John M. Bryson is a professor of planning and public affairs in the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis. He consults widely on leadership and strategic planning with public, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations in the United States and abroad. He is the coauthor of  Leadership for the Common Good and Visible Thinking: Unlocking Causal Mapping for Practical Business Results.

Farnum Alston is the founder and president of The Crescent Company in San Anselmo, California, an international consulting firm that specializes in assisting public and private clients with strategic business and technology planning. He is a former partner of KPMG Peat Marwick and a former deputy mayor and budget director of San Francisco.