There are many people who helped make this book happen.
I have to start by thanking Stephen Waddington, who edited Share This and Share This Too. The multi-author format of those books got me thinking about doing something similar. Stephen was also kind enough to meet me back in early 2017 to listen to my ideas and encouraged me to go for it.
I’m also very grateful to Isabel de Clercq for inviting me to write a chapter for her book Social Technologies in Business. Connect –Share – Lead, which was published in 2018. Isabel proved that the multi-author format was not only possible but worked very well. This spurred me on to get The Social CEO completed.
Of course, the book would not have happened without all the amazing contributors, and I have to thank them all for believing in me and for writing their brilliant chapters. In strictly alphabetical order, they are Zoe Amar, Matt Ballantine, David Barker, Chris Bartley, Nicola Brentnall, Michelle Carvill, Mary Curnock Cook, Andrea Edwards, Katie Elizabeth, Paul Frampton Calero, Sarah Goodall, Tammy Gordon, Brett Gosper, Julia Hanigsberg, Samantha Kelly, Oliver Lawal, Tom Marchant, Chris Mason, Jan Owen, Charles Pender, Bob Pickard, Theo Priestley, Euan Semple, David Taylor, Mark Tercek, Martin Thomas, Jack Salzwedel and Brian Solis. It may seem a bit obvious to say that without them the book wouldn’t exist, but without them the book wouldn’t exist.
I must also thank Emily Bedford, Bloomsbury’s commissioning editor at the time I submitted my proposal (she’s now moved into fiction publishing), for seeing the book’s potential and giving me a chance. Thanks also to her replacement Matt James for guiding me through the latter stages of the editorial process. Also at Bloomsbury, thanks must go to Kealey Ridgen and Emily Crowley Wroe for their sterling help with publicity and Giles Herman, the production editor. Finally, I’d like to thank Leeladevi Ulaganathan, the senior project manager at Deanta Global, for her patience with all my last-minute corrections and changes. I really did take it down to the wire!
I couldn’t finish without also mentioning the many people who have helped me along the way – intentionally or otherwise. Some played a part long before the book was even an idea, when I was just toying with the concept of social media for leaders. Whether it was through listening to my ideas and not laughing, giving me encouragement and support, providing speaking opportunities, or kicking my butt, they all helped whether they know it or not. I can’t name them all – the list is too long – but I’d particularly like to thank Graeme Leith, Julian Stodd, Henrik Essen, Lina Duque, Kerstin Schinck, Sammy Revill, Andrew Ridge, Simon Bennet, Craig Murray, Mark Fulker, David Waller, Lisa Wallner, Peter Bangham, Katherine Livesey and Rob Dietrich. You all had a hand in it!