Page 10 - Performance Leadership

ACKNO WLEDGMENTS

riting a book that challenges conventional wisdom and tries to
Wcome up with original solutions and viewpoints is a lonely exer-
cise. However, all of the content is deeply grounded in practice, and I
have worked with many people: brainstorming, validating ideas, sharp-
ening them. Many have been a true inspiration. This book’s journey
started with a conversation with Christa Hörchner, who introduced me
to Stephen Covey’s four dimensions of personal development.
It occurred to me that these four dimensions could be applied to organ-
izations as well, and this insight completely changed my idea of
performance management, ultimately leading to much of the content
of this book.
I also need to thank many of my colleagues. Particularly the years I
spent with Gartner, lastly as Research Vice President, have had a mas-
sive influence on my own professional development. At Gartner, my
managers, Regina Casonato, Joel Wecksell, and Alexander Drobik,
always supported my out-of-the-box research projects that have taught
me analytical and contrarian thinking. I have very much enjoyed the
lively debates around these topics with many colleagues in the Gart-
ner research community. However, I would like to highlight Andreas
Bitterer, Ted Friedman, Lee Geishecker, and Nigel Rayner. Special
thanks go to Howard Dresner, who has been a great mentor, first at
Gartner, later at Hyperion Solutions. At Oracle, where I now hold the
position of Vice President of Enterprise Performance Management
Strategy, the support of John Kopcke, Senior Vice President, has been
invaluable in making this book a reality. I would also like to thank my
colleague and friend Thomas Oestreich, not only for his review and
comments, but also for his contributions and passionate discussions.

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