Brain: Robert Stephens

Genius? George Lucas, storyteller, director, businessman, founder of Industrial Light & Magic, Skywalker Sound, THX sound systems, and even Pixar (he sold it to Steve Jobs).

Books? The first book that really blew me away was The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. More recently, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson. Franklin was just so accomplished and the book is a blast to read. If he were alive today, he’d be a blogger—and a very successful one.

Best advice? My father once told me, “People do things because they want to, and if they don’t, it’s because they don’t want to.” It has explained all human behavior to me since.

Mentor? I have had several, but the first was my high school art teacher, Jens Brasch. He taught me to question things and really showed me that you could think deeply even in high school. He’s the reason I hope to become a teacher when I retire from business.

Musician? Miles Davis.

Greatest impact? Ten years is such a short time, so I’ll say that the coming mobile phone technology will profoundly impact just about everyone. The upcoming Google Android project will impact the world even more than the iPhone because it is an open source and will encourage many more people to develop new ideas, just like the Internet and Linux did.

Wisdom with age? You can be born smart, but you cannot be born wise. That should provide comfort to the rest of us. Wisdom can only be attained over time, and you must be willing to listen and learn to receive it.

Special responsibilities? People should always use their powers for good. Behaving ethically has its own intrinsic rewards.