Real Reasons

As someone who gives several presentations a week to groups ranging from elementary and high school students to company employees, through senior industry officials, venture capitalists and politicians, it's not often that I hear or read a speech that gives me chills.

But this one almost made me cry in how effectively it captured the spirit of my personal dreams and ambitions and the motivations that drive me to build large companies that achieve global impact or work to change education on a national scale. It is a speech by Michael Griffin, the current head of NASA. I had the pleasure of meeting and dining with Mr. Griffin last week in Davos at the World Economic Forum, and I have to say that my first impression of the man was of a reserved yet competent administrator who has done a great job in wrangling a difficult government agency in a time of heady political distraction over the last few years.

But read this speech entitled "Space Exploration: Real Reasons and Acceptable Reasons," and I think you will see the true seeds of greatness in the man. If I weren't running MobiTV at the moment, I could almost be convinced to go back to NASA and work for Mr. Griffin.

Thanks for the pointer, Mike.