"Associate yourself with people of good quality, for it is better to be alone than in bad company.” --Booker T. Washington
High Impact Quality: Acknowledgements
Many people contributed to this book in a material way, far more than can possibly be acknowledged within the confines of this page. I’ve had the good fortune to work with thousands of highly talented and professional colleagues at the Customer Research Center, American Express, First Data, Rockwell International, Marsh, Willis, Arginox, and WebMD over my career who knew, and know, far more about these topics than I can articulate in a single volume.
A few individuals contributed in both a personal and a professional way to my development and to the development of my thinking on High Impact Quality. My apologies are extended to the dozens of others who made similar contributions, but whose names escaped this summary. I want to thank: Lou Lombardo, a leader with an iron will and uncanny vision who raised my sights higher than I would have aimed on my own; Larry Styron, a brilliant process strategist with a knack for creating order out of chaos; Bill Yacker, a master of quality deployment strategy whose knowledge of organizational change is the foundation for my own attempts; Barry Sheehy, one of the great strategic business thinkers of our time, who always saw miles farther down the road than anyone; Denny Kaliher, a master salesman and masterful leader whose staff meetings were a wonderful boiling cauldron of intellectual ferment; Larry Aiken, an incredibly innovative and eclectic manager who always helped novices accomplish more than they thought possible; Dr. Robert Sutherland, a brilliant educator and professor at Cornell College with the patience to bring out the best in his students; the late Dr. John Crossett, a man of deep passion and enormous intellect whose unshakeable belief in the power of reason inspired his many acolytes to think deeply; my parents, Wayne and Betty Grant, who taught me the power of perseverance through vicissitude and the importance of a gentle guiding hand.
A special debt of gratitude must be expressed to Yvonne Brooks, who worked tirelessly to ensure this book was carefully organized, graphically compelling, and successfully published. In addition to her untiring work as editor, photographer, and graphic designer for this volume, she also bears co-responsibility for the care and nurturing of our three children: Yvette, Jessica, and Nicholas. They have been central to our happiness in life and continue to be our most enjoyable contribution to the future.
Enjoy High Impact Quality and please contribute to the critique, extension, and expansion of this starting point. You’ll find additional information, links to other experts, and much more throughout the website.
Steven C. Grant
January, 2009
Managing Partner, Customer Research Center
|
