Leadership Landscapes arises from the convergence of several decades of both practice and research. The work reflects findings from prior research (Common Fire) as well as some fresh interpretations of how that research applies to our work in supporting and developing leaders. It flows from a conversational partnership - a practice described in the book - that has taken place over almost a decade.

Our work has been enriched by so many influences over such long spans of time and place that we found it daunting to imagine a proper accounting of all those who should be acknowledged in the book. So, since we intend to continue the work we are opting for a more open-ended, inclusive approach. If you feel we missed you or someone else in the acknowledgements list, please contact us at info@leadershiplandscapes.com.

First and foremost we would like to acknowledge our families on both sides of the Atlantic for their care and support over the years that we spent taking long walks and weekends to gather our insights.

We would also like to thank our colleagues at Executive Learning Partnership, especially Nick Van Heck and Ann De Jaeger for their business support and thoughts that went into this work. We are also grateful for the support we received from Irene Bruggeman, Griet Ceuleers, and Ilonka Van Sweevelt. Additionally, we would like to give a nod to Mike Small who helped shape our early ideas and Tom Morley for his artistic talents. Special thanks goes to Rob-Jan de Jong for his dedication to the idea of Leadership Landscapes and for the drafting and editing that led to the completion of the project in written and verbal form.

Finally, we would like to thank the many, many people who have contributed to this project over the years - those with whom we have tested our ideas, shared in workshops, worked in board retreats and dialogue (the following list is in no particular order and open-ended):

• The Club of Rome – where we first worked together, sparking our conversational partnership.
• Laurent Daloz, Cheryl Keen and Sharon Parks (Common Fire: Leading Lives of Commitment in a Complex World) – for some of the research that fed Leadership Landscapes.
• Bo Ekman and Charles Handy at the Tallberg Forum – encouraged and inspired us to share our unconventional perspective on leadership development.
• Shell International, Unilever, ABN AMRO Bank – companies where we worked and learned about leaders, organizations and impact from the inside.
• Peter Drucker, Peter Checkland and Jay Forrester, Karl Deutsch, Peter Senge, Ed Schein and Arie de Geus, Dana Zohar and Fritjof Capra, Chris Argyris – for introducing and inspiring us with their research, leadership frameworks and tools.