Background:
This is part of the Quought for the Day – 2008 Series.
Quought = Question that provokes thought!
The question I asked thought leaders and my very smart friends is:
What is ONE question that you wish someone had asked you when you were young? And, Why?
I will be posting answers (which will be Quoughts) one by one.This one is from Stephen Shapiro
During his 15-year tenure with the international consulting firm Accenture, Stephen developed and delivered innovation training to over 20,000 consultants. In 2001 he left the management consulting world to write his first book, “24/7 Innovation: A Blueprint for Surviving and Thriving in an Age of Change” (McGraw-Hill). Drawing on his corporate expertise, Shapiro expanded on his innovative concepts to counsel on how individuals can realize their full potential with less effort and more personal satisfaction. Thus, his second book, “Goal Free Living: How to Have the Life You Want NOW!” (Wiley) was conceived, quickly becoming the #1 Amazon.com “Business Motivation” best seller and the subject of a cover story in “O, The Oprah Magazine.” His latest concept is the fun and educational “Innovation Personality Poker.” He has been featured in Newsweek, Investor’s Business Daily, The New York Times, and The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch.
Steve’s Quought
What matters most?
Steve’s reason for choosing that Quought
There are two reasons for choosing this Quought:
1) Einstein once said, “If I were given one hour to save the planet, I would spend 59 minutes defining the problem and one minute resolving it.” From my personal experience, most people (and organizations) spend 60 minutes finding solutions to problems that don’t matter. So relevance is one aspect of “what matters most.”
2) Recently, I have been asking myself, “Is what I do significant?” I know my work changes organizations. And I like to believe that it also changes lives. But is the change significant? Lately I have been restless. I think the reason is that I want greater significance in my life.
More about Steve:
1) Blog/Website: www.24-7innovation.com
2) Latest Book: The Little Book of BIG Innovation Ideas
3) Product: Innovation Personality Poker