David Traversi - The Source of Leadership: Eight Drivers of the High-Impact Leader

As youll see in this book, I am a strong believer in the oneness of our existence, that we are all connected to each other and every other element in our existence by a single energy. Nothing occurs in isolation. There is no better example than the creation of this book. It would not have occurred but for the collective efforts and inspirations of many people.

Above all, I wish to thank my lovely and loving wife, Lisa, who embodies the energies discussed in this book more than anyone I have ever known. Coming into my life at a time of transition, she inspired and supported my search for a deeper truth, which ultimately led to the formulation of this book. I will always be grateful for the patience she showed, the sacrifices she made, and the space she allowed me as I put this together.

Thank you also to my sons, Carlo and Giovanni, and my daughter, Madigan, for their love and support and for the way they inspire in me the drivers presented in this book.

I have been fortunate to have worked with several mentors and counselors who helped me work through a number of issues that were preventing me from accessing some of the drivers, or energies, discussed in this book. In particular, I thank Larry Clarke and Beverly Engel for their patience, persistence, insights, and empathy. Without them, this book would not be.

I am grateful for Michael Gerber, my dear friend and former client. An inspirational writer, speaker, and generator of ideas, Michael encouraged me in the writing process and introduced me to people in the publishing industry who did the same.

My deepest thanks to my agent and friend, Stephen Hanselman, of LevelFiveMedia, LLC. This book was made possible by his confidence in me as a person, his ability to recognize the value in this books message, and his broad and deep contacts in the publishing world. He is a class act all the way. And thank you to my outside publicists, Michael Levine, Liam Collopy, and Dawn Miller of Levine Communications Office, for stellar work in spreading the word about this book.

To my many clients over the past twenty years, my sincere thanks for their confidence in me and for sharing themselves with me. In my work with them over many years, I have been exposed to leadership in all its forms and qualities, and have gained a unique perspective that forms the foundation of this book. And a special thanks to the extraordinary leaderscoaches, teachers, and peersI encountered early in my life who instilled in me a desire to seek a deeper understanding of leadership: Tom Whiting, Bill Silva, Mike Davis, Tony Kehl, Frank Martinez, Doug Johnson, Ples Crews, Marty Procaccio, Father Gary Lombardi, Casey Gilroy, the late John Ramatici, the late Steve Dunaway, John Volpi, Paul White, Shaun Bolin, Bill Vyenielo, Tim Burnett, Rey Serna, Dennis DiCamillo, Ed Conroy, Charles C.C. Carter, and Scott Bootman.

Several close friends gave their valuable time to read the manuscript and offer suggestions for improvements. My sincere thanks to Marrianne McBride, who is also my sisterone of the most supportive anyone ever had; Stephen Gale, a wise man in the ways of both the soul and leadership; and Carl Stratton, whom I also thank for being the friend that he is and for his consistent support, insights, and enthusiasm over the many years of our friendship and various collaborations. I am thankful also for the unwavering support and grounding friendship of Paul and Linda Kruzic and their wonderful family as well as that of Lloyd and Evelyn Adams.

I deeply appreciate my brother, Stephen Traversi of Foothill Media, for creating the graphics in this book and the books website (www.thesourceofleadership.com), as well as the logo and branding for The Source of Leadership. And I thank Levi Ruiz of Fixed or Free Computer Services for keeping my IT systems up and running, always with a positive and supportive attitude. These guys are the best!

My special thanks also to John Ramatici, a lifelong friend and inspiration to me and multitudes of others. A truly extraordinary leader as a father, athlete, pilot, businessperson, and community member, he battled ALS with the same positive energy, dignity, and love and support for others that characterized every other day of his life. John, on behalf of the thousands of lives you touched, I say, We will remember you.

I also want to mention some other people in my life who passed from this world during the course of my writing this book: my grandmother, Josephine Traversi, who taught me and everyone she touched the meaning of unconditional love. Gene Benedetti, Mary Ann Milne, Garrett Fogg, Misha Dynnikov, and Jonathan Field were extraordinary leaders in their own ways and arenas, and, like most extraordinary leaders, they inspired more deeply and broadly than they ever realized.

Finally, I was fortunate to work with a wonderful group of people at New Harbinger Publicationsacquisitions, editorial, design/production, marketing, and everyone who helped bring my book into being and place it in the hands of readers. Thank you to the entire team for seeing the value in what I have to say and having the confidence that I could articulate it in an engaging manner. My special thanks to Melissa Kirk, my acquisitions editor, for managing the process with enthusiasm and class; to Heather Mitchener, my editorial director; Jess Beebe and Kayla Sussell, my senior editors; and Jean Blomquist, my copy editor, for their patience and commitment, and for ensuring I communicated my message in a compelling way; and to Julie Bennett, director of sales and marketing; Amy Shoup, art director; Earlita Chenault, my publicist; and Troy DuFrene, copywriter, for developing and executing a powerful marketing plan.

David M. Traversi is the founder and managing director of 2020 Growth Partners, LLC (www.2020gp.com), which offers executive coaching, strategic advisory, merchant banking, and leadership development services to executives and companies across the United States. He has worked as a chief executive of operating companies, a trial lawyer, a commercial lender, an investment banker, private company investor. In addition, he has started several successful companies in diverse industries. Traversi holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and a JD from the King Hall School of Law at the University of California, Davis.