhausted. [Empathy] I know you can do it. [Confidence] Would you like help thinking this through? [Permission]
HOWIE:I see what you did there.
PETER:Seriously, we got a lot of help on this book.
HOWIE:We sure did. Starting with our long-suffering families.
PETER:That's easy. I'll start with my wife, Eleanor, who in the midst of her intensive anti-racism work, all-consuming training of our first-ever puppy, and focus on the kids, still managed to protect my last-minute writing marathon while finding time to give us notes on the book. And, of course, Daniel for being such a great example in the book. Sophia and Isabelle, I still write to impress you. Mama, it all started with you.
HOWIE:Mia, my wife, supported my writing for several months by bringing me daily green smoothies and rainbow bowls, and reminding me to get dressed for Zoom calls. She made literary lockdown not only bearable, but fun. I also want to thank my adult children, Yael and Elan, for moving out. Your bedrooms make a great office and home gym.
PETER:And to the readers who gave us invaluable advice and guidance on scandalously short notice.
HOWIE:My sister, Monica Jacobson, may have pulled a couple of all-nighters to go through the entire manuscript. She caught a bunch of errors and asked important questions whose answers made the work much clearer.
PETER:Pam Barkley, thank you for helping me see why this book means so much to me. Y'all should thank her too: she single-handedly shortened the manuscript by at least 20 percent, begging us to reduce repetitions. And to cut places where we repeated ourselves.
HOWIE:Danny Warshay, in addition to being a valuable resource on all things entrepreneurial and a stickler for clarity, also pursued a doggedly dogged crusade against glaringly unnecessary adverbs.
PETER:Many friends donated time out of their busy lives to help us improve the book: David Gallimore, Melinda Wolfe, Frank Wagner, Glenn Murphy, Jessica Gelson, Richard Osibanjo, Fernando Carillo, and Randall Tucker.
HOWIE:Glenn Livingston and Whitney Asnip helped us craft the marketing blurb that may have convinced you to get the book.
PETER:A huge thank you to my clients: the early ones who partnered with me (and sometimes suffered through) figuring out what worked, and my current ones with whom I am still learning. A particular thank you to Brian Gaffney, Don Kania, Marc Boroditsky, David Nevins, Cam Weber, Chris Spade, Juan Martin, and so many others, for your commitment to being exceptional leaders and stellar human beings.
HOWIE:Here's to my coach training students, whose questions and objections keep forcing me to explain better. And to my clients for their courage, commitment, and vulnerability. A particular nod to Ian Lawton, whom we called Ian in the book to protect his privacy, for allowing me to use a snippet of one of our conversations to illustrate a point.
PETER:Thank you, those of you who have come to the Bregman Leadership Intensive and the Bregman Leadership Coach Training. Your courage in learning, growing, and changing in both professional and deeply personal ways inspires me and this book. You are proof that yes, you can change other people—and the world.
HOWIE:Working with Jim Levine, our agent, was a total blast.
PETER:He's the best, isn't he? Jim really guided the vision of this book from the very beginning, through countless email exchanges and Zoom meetings. It's scary to think of all the dead ends he helped us avoid.
HOWIE:And we loved working with the team at Wiley. Richard Narramore, our editor, changed everything when he gave us the phrase critic to ally, among many invaluable contributions. What a joy to partner with you! Victoria Anllo and Deborah Schindler took such exquisite care of the manuscript as they shepherded it to publication. And Angela Morrison copyedited (is that one word or two, Angela?) the manuscript to as close to grammatical and stylistic perfection as our casual voices would allow.
PETER:These acknowledgments are going to double the length of our book! But perhaps most important, I do want to thank some of my mentors as this book is a culmination of a lifetime of learning. Marshall Goldsmith, in addition to penning the Foreword, you more or less created the field of executive coaching. I continue to learn from you in every one of our conversations. Ann Bradney, you continue to touch my life, push my thinking, and raise the bar for how I show up. Beth Fletcher and Andy Geller, you got me started on the right foot and I continue to feel your impact in all my work.
HOWIE:I've got to give a shout-out to Josh LaJaunie, whose journey from morbid obesity to the cover of Runner's World has inspired thousands—including me—to rethink our own potential for change. And, gosh, Peter, you've had a huge positive impact on my life for over two decades. Working on this book has been an honor and an education: not just in your brilliant methodology, but your willingness to keep questioning and challenging yourself to get better. Your commitment to feedback, growth, and courage are contagious, and I'm honored to be your co-conspirator, coauthor, and friend. [Punches Peter in the arm to cover his embarrassment]
PETER:I'm glad I get the last word here! I am filled with joy when I think about the years of our friendship and collaboration. What a gift. You are a terrific partner, not just because of how smart you are and how hard you work, but most important because of how committed you are to being a force of good in the world. You care. And that is the soul of everything we do together. It's what makes it worthwhile. And your sense of humor makes it fun. I too am honored—and grateful—to be your co-conspirator, coauthor, and friend.
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