Quought for the day #56 – Rob Crawford

By Rajesh Setty on Tue 20 Feb 2007, 5:00 AM - 1 Comment

Rob Crawford is Director of Development at The Park School, in Brookline, Masssachusetts, an independent school that two of his four children attend. He presents to and advises educational advancement professionals across the country on possibility-thinking, delighting philanthropists, and
taking action on what matters most. Earlier in his career, Rob was a dedicated middle school English
teacher and coach. He earned a B.A. at Dartmouth College, M.Ed. at Lesley University, and M.B.A. at
University of Michigan. He currently serves on the board of trustees at The Carroll School, in Lincoln,
Massachusetts, and helps run The Wow Institute, in Henniker, New Hampshire.

Rob’s Quought for the day:
“When am I in the zone, and how will I double the time I spend in the zone in 2007?”

Rob’s note accompanying the Quought:
Being in the zone means achieving an unusually deep level of focus on a project or activity that
challenges you in ways you love to be challenged, engages your major strengths, and stimulates your authentic interests. We’re at our absolute best when we’re “in the zone.” This is when we’re fulfilling the promise of our unique gifts, living up to our greatest potential, and giving the world our most spectacular stuff. An activity that puts us in the zone reveals to us an arena in which we have the ability to become one
of the top 1% on the planet. To make a significant impact here on earth, and to enjoy the ride as much as
possible, we must discover what puts us in the zone, then do a lot more of that!

Note:
Quought = Question that provokes thought. Questions are important. Thinking is important. Questions that make you think are very important!

PS:
Squidoo Lens: The Power of Questions!

Posted under Main Page, Quought for the Day.

Quought for the Day #55 – Jnan Dash

By Rajesh Setty on Mon 19 Feb 2007, 5:00 AM - 1 Comment

Jnan Dash is a technology visionary and executive consultant in Silicon Valley. He focuses on enterprise solutions such as integration, real-time events, real-time Business Intelligence, Service Oriented Architecture, Web Services, open source, and transactional Web (Web 2.0). He spent ten years at Oracle Corporation and was the Group Vice President, Systems Architecture and Technology till 2002. He was responsible for setting Oracle’s core database and application server product directions and interacted with customers worldwide in translating future needs to product plans.

Mr. Dash is a well-known expert in the software industry. Prior to joining Oracle in 1992, he spent 16 years at IBM in various positions including development of the DB2 family of products and in charge of IBM’s database architecture and technology. Mr. Dash is a frequent speaker at industry forums around the world on the future of software technology. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and Master’s degree in Systems Design from the University of Waterloo, Canada. He sits on several boards and advisory boards of companies. He is also a charter member of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TIE) of Silicon Valley.

Jnan’s Quought for the day is:

Have I got the right balance between myriad new ideas in technology, while at other times,  getting my mind to a state of “no thoughts”?

Jnan’s note accompanying the Quought:
In other words, do I have a balance between technology and spirituality?

Related Links:
1. Blog: Trends in the Software Industry
2. TiE – Charter Member
3. Compassites – Board Member

Note:
Quought = Question that provokes thought. Questions are important. Thinking is important. Questions that make you think are very important!

PS:
Squidoo Lens: The Power of Questions!

Posted under Main Page, Quought for the Day.

Quought for the Day #53 – Karen Kang

By Rajesh Setty on Sat 17 Feb 2007, 5:00 AM - Leave Comment

Karen Kang is a recognized expert in positioning and brand strategies.  A 25-year veteran in marketing and communications, she founded Karen Kang Consulting in 1994.  She has helped more than 100 companies, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, develop successful corporate and product positioning and brand strategies.  A former newspaper reporter, she has held executive positions in marketing consulting, advertising and public relations firms.  For six years, she was a partner and principal with Regis McKenna Inc., a high-technology marketing consulting firm.  She has trained more than 1000 professionals on positioning and branding through national conferences, the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, Golden Gate University, PricewaterhouseCoopers, SD Forum and Forum for Women Entrepeneurs.

Karen’s Quought for the Day:

“What’s the most important thing you can do to boost your passion for your job and/or your life?”

Note:
Quought = Question that provokes thought. Questions are important. Thinking is important. Questions that make you think are very important!

PS:
Squidoo Lens: The Power of Questions!

Posted under Main Page, Quought for the Day.

