1. If you could have dinner with any 2 people (living or not), who would they be?
Eleanor Roosevelt would be my first choice. I would like to understand the paradox she presents. She had profound ability to influence even though she had no direct control over decisions or events of her time. She was shy and not terribly secure, but seemed to translate that into a sense of humility coupled with amazing strength of will. From what I've read about her, she never seemed to drift from her mission.

My second choice would be Winston Churchill. His use of our language was fascinating. I can imagine sitting across a dinner table from him as he gets through that second bottle of champagne and gets talkative.

2. What was the last book you read? What books do you love to recommend?
I'm on a little reading jag partly related to some current client work. The work is to shape a business unit that sets technology directions for the future of a financial firm. My reading has focused on a couple of directions that partly tie in together: scenario planning and biological models for complex systems. Right now, I have a couple books under way: "Butterfly Economics" (Paul Ormerod) applies some concepts of chaos theory to economics. It's a tangent in that it largely focuses on an emerging view of economics, but is right on target since the perspective is more organic than mechanistic. "The Art of the Long View" (Peter Schwartz) is a seminal work on using scenario planning to establish a vision of the future of an organization. I started "The Living Company" (Arie de Geus) in the middle and I am fascinated. It seems to be about how organizations learn, again applying a biological model. I just finished a wonderful novel called "Gap Creek" (Robert Morgan), which made me wonder if I have ever worked as hard as someone living near the Blue Ridge Mountains a century ago.

In general, I like to read biographies, the novels like those Oprah recommends and military history. Amazon really has my number.

I don't recommend any particular book. Rather, I recommend reading, broadly and deeply.

3. What is your definition of success?
Balance.

Ellen Braun answers these questions:
1. What was your first job in technology?
2. Who has been your most significant mentor? Why?
3. What has been your greatest challenge and what strategies did you use to overcome obstacles?
4. Who has been the most influential person in your life? Why?
5. What lessons have you learned that would be valuable to women beginning their careers in technology?
6. What new technology do you believe will have the most positive impact on the world in the next 20 years? The most negative impact?

On the lighter side:
1. If you could have dinner with any 2 people (living or not), who would they be?
2. What was the last book you read? What books do you love to recommend?
3. What is your definition of success?