I must begin my thanks by acknowledging the best decision I’ve ever made—asking Mary to be my wife. Mary has been my primary source of support and inspiration over the last 33 years in addition to being my best friend. Her love has sustained me through many ups and downs and provided the foundation for my personal and professional growth.
Thank you to our son Joe and the grandchildren, Julia and Joseph, who have taught me that life has its challenges and that all can be overcome with love—especially if good food and Graeters Ice Cream is involved.
I would like to thank my parents, Rose and Tom, who set the foundation for all that I am. My mother taught me about empathy and the importance of faith. My father taught me the importance of humor, responsibility, and how to work.
Looking back, I am amazed by how the many wonderful and talented people have shown up in my life at just the right time. To that end, I would like to thank:
Jack Roberts—who, at the age of 15, taught me to fly, to see the world differently, and appreciate the unseen forces that must be balanced to fly successfully. Little did I realize at the time how important this understanding would be to the rest of my personal and business life.
Roy Nelson—who was a model of a way of life connecting business with family and quietly making a positive difference in the world. He was very much a second father figure.
At Northern Kentucky University I signed up for an undergraduate class in Organizational Psychology with George Manning. Like most college freshmen, I didn’t really have a clear idea of what I wanted to do with my life. That first class sparked something inside—I was intrigued with psychology and its application to work. George was my first professional mentor who took me on consulting assignments and provided a model for how education and psychology could be applied to help organizations become not only more effective but also better places to be. George’s positive energy and willingness to spend time with me was invaluable.
Graduate school at the University of Cincinnati was all about Bill Stewart. Bill ran our program in the School of Education and was famous for his stories. He was a character with a diverse set of life experiences—career veteran, entrepreneur, and educator. He continually amazed us with his ability to repurpose stories to fit the idea he was illustrating. I appreciated his creativity and positive outlook on life.
My local organization development (OD) network has also provided help, Peter Block who transformed my thinking about engagement and accountability, Steve McMillian, Jean Lapoint, Barry Morris, Lisa Haneburg, and Mike Webb all have helped in one way or another in advancing my thinking.
From Xavier University, John Van Kirk and Phil Jones were both major contributors. Phil taught me about process improvement methodologies. John developed my strategic thinking ability and how to buy a good bottle of red wine for less than $10. I’ve often marveled at how abstract concepts become so much clearer after a second glass!
I’d like to acknowledge all the good people I’ve worked with at Hubert. For the last 26 years they educated and walked with me as we explored the best way to make things better. The walk was far from a straight line. As we made the journey, there were more than a few dead ends and what I really appreciate is that we learned from them and started out again. I’m sure there were times when they wondered if I had lost my mind but that was never said—it was always about what we were going to try next. Throughout the book you will also see their fine work in the form of the examples I’ve used. I’d especially like to recognize Patti Chesney, Greg Hubert, Tina Beccaccio, and Tom Marine.
Specifically, Bart Kohler is the best boss a person can have. His authenticity, empathy, humanistic values, and business acumen are unparalleled and a significant driver for Hubert’s success. He has supported my work and challenged me continuously (“Martin I like it but can you do it faster”). He is both my boss and friend.
At the executive level—Greg Ollinger, John Ebbert, Carlin Stamm, Mark Green, Mark Rudy, Mark Woodrow, Jeff Shelton, Tim Lansing Dick Thoene, Andy Hallock, all have been beyond generous in teaching me about their disciplines and how businesses really work. I could not have received a better business education at Harvard.
Lisa Van Sant and Laura Hawley have provided my ongoing education in Human Resources. They are HR experts and get-it-done people who have freed me up to wander off to explore new OD roads.
I owe a major debt to my co-traveler on this journey, Robb MacFarlane. Robb and I have worked together for over 20 years in the OD department. I greatly appreciate Robb’s patience and ability to work my broad ideas down from 50,000 feet to how to use an idea to get something done. He is unique in his ability to span the conceptual to the concrete. He is very smart and has a great sense of humor. I could not have had a better colleague.
I also want to call out the uncountable number of project teams over the years. The Co-Create model would not have emerged without the testing, changing, and retesting that occurred as we applied it to real issues and opportunities facing Hubert.
Throughout this project I’ve distinctly felt divine guidance. My hope is that sharing this model will help make the world just a little bit better. And if it does, my mission is complete.