Quought for the Day #51 – Scot Herrick

By Rajesh Setty on Thu 15 Feb 2007, 5:00 AM - Leave Comment

Scot Herrick is a highly experienced business professional with unique leadership and analytical abilities. Working in Fortune 100 companies for his 30+ years in business, he has been an individual contributor, road warrior, and manager of teams focusing his career on project and process management.

Scot publishes two blogs: Cube Rules, focusing on Career Management for Cubicle Warriors; and, Ten Keyboards, sharing how technology can help writers.

(click on the button to read the background for this series)

Scot’s Quought for the Day is:

“If you were given fifteen minutes to evacuate from your home (or business) and could take anything with you, what would you take?”

Scot’s note accompanying the Quought (at the time he sent it):
I live in Seattle-land and we’ve had a rough week with the trees down from our windstorm. I personally was without power for five days (Tuesday night the power came back on…) and there are still over 100,000 without power out here.

But, inspired by the storm and what little we have gone through because of it, I have the one question that, if answered, would give me a lot of piece of mind going into 2007.

Note:
Quought = Question that provokes thought. Questions are important. Thinking is important. Questions that make you think are very important!

PS:
Squidoo Lens: The Power of Questions!

Posted under Main Page, Quought for the Day.

Quought for the Day #50 – John Richardson

By Rajesh Setty on Wed 14 Feb 2007, 5:00 AM - Leave Comment

John Richardson is a popular blogger, speaker, and database administrator. His blog, Success Begins Today, features productivity and organizational ideas for business and personal use. John is always on the lookout for new things to make the working life more fun and creative.

John’s Quought for the Day is:

What are you going to do TODAY to reach your goals tomorrow?

John’s note accompanying the Quought:
The power of “Today” is immense. How many times have you set a goal and said to yourself… I’ll start tomorrow. Unfortunately tomorrow becomes today and the process repeats. I was on a four year diet plan like this… all I lost was four years. Whatever the goal… challenge yourself …  Start Today!

Note:
Quought = Question that provokes thought. Questions are important. Thinking is important. Questions that make you think are very important!

PS:
Squidoo Lens: The Power of Questions!

Posted under Main Page, Quought for the Day.

Quought for the Day #49 – Sterling Lanier

By Rajesh Setty on Tue 13 Feb 2007, 11:10 AM - Leave Comment

I am fortunate to have Sterling as one of my mentors since 2003. I met him at a time when I needed him most but did not know that I needed him. It has been a special relationship and I cherish that.

Sterling Lanier is a Group Chair for Vistage, the pre-eminent organization for the personal and professional development of business owners, company presidents and CEOs.

Sterling Lanier has more than thirty years of CEO leadership and management accomplishments in specialty retailing, manufacturing, software, and financial services. His functional experience includes finance, marketing, strategic planning, management development, crisis management, start-ups, and turnarounds.  For several years Sterling was a CEO member of a Bay Area Vistage group.  His personal leadership experiences and diverse business background give him the wisdom and insights to help his Vistage members excel in their business and outperform their expectations.

(click on the button to read the background for this series)

Sterling’s Quought for the Day is:

Note:
Quought = Question that provokes thought. Questions are important. Thinking is important. Questions that make you think are very important!

PS:
Squidoo Lens: The Power of Questions!

Posted under Main Page, Quought for the Day.

Quought for the Day #48 – Dr. Kirsten Harrell

By Rajesh Setty on Mon 12 Feb 2007, 5:00 AM - Leave Comment

Dr. Kirsten Harrell is a psychologist who is passionate about helping people connect with their essential spirit and use the power of positive thinking to transform their lives and create health, happiness, and success.  She has combined her expertise in positive psychology, stress management, mind-body therapies, and spirituality to provide cutting edge services to individuals and businesses for over 15 years. Dr. Harrell is the President and co-founder of Popular Inspirations, Ltd. (www.ipopin.com) and co-creator of ipop-ins (the one minute affirmations). In addition, she writes for Positive Thinking Magazine online.

Kirsten’s Quought for the Day:

If happiness comes from giving, not getting… are you giving enough?

Note:
Quought = Question that provokes thought. Questions are important. Thinking is important. Questions that make you think are very important!

PS:
Squidoo Lens: The Power of Questions!

Posted under Main Page, Quought for the Day.

