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Introduction
The
story behind the completion of this book is the most persuasive argument I
can make about why you should take its message to heart. The introductions to co-authored books are usually written by both
authors. That’s not possible with Time Out for Leaders. Donald
Luce died Nov. 24, 2003, at the age of 45. That was before he was able to
complete his work on this book, and long before anyone expected the final
chapter of his life story to be written. In 1996, Don published an earlier version of this book. In it, he
encouraged leaders to experience the insight, self-awareness, and
enrichment of making time for personal reflection. He created a tool that
would make it easier for other leaders to live and work with purpose,
passion, and focus. In 2003, he began to rewrite that manuscript. He
wanted it to catch up to the knowledge and experience he had continued to
develop about leadership and life. Don and I met in person only once, just after he had agreed with Kathe
Grooms of Nova Vista Publishing to begin the project. We had long enough
to shake hands, exchange a few pleasantries, and acknowledge Kathe’s
idea that we would enjoy getting to know each other. More than a year
after Don’s death, Kathe invited me to complete Time Out for Leaders,
with the blessing of Don’s family, and with the challenge to stay true
to the ideals and beliefs that defined his lifelong work. In seeking insight throughout his life – as a husband, father, friend,
active community member, businessman, spiritual guide, and leadership
consultant –Don collected inspirational quotes. He used them for his own
reflection. He looked to, between, and behind the words of others to
challenge his own thinking about what mattered most in his life. In
finishing the work Don started with this book, I have met him many times,
over and over. I’ve come to know him through the quotes and words he
first put to paper more than ten years ago. The message he shared in the
first iterations and inspirations of Time Out for Leaders was
clear. It is even more poignant now that he’s not here to deliver that
message himself: Be thoughtful, reflective, and deliberate about how you
spend your life, because your time and opportunities to make the world a
little better place are limited. Writing books is hard work. There were moments when I was so busy working on copy for this one when, ironically, I lost track of some of the other pieces of my life. You know the feeling. There also were moments, when Don was there on the page. To remind me of the preciousness of time. To assure me I would be smarter, more effective, more successful, more fulfilled – that my life would be better – if I slowed down occasionally to think about what I was doing and why. The first time we met on the page that way was an intellectual and emotional collision. The connection ran through me like an electric current. I felt both sad and uplifted at the same time. Time Out for Leaders is
designed for you to read one page a day, five days a week (please note
that we give you weekends off!). Some of the quotes may not inspire or
challenge you in the ways they have Don and me. You may not agree with all
the insights we’ve come to as a result of our reflection about those
quotes. And not all the action ideas we suggest at the end of each page
may fit you. In the end, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that
you can use Time Out for Leaders to stimulate your own thinking and
growth. Try using it as a starting point for regularly investing just a
few precious minutes a day in reflection. Even this small commitment will
feed your dreams. It will test your beliefs. It will guide your decisions.
It will help define who you are and profoundly influence your life. It may
even provide you with your own electric moments. Above
all else, that is the message I heard when I first met Don Luce on these
pages and started my collaboration with him. It’s a message I hope you
will take to heart. I have. And it’s making a difference. Brian McDermott
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