Five quick questions
TEDxManitoba is thrilled to announce that Linda Cureton will speak at our 2012 event. Linda is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of NASA. She directs the planning and implementation of enterprise IT systems to support NASA’s mission to improve cost effectiveness and service quality. Well-known as a strong leader and innovator, Linda writes a very popular blog for NASA. She wrote The Leadership Muse, an educational and inspirational book that outlines lessons for today’s heroic leadership journey.
What motivates you?
I’m motivated by solving problems and figuring things out. I love mystery and discovery—questions and answers. I love to dream and to wake up believing that I can make my dreams come true. I love getting lost in my own thoughts and found in the possibilities I find in myself and others.
What do you do for a living and why?
I am the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at NASA. I am passionate about working in an organization that helps mankind understand mysteries and make discoveries that answer questions about where we came from and if we are alone in the universe. I have always loved science fiction and the notion that man could master space flight. For this reason, it is both humbling and rewarding to provide technology services to those scientists and engineers that make fiction a reality.
Which TED talk do you think everyone should watch?
Simon Sinek’s How great leaders inspire action
Why are you excited to speak at TEDxManitoba?
I feel very passionate about what I do and why I do it. TED has always been a fantastic forum for sharing ideas with an audience thirsty for hearing new concepts. I am so honoured to be able to be a part of this incredible community.
What is your idea worth spreading?
What if leaders had super powers? What if these super powers let them do the heroic feats demanded in today’s challenges? What if you could read the hearts and minds of your followers? What if your leadership dreams always came true? The problems of today can be solved by this kind of heroic leadership. It is within all of us to dig deep within ourselves and find our strength to do the impossible. I will explore ways that you can find the hidden hero within you.
