Off-Centered Leadership

Afterword

Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.

—Walt Whitman

It may seem strange for me to end a book on leadership by saying that I am still learning how to be a better leader. Perhaps it's a bit of a contradiction to consider myself both a student and a teacher in this realm, but I am comfortable with this truth. We have all heard some version of the old adage: life is not about reaching a destination; it's about getting the most out of the journey. For me, the process of writing this book has given me a journal to document the major lessons I am learning as well as a forum through which I can share and teach. It is my hope that readers who are also in leadership roles can find common ground, useful directions, and similar routes that can positively inform their respective journeys.

Good leaders invite the people they lead to influence them—to teach them—to push them—to help them continually improve and evolve. This is the reason I have dedicated this book to the talented and passionate leaders I work with and have worked with in the past at Dogfish Head. This is not my book. As its author, it's mostly my voice telling our story, but I have worked hard to be as honest and open as possible and to incorporate the perspectives and contributions of my fellow leaders in the journey documented on these pages.

My evolution as a leader has become more rewarding as I have become more proactive and considerate in sharing the ...