Preface: Coffee & a Bag of Peanuts

Words. Principles. Truth.

Words. Too many words. We're drowning in them.

Principles. They cascade off the shelf of every airport bookstore.

Truth. It's getting harder and harder to find.

But when we do find it, truth is like light from a beacon piercing the fog-laden night—warning us, as the ship's captain is warned, of treacherous shoals, steering us toward safe harbor.

Business is a journey—filled with promise but fraught with challenge. My plan in this book is to help focus the beacon's light on that journey.

We'll move quickly. I know you're a busy person, so my goal is to get you through this book in two ninety-minute plane trips. And that's with coffee and a bag of peanuts.

When my friends learned I was writing this book, they told me to be sure to define my audience.

It took a while, but now I believe I know who you are.

You're in business—or want to be in business some day.
You're a principled person.
You want your company, your profession and the world to be a better place because you've been there.
You're inquisitive, not content to stay as you are.

You'll get to know more about me, but for openers:

I'm in business.
I'm a principled person.
I want to know foundational truths and apply them to the fullest in my work.
I'm eager to share what I've learned, with the understanding that I'm still learning.

Oh—one more thing. You'll see why I really love Mondays.

A final goal. I'll be pleased if this book becomes your friend. If it gives you hope. If it gives you courage. If it gives you fresh vision for aligning your work world with timeless truth.