Most of our creative lives have grown out of a shared excitement about ideas, a process that has involved us for over forty years: first as students and teachers, then as consultants and facilitators.  We have seen processes taught and executed well, and we have seen them conceived and delivered poorly.  “Everything we do,” said one facilitation teacher “is determined by forces inside of each member of the group of which they are totally unaware.”  This kind of approach makes facilitation seem esoteric and alien, and the claims and processes by some facilitators arrogant and ominous.  When taught and executed well, facilitators have the capacity to enrich rather than deplete, to empower rather than diminish, to deepen experience rather than haunt it.  It is with this in mind that we would like to thank the many colleagues, educators and competitors who have enriched our thinking, challenged our ideas and asked us to “always seek a higher ideal.”

What we have learned is who we are. That is not to imply that we agreed with all that we have been taught, but we are very grateful to have known and learned from our many teachers: Bryan Mattimore from the Mattimore Group, Dick Feder from The Marketing Group, Jit Chropa and Pam Moore from Synectics, Jim Ferry and Mark Seabell from CreativeRealities, Chris Miller from Innovation Focus, Bill Heater from Heater Advertising, Susan Parrish from Parrish Marketing, Susan Earabino from The Marketing Partnership, Michael Blaber from Fresh Pond Communications, Jon Lindalow, Peter Bakalor, Chris Jacobs, Diane Parks, Deiter Sauer from the Unisys Corporation, Michael Orme from the EEC and HP - Europe, Lee James and Regis MeKenna from Regis McKenna, Inc., Kate Newlin from BrainReserve, Larry Burns from The Cambridge Group, Tom Peters from Tom Peters Group, Tony Winch, Rita Harris, Paul Regan, Bob Stacey from Hill, Holiday - Boston, and Grace P. McEnerney from C.Schmidt and Sons.

I am most indebted to our clients, whose generosity and willingness to allow us to explore new ideas and techniques with them as partners is the foundation for all thoughts and concepts we've developed so far. It is a great irony because of the confidential nature of our work, that we cannot thank each person and each company by name.

It is the paradoxical nature of business to be both public and private. While encouraging change and "newness" companies often keep both at bay. Negotiating a course though the paradox is at the core of our work.