dare to dream

15 for 15: Kara DioGuardi

It's been a relief to have a female judge on American Idol with gravitas -- substance and style.

Kara DioGuardi, singer/songwriter/producer manager, grew up in New York, the daughter of a Republican Congressman, studied political science at Duke, planned to go to law school, but then took a job at Billboard Magazine selling advertising.  At one point, she had her own record deal, but it was as a songwriter that she's made it big. 

If (when?) I were to spend 15 minutes with Ms. DioGuardi, here's what I would ask her:

1.  You seem to have had many dreams.  Do you have just one dream?  Or has your dream changed over time?  How have you right-sized your dreams?  Or juggled them?

2.  Political science?  Law school?  How did you get from there to here?  How have your studies and interest in law informed your role as a songwriter/producer?

3.  You are expressive and articulate.  Kind, but direct.  Surprisingly direct for a woman.  Were you always comfortable saying what you want to say? Why?

4.  You've indicated that becoming invisible is an important part of collaborating, to helping a singer write the right song.  How do you do this?  Now that you are a household name, how has the collaborative process changed?

5.  In my '15 for 15' series, I recently interviewed Shane Battier, a fellow Duke alum, who has been described as Lego:  when he's on the court, things magically work.  Is this true of you?  Is there any part of what you do that is integral to the songwriting process, but other's don't seem to recognize or even value it?

6.  Because of your American Idol gig, you are a 'kingmaker turned king'.  In dare to dream parlance, you've shifted from hero of support to hero.  What about this toggle has been a boon?  A bane?

7.  What does your dare to dream team look like?  Who are the 2-3 people that have been crucial to your success and why were they so important?

What would you ask her?

Related posts:

• Fly me to the moon
• American Idol:  Which Judge Are You?
• Fielding a 'dare to dream' team
• A hero of support

 

15 for 15: Shane Battier

15 for 15:  '15 people that I'd like to interview for 15 minutes each'.

Some of you may be wondering -- who's Shane Battier and why do you want to interview him?

Point taken.

Had my business partner Matt C not played with him at Duke, and had the NY Times article The No-Stats All-Star not been written by Michael Lewis, author of Liar's Poker and Moneyball, I wouldn't have paid the article any mind.

But I'm glad I did because the more I read, the more intrigued I became.

Let me share just a few quotes from the Lewis interview before I get to my own questions.

Shane Battier is widely regarded inside the N.B.A. as, at best, a replaceable cog in a machine driven by superstars.  And yet every team he has ever played on has acquired some magical ability to win.

Battier...seems to help the team in all sorts of subtle, hard-to-measure ways that appear to violate his own personal interests.

Courtesy:  Robert Seale for The New York Times

Battier's game is a weird combination of obvious weaknesses and nearly invisible strengths.  When he is on the court, his teammates get better, often a lot better, and his opponents get worse -- often a lot worse.  He may not grab huge numbers of rebounds, but he has an uncanny ability to improve his teammates' rebounding.  He doesn't shoot much, but when he does, he takes only the most efficient shots...On defense, although he routinely guards the N.B.A.'s most prolific scorers, he significantly reduces their shooting percentages.  "[We] call him Lego.  When he's on the court, all the pieces start to fit together.

Can you relate?

Husbands, children, co-workers wonder what it is exactly we do - considering us at best a replaceable cog in a machine made up of superstars.  And yet, because of who we are and what we do, whether in our homes, communities, or workplace, things magically work.

If I were to spend 15 minutes with Shane Battier, here's what I'd ask him.

1)  In junior high school, you were considered one of the most talented kids in the nation, whereas today you are frequently described as a 'replaceable cog in a machine driven by superstars'?  How does this make you feel?

2)  At what point did you realize that what you do best isn't frequently measured or counted?  How did you deal with this?

3)  If statisticians hadn't started counting what wasn't previously counted or measured, how would your professional career be different?

4)  In your interview with Michael Lewis, you made the statement, "Everything that I've done since [8th grade] is because of what I went through [in 8th grade]. What I did was alienate myself from everybody. I sort of lost myself in the game."  Having lost yourself in the game, and mastered the art of blending in, do you ever think about not blending in anymore?  Do you ever want to stand out?

5)  What words of advice or encouragement would you offer to all those who do things that can't easily be measured, yet the pieces fit together when they are figuratively 'in the game'?

 

Were you as intrigued by this article as I was?

What else would you ask Shane Battier?

Does it give you comfort to realize that as Einstein said, ' not everything that counts, can be counted?''

15 for 15: Peggy Noonan

15 for 15 is shorthand for '15 people that I'd like to interview for 15 minutes each'.

Will I ever get to interview Peggy Noonan, columnist for the Wall Street Journal, and former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan?

The odds are higher than they were, now that I've said out loud and in a public forum what I want, but still very low.

Nor is an interview necessary for 'daring to dream'.

When you and I admire someone, it's almost always because we see a piece of ourselves mirrored in that person.  If we will articulate what it is we admire, what we'd like to learn from them, we are in effect saying, 'This is a piece of my 'self' I want to develop, that I have it in me to develop.  And my gut tells me that you, person-that-I-admire, hold some clues.'

For my first '15 for 15', or perhaps better said, '1 for 15', my interview takes shape via a letter I sent to Ms. Noonan several years ago.

***

Dear Ms.  Noonan, 

I am a 42 year-old Wall Streeter, mother of two, in search of role models.

In early February, I sat in a training meeting for senior level professionals at my bulge bracket firm.  Out of 30 attendees, only two of us were women.

 

Several days later, in browsing through an airport bookstore, I thought -- maybe there are some interesting autobiographies.  Katharine Graham's book was there, which I had already read, and found riveting, but not much else.

Having read "What I Saw at the Revolution", "The Case Against Hillary Clinton", "When Character was King", "How to Speak Well", I wondered -- has Peggy Noonan written her autobiography?

My interest was further piqued as I spoke to a friend who once interviewed you.  Her comments, "SOOO smart, and absolutely delightful."

Here's why I'd like to hear your story.

I want to find my voice.  Happily, I'm beginning to find it, but would like to have done so sooner. My friends and I often discuss "finding our voices".  We can learn from hearing how you found yours.

I want to be successful professionally.  Not by mimicking men.  Or by relying solely on feminine wiles. But rather because I've brought all of me, the essence of me, to my work. It seems you have figured out how to do this.

I want to grow old gracefully.  I'm guessing you are about 10 years old than me; I like watching you age.  You seem to be becoming seasoned and wise.  I want to know about your journey.

If you decide not to write your autobiography, know that you have already been a role model. But, on the hope that I have indeed helped persuade you to put pen to paper, please ask your staff to let me know when you publish.

With warmest regards,

Whitney L. Johnson

***

I didn't ever hear back from Ms. Noonan's office.  Maybe the e-mail never made it past the spam filter.  I don't know.  For my 'daring to dream' it wasn't necessary.  Because in writing the letter, in articulating what I wanted to know from her, I learned the following about myself:  

  

1)  Finding my voice matters to me; interestingly, since writing this letter, I started my blog.

2)  I want to be successful professionally; since writing this letter, I left Merrill Lynch, and have embarked on a distinctly feminine entrepreneurial journey.

3)  Growing old gracefully is a priority, and problem to puzzle through; no answers yet, but I know that when I am 60, I don't want to behave like I'm 40, etc.

Who would be on your list of 15 for 15?  What would you ask them (e.g. what piece of your self are they showing to you?)

Related posts:

Why we love American Idol

Finding our Reality in reality TV

What I've Learned by Identifying My Heros

Mentoring for a Moment