Quought for the Day #47 – Delaney Kirk

By Rajesh Setty on Sun 11 Feb 2007, 5:00 AM - 1 Comment

Delaney J. Kirk, Ph.D., SPHR, is a Professor of Management at Drake University with 25 years of teaching experience. She has conducted teaching workshops at numerous academic conferences and schools including Columbia University, Duke University, University of Washington, University of Arkansas-Ft Smith, Graceland University, and Metropolitan Community College. She was the featured expert for the Chronicle of Higher Education’s online chat on classroom management on September 15, 2004, and has earned the prestigious Drake University Board of Governor’s “Excellence in Teaching” Award. Her book, Taking Back the Classroom: Tips for the College Professor on Becoming a More Effective Teacher, was released by Tiberius Publications in October 2005.

Delaney’s Quought for the Day

“I get to choose my attitude each day.  Am I choosing friends and colleagues who are as positive and supportive as I want to be?”

Note:
Quought = Question that provokes thought. Questions are important. Thinking is important. Questions that make you think are very important!

PS:
Squidoo Lens: The Power of Questions!

Posted under Main Page, Quought for the Day.

Quought for the Day #46 – Paul Graham

By Rajesh Setty on Sat 10 Feb 2007, 5:00 AM - Leave Comment

Paul Graham is an essayist, programmer, and programming language designer. In 1995 he developed with Robert Morris the first web-based application, Viaweb, which was acquired by Yahoo in 1998. In 2002 he described a simple Bayesian spam filter that inspired most current filters. He’s currently working on a new programming language called Arc, a new book on startups, and is one of the partners in Y Combinator.

Paul is the author of On Lisp (Prentice Hall, 1993), ANSI Common Lisp (Prentice Hall, 1995), and Hackers & Painters (O’Reilly, 2004). He has an AB from Cornell and a PhD in Computer Science from Harvard, and studied painting at RISD and the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence.

Paulgraham.com got 9.7 million page views in 2006.

Paul’s Quought for the Day:

“What are the best questions I’m not even considering?”

Related Links:
1. Website – PaulGraham.com (links to every other project that he has)
2. Latest venture – YCombinator
3. Latest book – Hackers and Painters

Note:
Quought = Question that provokes thought. Questions are important. Thinking is important. Questions that make you think are very important!

PS:
Squidoo Lens: The Power of Questions!

Posted under Main Page, Quought for the Day.

Quought for the day #43 – Mike Wagner

By Rajesh Setty on Wed 07 Feb 2007, 5:00 AM - 1 Comment

As founder and president of White Rabbit Group, Mike has focused his energies on creating a model of branding every business leader can grasp and apply to their organization: Brand Ownership.

Mike’s understanding of creative and competitive business cultures was formed at Franklin Covey and Saturn where he witnessed how brand critical standards resulted in exceptionally successful marketing and sales processes.

In the early days of Internet marketing, Mike was instrumental in leading a web development company into Inc. Magazine’s 500 fastest growing companies. Helping clients make sense of e-business when others could not, his insight as a Internet business strategist won over clients that included Wells Fargo, Principal Financial Group, AOL Time Warner and more.

Mike now focuses his attention on fully developing his professional speaking and consulting skills through the White Rabbit Group. His focus is on helping clients build the successful connection between brand development and sales performance.

Mike’s Quought for the Day

“What do you see when you see people?”

Mike’s note accompanying the Quought:
This is an empathy question. I use it to slow my reactions toward others down. It brings self-awareness and informs how I might choose to work and relate to others.

There is a great deal more I might say but perhaps it is best not to say too much, to remain suggestive not exhaustive.

This question began to form in my mind once when I was in a break room and overheard one person tell another, “when I see people I imagine a 50 dollar bill on their forehead.” It sounded like some “sales person” coaching another sales person on how to go for the commission.

We can have an instrumental view of people and see them simply as means to achieving our ends. Or we can see them as humans deserving of our respect, care and attention.

Ancient practices of hospitality grew from choosing to see the “stranger” as a person and not a threat. Civility which is much lacking in our world also comes from a willingness to examine our perspective on others.

Note:
Quought = Question that provokes thought. Questions are important. Thinking is important. Questions that make you think are very important!

PS:
Squidoo Lens: The Power of Questions!

Posted under Main Page, Quought for the Day.