Everything has to come to an end, sometime.

—L. FRANK BAUM

Recently the Pinnacle team climbed the three highest mountains in the United Kingdom as part of a charity event to raise funds for Pinnacle Performance Academy, our program to teach leadership and communication skills to underprivileged and underserved youth. Gathering at the base of the first mountain, as we assigned roles and responsibilities, it became apparent that everyone would play a crucial role in the success of the team being able to complete these hikes. And as we ascended the mountain and the weather abruptly shifted from hot and dry to cold and wet, it became even more obvious how much we would need each member of the team. We shared food, bandaged our blisters, and entertained each other with stories to make the grueling hours pass.

The research and writing that is brought together in The Bullseye Principle is not that far removed from what happened on those mountain climbs. We could not have written this book without the contributions and generosity of every member of the Pinnacle family. To paraphrase Viola Spolin, they were the spokes in the wheel that made this project roll. Every topic or idea discussed in these pages was developed and refined over time in various Pinnacle trainings and workshops across the globe. We would like to gratefully acknowledge the contributions of our core group of Pinnacle team members, many of whom have been with us from the beginning: Vicky Albertelli, Cheryl Avery, Spencer Baculi, Stephanie Baculi, Yvonne Blackwell, Richard Bradford and Disquiet Dog, Anu Bhatt, Mitchell Chaban, Jason Denuszek, Kevin Douglas, Minita Gandhi, John Garnett, Chris Gausselin, Regan Gausselin, Tina Gluschenko, Aarti Gupta, Clare Hallinan, Valda Henry, Erica Hernandez, Frey Hoffman, Francesca Hutchings, Jessica Kadish, Tim Kasper, Tom LaMere, Brad Lawrence, Gerri Leon, Rob Lynch, James Mackey, Connor McNamara, Brian McNeany, Heidi McNeany, Claudio Medeiros, Eliza Jane Morris, Christian Mortensen, Naomi Ouellette, Ben Osbun, Blair Robertson, Adrian Romanski, Jay Schwartz, Laura Shatkus, Kaelan Strouse, Craig Tafel, Cindy Tegtmeyer, DawnMarie Vestevich, Kern Wasan, Andrew Weir, Jonathan Weis, Jason Wong, and Lizzie Yirrell. We'd also like to acknowledge Israel Antonio, an inspiring and amazing athlete whom we have proudly sponsored for the past eight years, and the great Phil Davison, who has been so generous with his time, talent, and passion. To everyone mentioned above, your commitment, dedication, and input have been invaluable in the process of developing and writing this book.

To our families—especially our wives, Jo and Celeste, our children, Sadie, Sawyer, Rider, and Hunter, and our parents and in-laws—thank you for the support and understanding you have allowed us as we shaped and formed this book, often spending extended periods of time working out of town or overseas.

To our network of friends and supporters—specifically Jacob Alexander, Hassan Al Juaidi, Steve Bertrand, Daniel Bird, John Bowden, Julie Bowden, Leo Bustamante, Darren Callahan, Sam Conjardi, Kim Conjardi, Melissa Farley, Steve Farley, Ja'Mal Green, Mike Heneghan, Elvia Heneghan, Benjamin Host, Chuck Huber, Bob Hudson, Zubin Kammula, Ryan Lance, James Lynch, Ryan Mecum, Rob Nelson, Treshan Weerasooriya Pereira, Kurt Rolle, Morgan Rowe, Gernot Schulz, Matt Sullivan, Adam Szewc and Lucy Szewc—thank you for being a part of this adventure. We'd also like to thank our agent, the great Eric Lupfer at Fletcher & Company, for seeing the potential of this project from the start, as well as our editors Kelly Martin, Shannon Vargo, Deborah Schindlar, Marketing Manager Peter Knox and the entire staff at John Wiley & Sons. We are humbled by the invaluable guidance you have provided in shaping this book throughout the entire process. We are thrilled to call Wiley home.

We'd also like to thank those who provided us with interviews and stories for the book, especially Jay Bonansinga, Phil Davison, William “Andy” Freels, Ramesh Kaushik, Angela Kenyatta, David O'Connor, Albert Robinson, and Pat Wadors. Thank you for your time and generosity.

Finally, we wish to thank our various clients across the globe, specifically Ruth Almen, Cori Aluli-Chott, Paola Alvarez, Marc Bartolone, Elizabeth Bayee, Tiffany Berrecloth, Nancy Blonski, David Bowden, Aaron Boyle, Patrick Boyle, Owen Callahan, Keith Chan, Remi Chau, Marcia Childers, Therese Dickerson, Karen Dubiel, Marie Dumas, Nanette Fairley, Rich Fendrych, Gina Fernandes, Rachel Fichter, David First, Mindy Geisser, Amy Governale, Doris “Pippi” Guilfoyle, Candace Gunderson, Brian Hackerson, Steven Hamilton, Jonathan Hart, Theresa Haskins, Eloise Haverland, Kate Hay, Rob Hill, Bob Hilt, Matthew Hunter, Christina Itzkowitz, Bill Joiner, Regina Kaufman, Wade Kretman, Heather Lawrence, Marc Letendre, Sha-Ron Low, Matt Luke, Karen Jaw-Madson Nikki Magistro, Dana Mayhew, David McCulloch, Simon McGoran, Matthew McGrattan, Mark McNitt, Michelle Nikodem, Vikki Powell, Krysta Van Ranst, Craig Robbins, Susan St. Amant, Patricia Santini, Courtney Scheffler, Peter Sepessy, Thomas Shirley, David Small, Katherine Steen, Sal Venegas, Pat Wadors, Samuel Wang, Holly Whitcomb, Greg Willmore, and the numerous trusted partners at Capgemini and Infosys. We are grateful for the privilege you have given us to work with you. We could not have accomplished any of this without the trust and belief you have shown toward us and it has been a distinct honor to watch your employees blossom and grow as a result of the work we have done together.

For everyone who has read this book, we hope the principles and insights we have shared serve you well as you advance in your career and develop as a leader. Put these tools and concepts into your communicator's tool belt and carry them with you. If you keep them sharp, they will serve you well. Keep pushing yourself, put in the time, and strive for mastery as a communicator. Aspire. Believe. Commit. Because, as Stanislavski often reminded his actors “Talent without work is nothing more than raw unfinished material.”¹

We wish you the best of luck. Get out there and be amazing.