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who gave me so much and continue to give back to others with such
passion.
Over the years there were those who gave me a break and helped
advance my cause. Thank you to Trudi Baldwin, the director of the
Graduate Program in Strategic Communications at Columbia
University (a wonderful program), Jim Berrien, who trusted me, the
indefatigable Jack Daly, who teaches me, Piers Fawkes, Denis
Glennon, who pushed me, Kevin Goetz, Tony Gomes, Paul
Gumbinner, who gave me a career on a silver platter, Kenneth Hein,
Peter Intermaggio, who taught me self-reliance, Pamela Moffat, Rick
Sapio, who keeps doing good things for me, Alana Winter and Matt
Weiss, for asking me to share
my thoughts with an audience, and
Diederik Werdmolder who took a bet on me right at the start.
I am grateful to all the brilliant minds I have met within the U.S.
Air Force who stuck their necks out to try something different. They
embody the WHY of the USAF: to find and deliver better ways of
doing things. To Maj. Gen. Erwin Lessel (who first introduced me to
the organization), Maj. Gen. William Chambers, Brig. Gen. Walter
Givhan, Brig. Gen. Dash Jamieson (who never stops believing), Maj.
Gen. Darren McDew, Brig. Gen. (Sel) Martin Neubauer (who knows
more than I will ever know), Christy Nolta, Brig. Gen. Janet
Therianos and Lt. Col. Dede Halfhill (you owe me one, DeDe).
I am immensely grateful to all the brilliant people and candid
conversations that inspired so many of the ideas that became The
Golden Circle and all its parts. Thank you to Kendra Coppey, who
helped me out of the hole in late 2005 and to Mark Levy, who
pointed me in the right direction.
Thanks to Peter Whybrow, who
saw a problem in America and helped me to understand the
neuroscience of it all. Kirt Gunn, whose brilliant storytelling mind
inspired the split. Every conversation with Brian Collins
illuminated something new. Thank you to Jorelle Laakso, who
taught me to reach for the things I believe in. To William Ury, who
Acknowledgments
254
showed me a path to follow, and Lt. Gen. David Deptula, who is
probably the smartest person
I know and gave me a new
perspective for solving highly complex problems.
My understanding of the WHY would be incomplete without
the conversations, help and support of Nic Askew, Richard
Baltimore, Christopher Bennett, Christine Betts, Ariane de
Bonvoisin, Scott Bornstein,
Tony Conza, Vimal Duggal, Douglas
Fiersetin, Nathan Frankel, JiNan Glasgow, Cameron Herold, John
Hittler, Maurice Kaspy, Peter Laughter, Kevin Langley, Niki
Lemon, Seth Lloyd, Bruce Lowe, Cory Luker, Karl and Agi Mallory,
Peter Martins,
Brad Melt- zer, Nell Merlino, Ally Miller, Jeff
Morgan, Alan Remer, Pamela and Nick Roditi, Ellen Rohr, Lance
Piatt, Jeff Rothstein, Brian Scudamore, Andy Siegel, John Stepleton,
Rudy Vidal, the 2007 and 2008 classes of the Gathering of Titans,
and the one and only Ball of Mystery.
To my late grandfather,
Imre Klaber, who showed me that it is
more fun to be slightly eccentric than to be completely normal. To
my parents, Steve and Susan Sinek, who always encouraged me to
follow the beat of my own drum. And to Sara, my remarkable,
remarkable sister, who appreciates that I keep my head in the
clouds but makes sure I keep my feet on the ground.
There are a few books and authors that have, over the years,
inspired me, spurred ideas and offered me new perspectives: the
works of Ken Blanchard, of Tom Friedman and of Seth Godin,
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