The first key word in this title reflects the book's key personal growth theme. This book reflects the notion that to keep going, we need to keep growing.

But grow toward what? The second key word (distance) talks to where it is that we want to grow. Much of The CLEMMER Group's personal, team, and organization transformation is built around gap analysis. This involves clarifying where we are now, defining where we want to be, and establishing the plans, processes, and skills to narrow the gap between our current and future state. In other words, establishing the distance we want to travel, and continually transforming and developing ourselves to get there. That's growing the distance.

A key theme of Growing the Distance is reflected in the phrase repeated throughout the book, 'leadership is action, not a position.' This is a book on personal leadership. Many digital focus group participants voted for the word 'leader' or 'leadership' in the title or subtitle. That's understandable since most focus group participants have leadership roles or positions in their organizations. This book is very applicable to them.

However, many of the intended readers of this book are not in leadership roles and at first glance, might easily feel that a book with that word in the title or subtitle is not applicable to them. They want to be successful in their personal lives, careers, or families, but they don't necessarily see themselves as leaders. Once into the book, they can see what we mean by 'leadership' (as action, not a position) and how personal leadership is the key to the distance they want to travel for a fulfilling and successful life. That's one of the reasons we chose the subtitle (Timeless Principles for Personal, Career, and Family Success).

We also didn't use the word 'change' in any of the titles, because that word is becoming badly overused and abused. In my speaking engagements and The CLEMMER Group's consulting work, we're finding a growing number of people who are 'change fatigued.' Recently a Client asked us to avoid using the word when working with their organization because it would just turn people off. That's consistent with how all of our work, and Growing the Distance emphasizes going beyond trendy changes and programs (ways of doing things) to the deeper level of transformation, based on timeless principles (a way of being).

This first experience with a digital focus group was extremely positive and productive. In less than 7 days, we had input from nearly 500 key people who represent a major audience for this book. Compared to mailed surveys, telephone interviews, or live focus groups, the digital focus group was extremely quick, convenient, and inexpensive. The voting patterns and many comments added to the returned e-mail messages really helped shape the final titles. As we continue to expand our digital communication process to stay in touch with our many contacts, we'll very likely be using this feedback mechanism again.

We've used an innovative three-tiered approach for the page layouts in Growing the Distance. The section quotations, stories or fables, and the main text are distinguished by three different fonts in distinct sections of the page with plenty of open space. This allows readers to read the book page-by-page from cover to cover and/or browse through the book and stop on the quotations, stories, or text they're most interested in.