ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A half-century ago, a man and a woman from Taiwan boarded separate planes to America to pursue their dreams of studying abroad. Each knew that the other was heading to the United States, but they didn’t know each other well. In fact, they had met only once through a mutual friend.
The woman arrived early in 1968 to earn a master’s degree in specialized education. She had received a scholarship to Northeast Missouri State University and saw the move to the United States as an opportunity to expand her professional career. She had intended to make the journey a year earlier but delayed her trip as she awaited the passing of her mother. She was a city girl at heart but braved the challenges of a new world and those harsh Midwest winters.
The man had come to America in the fall of 1968 with fifty dollars, a full scholarship, and a half-full suitcase to pursue a master’s degree in chemical engineering at Montana State University. He bought a ticket to San Francisco, where his older brother lived, thinking it was close to Bozeman, Montana, despite the vastness of the United States. After pooling some money from some kind-hearted acquaintances, he got on a Greyhound bus and finally arrived in Bozeman. Unfortunately, he had come a few weeks before classes started and had no place to live. He found some generous students who took him in and helped him assimilate. He would eventually continue on with school and earn a PhD. Then he graduated into a tough job market during the oil crisis of the 1970s.
By writing incredible letters about what their future together would be like and what they could accomplish together, the man persuaded the woman to come to Bozeman upon graduation. She was the backbone of inspiration that helped him get through his PhD. Through the generosity of the American society at that time and many friends along the way, they eventually settled in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and worked their way into the American dream.
My brother Rex and I are the beneficiaries of this quintessential American story. During the past forty years, our parents managed to impart to us their values of hard work, pursuit of the American dream, and a shared sacrifice to make life better for the next generation. It’s this foundation that enables me to share my point of view.
As I thought about who I wanted to dedicate this book to, I knew it had to be my parents. They are pioneers in their own right, and without their selfless love and dedication, I would not be here today. Their endless patience for my crazy ideas and their support of the interesting twists in my life journey can never be repaid in this lifetime but only paid forward to my children, loved ones, and friends.
Writing a book was not something I could have imagined doing in my childhood. I set out to be a scientist or inventor or physician. Somehow, I found myself spending less time with numbers and more time with simplifying abstract concepts, engaging in design, and improving my writing. Life does provide some unexpected turns, but each experience builds upon the others.
There are many folks I do want to thank for helping this book become a reality. My wife, Tina, has put up with each of my crazy ideas for more than twenty-three years. And I’ve had a ton of them. I also want to thank our kids, Nathan and Stephanie, for patiently standing by as they wondered what Dad was up to with late-night writing sessions, research, and massive travel. The time with them can’t be made up, but I do miss them a lot when I’m away. Hopefully it will all make sense to them one day.
When you think about your foundation and your core, you start with those teachers and other educators who inspired you. I do want to thank some inspirational teachers, such as Chuck Tannery from Spring House Junior High, whose passion for English and public speaking left a lasting impression on me regarding how to tell a story. Sister Mary Francis from Allentown Central Catholic High School provided encouragement to pursue the sciences with rigor, serving as a champion of support for my high school Westinghouse Science Talent Search.
Careerwise, the many mentors along the way include Jim Johns and Greg Finnegan at Johns Hopkins Hospital, who recognized early on that I was a disruptor but taught me how to channel that hyperactivity and the impatience of youth into something more fitting for the corporate world. Peggy Sawyer, then at Ernst & Young, was an encouraging force as we went through the SAP journey of learning how to configure complex German software. She taught me how to work hard, play hard, and navigate complex politics. Reza Soudagar at Oracle helped me develop a Silicon Valley big-company approach to building products and how to deal with different leadership styles and crazy politics.
Love Goel, then CEO of Personify, showed me how to think big and aim for the art of the possible. I thank John Ragsdale and Merv Adrian at Forrester Research for believing in me and giving me a start in this wonderful industry. Paul Hamerman helped me understand what the role of an industry analyst was. Meanwhile, my research director, Sharyn Leaver, gave me enough latitude to push the envelope in how industry research could be conducted and what it meant to innovate in the research field and build a personal brand.
The company I founded, Constellation Research, has entered its fourth year of business, and I’m very thankful for a great team. None of this would be possible without our COO, Dennis Kanemitsu, and our director of operations, Elaine Chen, who have held down the fort as I’ve struggled to take any available time slot to write. A key source of inspiration has been our three-hundred-plus clients roster. Because we are a Silicon Valley–based research firm, many of the book’s concepts have come from working with clients who are disrupting digital business. Those individual points have helped us plot the trends that have led to this digital business revolution.
In addition, I have had the good fortune of many mentors along the way. Paul Greenberg, often known as the Godfather of CRM, has provided great mentorship and guidance on not only writing this book, but also on how to grow a personal brand and company. Erin Kinikin, who rejected my application to Forrester three times before accepting it (well, she was on vacation when they hired me) and is now a trusted adviser, has been invaluable in providing perspective on research focus and how to grow analysts. Esteban Kolsky, a dear friend, has been a great resource in battle testing ideas in this digital disruption space. And my brother Rex, who knows me well enough to apply some sanity to my chaos on a regular basis.
As I wrote this book, there were many other folks who played a key role. I have to thank Kathleen Carr at Harvard Business Review Press, who reached out to me in October 2010 and surprised me with the initial offer. Special thanks go out to Kevin Smokler, my classmate at Johns Hopkins, who helped me understand how to tell the story in a conversational approach. In fact, his uncanny ability to synthesize a story led to many great suggestions and style techniques used throughout the text. His knowledge of the book industry helped provide insights into the process.
I also want to thank Justin Fox, my initial editor at Harvard Business Review Press, for putting up with the three years it took a draft in place. He helped me relearn how to write in the first person after years of having my writing style at Forrester beat out of me into a third-person approach. Finally, I have to thank Tim Sullivan, my current editor, for giving me the final push and encouragement to complete this book four years from its initial concept. There were times I probably would have given up, but his patience with me and my chaotic schedule, his ability to pull my thoughts into words, and his insightful ability to tell the story have made this book what it is.
As you read this book, understand that I have you to thank for taking the time to read these thoughts. I encourage you to reach out to me on e-mail, LinkedIn, or in the Twittersphere. I want to know your point of view and if this book has given you a different perspective on what your art of the possible can be. I truly appreciate you picking this book up. Please set forth and go disrupt digital business!