One of the core messages of this book is that transformations are possible only through collaboration. That principle is no less true of Strategic Doing itself – it has been continuously refined by the people who have used it, from the kernel of an idea more than two decades ago to a discipline that is taught throughout the United States and Canada (and is beginning to make its impact felt elsewhere as well). Our first thanks go to this growing “community of practice.” While these additional acknowledgments are certainly not all‐inclusive, we want to especially express our gratitude to the following:
The leaders in Oklahoma City, Kentucky, and Charleston, whose communities served as the initial proving grounds for Strategic Doing: Charles Van Rysselberge, Clay Bennett, Burns Hargis, J. R. Wilhite, and Ernest Andrade.
The core team in Flint, which has taught us that Strategic Doing can make a difference in confronting truly life‐and‐death issues: Bob Brown, Kenyetta Dotson, Alexis Murphy Morris, Hubert Roberts, Artina Sadler, Donna Ulrich, and the much‐missed Tendaji Ganges.
Peggy Hosea, who worked with the Purdue team for more than a decade and created the systems that ensured our work led to success, while laying the groundwork to build out a global network of practitioners and partner institutions.
Nina Wojtalewicz, who's kept the plates spinning at the Agile Strategy Lab so that Ed, Scott, and Liz could find the time to write.
The team at Wiley, for their guidance to our team of novices; we are grateful to Jeanenne Ray, Vicki Adang, and Beula Jaculin, as well as all those behind the scenes.
Kim Mitchell of Community Renewal International in Shreveport, Louisiana; Kim turned his tremendous visual communication skills to our work several years ago—beginning with a session in which he and Ed locked themselves in a conference room with a whiteboard and lots of markers. The graphics have been refined over the years (including a new “streamlined” look by David Allen Moss of MossMedia) but remain a vital part of our teaching.
Our fellow members on the Strategic Doing core team: Bob Brown, Rena Cotsones, Tim Franklin, Michon Hicks, and Janet Holston.
The faculty and staff at Purdue who have invited us into their work to take on audacious challenges across many disciplines. There is no way to list them all, but in particular we want to thank the leaders that have supported the growth of our work there: Ken Burbank, Sam Cordes, Duane Dunlap, Vic Lechtenberg, and former president Martin Jischke.
David Cooperrider, whose pioneering work in Appreciative Inquiry has unlocked the power of groups to create new futures for their organizations and communities, and has made all of our strategic conversations possible.
Finally, while he is no longer with us, we are grateful to David Morgenthaler, one of Ed's mentors. As Ed was working to make sense of a new approach to strategy, it was David who first suggested using S‐Curves to explain the transformation. An iconic investor, David founded Morgenthaler Ventures and was a pioneer in the venture capital industry. He generously shared his time and expertise, and he spent the last years of his life “paying it forward” in so many ways.