What do you ask someone who helped change the world?

"So...Bob..."

As a graduate student you are expected to be on your toes, ready to jump at unique educational opportunities at a moment's notice. However, when we were told to have questions ready for Bob Metcalfe, I drew a complete blank. What are you supposed to ask someone that helped put a computer on every desk, in every pocket, and in every hand? He was a part of a group of thinkers that created a technological renaissance that will forever define the present and the future. This was the best I could come up with:

"So...uh...Mr. Metcalfe...what's your opinion on icanhascheezburger.com? Is that the kind of thing you thought you'd be linking the work together to share?"

I just didn't know where to begin. That's okay, though, because just listening was enough to take the grandiosity out of the situation, and realize that (as Metcalfe said), "With the exception of Steve Jobs, no one is a god."

The stories that I love best about successful people are their own stories about the things that they can't do. Metcalfe started his time at Mass Comm week by telling us that he dropped out of the architecture college because he couldn't even draw his own hand. He explained that if you can't do something, that's fine, just move on to what you can do. That was wonderfully humanizing and a great way to simplify the ease in which your life can be redirected, as opposed to getting stopped at dead ends. Of course Metcalfe strikes me as the kind of guy that doesn't believe in dead ends. He just gets a sledge hammer and yells, "LOOK OUT!", as he barrels through. I dug up a 'Wired' article from 1998 that details how he recovered from getting the boot from his own company - he just did every single other job possible.

Which leads to his next great point, that any level of success in this world is equal parts preparation and equal parts pure luck. Although those ratios can be frustrating for some, it's a very nice reminder that we're all on a level playing field with the luck thing, but by working hard you can be prepared to grab it when it comes.

The third topic that I found most interesting about Mr. Metcalfe was his explanation of the popularity of social media. It's so simple, but I never thought of it before: it makes people feel famous. Your Facebook page, your Twitter feed, all of your followers, it's all just a micro world that you create filled with people who choose to have you on their radar. These people pay attention to what you say (for the most part), and we check our facebooks daily just to see how many of our 'fans' looked at what we had to say. It's so simple, and so true. Social media is a way to reach out into the world, but it's also a way to feel like the world is reaching specifically for us. And who doesn't want to feel like the center of the universe (even if it's self-made)?

My final point, is going to be an honest opinion about people who are really good at something. There is a certain presence about those who can do things like create magic with technology, or are skilled surgeons, are fantastic actors, or master chefs. I will call these people 'Supers'.

They know that they are more skilled than many people. Much more skilled. And how a 'Super' chooses to present themselves to the people who they know that they are better than, can speak volumes about what the rest of their self is like.

I will not give my opinion either way about Metcalfe's demeanor specifically, but I will comment on what he said about Steve Jobs.

Jobs was an ultimate 'Super'. But, apparently Jobs was not so nice to a lot of people. It really seems like people feared him, and would do anything not to cross him. When Metcalfe was asked if he thinks that this 'god-like' behavior was a justified means to an end, he said, "Yes."

And I have to disagree. When you're brilliant, driven, and respected, your ideas will be implemented. If you've caught the luck train, and you've done the work, and the world knows that you are a 'Super', there's no need to scare them into it. I know that in the public eye, Jobs was a hero, but it makes me wonder how many people he hurt in the process.

It's always nice to meet these 'Super' people, it's wonderful to learn that they are human and not perfect at everything. I just hope that most of them have kindness as a tenant to their success. Everyone wants a piece of fame (that's why we're on social media, right?!), but fame is fleeting and your contributions can erode with time. Hopefully people, both 'Super' and us 'Supers-in-waiting', can find a way to change the world for the better, while being personally remembered by others as the best.