Читать книгу Think Bigger - Sonnenfeldt Michael W. - Страница 4

Writing a book like this was a challenge beyond what I could have imagined. I have learned things about the unique nature of some very successful entrepreneurs through the intimate experiences I shared with fellow members of Tiger 21 over the past two decades. Translating and clarifying those insights into a book that would be of interest to others was where the real challenge lay.

I knew I would need to partner with a writer who not only could focus more intently on this project than my schedule would allow but also bring skills I did not have. My agent, Jim Levine, introduced me to Ed Tivnan, a deeply experienced reporter and writer. Ed had the skills and experience writing books and interviewing people – something I simply lacked. Our original focus was to capture the insights I had been developing and see what was there. As we built an initial collection of ideas and themes, it was clear that we needed to conduct more interviews with Tiger 21 members to see how their experiences could lead us to further insights. We spent a full year pursuing and digesting interviews. Ed handled the majority of them and eventually realized the best way to organize all of these insights was through the vehicle of a lesson book. What seems obvious now was not at all obvious then.

While my own story is woven throughout the book, and I knew of or identified many of the interviewees through the help of the Tiger 21 chairs who lead and facilitate each of our 35 groups, Ed did the heavy lifting for much of the book. Yes, it is my story, but his efforts are all over it. I could not have made the progress I did without his terrific work on the project.

When I thought we were done, I had the good fortune, through my close friend and book mentor Seth Siegel (who helped with just about every major decision I made on this book), to be introduced to Bari Weiss, a young superstar book review editor then at the Wall Street Journal. I was curious how she thought the book would be received, but after reading it, she immediately commented that we had not included enough stories about women entrepreneurs and any unique lessons they might have to share. Bingo! In my initial rush to capture as many stories as possible, I didn’t think about the mix of the interviewees. Fortunately, Bari and I were able to capture a few important stories from Tiger 21 members who were women. I am enormously grateful for Bari’s additional insights and the interviews she did that added the voices of more of our female members.

In addition to the many editing changes Bari made, I also received important editing suggestions from Arthur Goldwag at a critical time in the book’s development, and from Christina Verigan, assigned to me by Wiley. Then the production team at Wiley really put the finishing touches on the book with their deft editing.

Throughout the project, Kathleen Dunleavy, with whom I have had the pleasure of working for 30 years, kept me on track with all the details I would have otherwise have missed. As usual, her assistance was simply invaluable, and I could not have gotten through the myriad of details without her. She has been the most constant professional colleague of my career, without whose help I would be lost most of the time.

However, my deepest appreciation goes to the many members of Tiger 21 who were kind enough to share their stories with me and share the insights that their extraordinary careers allowed them to develop. Not all of them made it into the book, but even those that didn’t have helped me learn important lessons I might not have ever been exposed to. Learning from fellow members has been one of the primary joys of my life for the past 20 years. I am endlessly fascinated by my fellow members’ stories and ever grateful for their willingness to share in a way that I, and other members, can learn from and grow. Not only were the many chairs at Tiger 21 helpful in identifying members with great stories, but a few of them also shared their own important experiences. (Thank you, Cal Simmons, Barbara Roberts, Charlie Garcia, and Chris Ryan, for your stories and insights.) I also want to recognize the key professionals on the Tiger 21 staff with whom I have worked for the last decade and more. We could not have created the platform from which this book springs without your creativity, dedication, and brilliant execution.

A first book project is an entirely new experience, and at each stage, expectations have to recalibrated. My agent, Jim Levine, has been a great guide along the way. We were extremely lucky to have received interest from Steve Isaacs at Bloomberg Books, and Tula Weis and Sheck Cho at Wiley. I am indebted to the whole Bloomberg and Wiley teams for giving me this opportunity.

I am sure I have forgotten or omitted many others along the way whose insights added immeasurably to the finished product. Over the past three years, I sought and received input from countless people, many of whom made critical differences along the way. Thanks to all of you.

While I am primarily responsible for the creation and evolution of Tiger 21, as an organization, it has grown far beyond my specific contributions. My initial partner, Richard Lavin, ran Tiger 21 for its first five years. His attention to detail and commitment to the concept allowed us to get up and running. He taught me a lesson based on his deep restaurant experience: Kiss your customers on all four cheeks. We simply could not have grown into the organization we have become today without Richard’s initial participation. Then Tommy Gallagher stepped in. In a remarkably short time, Tommy took a small New York–based organization and created a national footprint. We saw remarkable increases in our membership and our staff during his tenure. Tommy has been a steadfast partner for almost all of Tiger 21’s history, and one of my best friends to boot. I have been pleased to share this journey with him. In 2009, Jonathan Kempner joined Tiger 21 as president and brought experience we simply never had. While providing a steady hand for the six years he was at the helm, he was almost always a real pleasure to work with. When he insisted on developing our annual conference, despite my objections, it turned out to be one of the most transformational activities in our 20-year history. Jonathan forever changed Tiger 21 with his insights about how to build a large organization and how best to serve our members interests’. We now are being led by Barbara Goodstein as CEO, and under her leadership, we are growing even faster. We have just opened London, and I can’t wait to see what evolves in the coming years.

I have had the good fortune of being associated with Harley Frank for almost 35 years. Over that time period, we have worked together in almost every business I have been involved with, and he has always brought a unique perspective and unmatched creative energy. The idea of translating the wisdom from our members’ experiences into a book was Harley’s, and for a number of years he relentlessly pushed me to write it. Without Harley’s initial energy pushing me forward in the early stages, there would never have been a book. Harley impresses me with his interesting, creative one-off marketing, branding, and promotional ideas more than anyone else in my orbit. While I hope this book turns out to be the best of them, it is only one of many of his ideas that I have benefited from over all these years.

Finally, it is my wife, Katja, and our four children to whom I am personally most indebted. All the sacrifices, schedule changes, trip cancellations, missed dinners, interrupted dinners, and endless distractions that my personality has driven me to accept have most often come at the expense of spending time with each of them, and most of all, with Katja. Without their support, encouragement, acquiescence, and acceptance, the activities and events I have shared in this book, and the book itself, would never have come to be. For that and so much more I am forever grateful.