I want to give a special thanks to my amazing, supportive, patient, strong, beautiful wife, Jackie. She always encouraged me and never complained once through my entire MBA program (and while I was creating this book), all the while raising our five children.
I also want to thank the incredible classmates I learned so much from and who will be friends for life.
A huge thank you to all the top-notch professors who made my MBA experience as challenging and rewarding as it was: Curtis LeBaron and Michael Thompson (Leadership), Jim Stice (Corporate Financial Reporting), Nile Hatch (Entrepreneurial Management, Creativity and Innovation), Monte Swain (Managerial Accounting), Colby Wright (Business Finance), Glenn Christensen and Michael Swenson (Marketing), Daniel Snow and Cindy Wallin (Operations Management), John Bingham and Peter Madsen (Strategic HR Management), Bruce Money (Business Negotiations, Global Management), Mark Hansen (Strategy, Strategic Thinking), Brad Agle (Business Ethics), Jim Brau (Entrepreneurial Finance), Bill Tayler and Doug Prawitt (Judgment and Decision Making), Paul Godfrey (The General Manager’s Role), Gary Rhoads and David Whitlark (Startup Marketing Essentials), and finally Steve Smith and Bill Tayler (Performance and Incentives).
I want to thank my mother, Faith, who always taught me to present my best work no matter how small a project, my awesome brother Matt for his feedback and support, my agent David Fugate, and the incredible team at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.