The company for which I worked at the time as CFO sent several senior management--all of us in our early 30s--to early Logonet and BDA workshops. The referral came from the founder's father, Nick Goldman, and one of the investors, Artemis Joukowsky.

Very simply, it's made me an observer of the commitments I make, the way in which other people make commitments, and the reasons behind the suffering that I and others experience when the action we expect to take or be taken by others doesn't occur in the way we expected. Further, this work has allowed me to see the construction of our human world by our commitments and promises. As someone involved in the process of investing in early stage companies through management of angel investment groups and venture capital funds, it's made me a different observer of the way people create new worlds. What I would say I've been less successful at is turning these observations into new practices that build disproportionate value for me, my family and friends and associates.