To capture leaders' stories is to record their inner triumphs: Abraham Lincoln rising from desperate poverty to educate himself and become the grand statesman that he was; Mohandas Gandhi suffering the indignities and humiliations of an oppressive society to become a visionary leader who found the potential for greatness in every person he worked to set free.

Leaders come from places as varied as Skopje, Macedonia, and Hardin County, Kentucky, and from disciplines as different as marine biology and freedom fighting. They come, and they touch our lives. They change the way we work, live, and see the world.

The leaders featured in this book cleared paths in a wood and marked them, so that we could wander those trails again and again to wonder outside ourselves. Their stories light the paths with colors and sounds that we can still see and hear, if we look and listen closely enough.

Each of these lives was in some way a message. Each of these lives remains a part of our collective trail map. I have been humbled to do the research and writing. I hope you enjoy these stories.

To read more, we invite you to purchase the book.