Courtney Spence on How to Value a Relationship

In Chapter 19 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, nonprofit CEO Courtney Spence answers "How Do You Measure the Quality of Relationships in Your Life?" Spence shares how she measures the quality of relationship in her life by the trust and loyalty she sees in others. She finds trust is about not breaking your word or commitment. As far as loyalty goes, she finds it comes down to what Coach Royal said, "Dance with the one that brung you."

Courtney Spence is founder and CEO of Students of the World, a nonprofit empowering a diverse network of student and emerging filmmakers to apply storytelling skills in purposeful work. She is also the Founder and CEO of CSpence group, a creative agency building millennial-focused content and programs for brands. Spence earned a BA from Duke University. 

Courtney Spence on Identifying Sources of Strength and Struggle

In Chapter 20 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, nonprofit CEO Courtney Spence answers "What Are the Sources of Strength and Struggle in Your Life?" Spence shares how family, including close friends, is a source of strength, especially during hard times. She struggles with the reality that business partners will not always have shared values and belief systems. While this does not deter her from seeing the best in others, she does learn that good people can make mistakes and do things that are not good.

Courtney Spence is founder and CEO of Students of the World, a nonprofit empowering a diverse network of student and emerging filmmakers to apply storytelling skills in purposeful work. She is also the Founder and CEO of CSpence group, a creative agency building millennial-focused content and programs for brands. Spence earned a BA from Duke University. 

Courtney Spence on How Mourning the Loss of a Loved One Brings Family Closer Together

In Chapter 1 of 20 of her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "What Childhood Experiences Have Been Most Fundamental to Shaping Who You Are Today?" Spence remembers her grandparents on her mother's side of the family. As a 10 year old, Spence recalls the importance of family coming together in a year where both her maternal grandparents passed away.

Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: What childhood experiences have been most fundamental to shaping who you are today?

Courtney Spence: I was very close with my sets of grandparents. On my mother’s side, it’s a big Lebanese family, so it’s lots of food, and lots of family, and lots of cousins, fifth removed but if there’s still a cousin. And I think that—so, for me, it was holidays, and good times, and hard times, the family always came together. And you realize that, you know, whenever anything great was achieved, or anything, you know, the passing of a grandparent, anything that was hard to get through, it was really about the family coming together and the community supporting each other. And, you know, I was just talking to my mother about this last night.

We were talking about her parents when they passed, and when we were going through the last year with them where we had to have in-home, you know, nurses, 24/7, and these women came into our home and they were like angels. And, you know, I was 10, but I have very vivid memory of that year. It was the year that I lost both my grandparents on my mother’s side. And although it was a difficult year, I have so many warm memories and so many memories of my family coming together. And I think that as I’m older and as I’m looking at my own family now, and I look at my family and work, and anything that I have achieved, it’s only because of the people and the community that surrounds you, and that supports you, and that brings you into their fold. And, you know, I just think that that appreciation of community and family is something that I continue to strengthen, and understand, and appreciate every year. So, that’s what’s on top of my mind right now.

Courtney Spence on Fatherly Advice on Why to Work Every Day Doing What You Love

In Chapter 2 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "Where Has Your Family Been Most Supportive in Your Career Development?" From an early age, Spence is encouraged by her father to "find a way to make a living doing what you love." He encourages his daughter, saying "I don't want you to have a job but I want you to work every day of your life." This guides Spence from college into her social entrepreneurship nonprofit work. All the while her parents find moments and space to support their daughter's development.

Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: Where has your family been most supportive in your career development?

Courtney Spence: Wow. They have been supportive throughout my entire career development. From the beginning, it was find a way to make a living, doing what you love to do, and my dad always said I don’t want you to have a job but I want you to work every day of your life. And it’s that different philosophy of I don’t go to my job that I have to, I go work hard because I want to. And, you know, it doesn’t mean that you enjoy what you do every day, all day, or even all month, but, you know, as long as you find your passion and are able to follow it, it just lifts you up and lifts those people around you. And so, I think that kind of started me off on that path when I was, you know, 16, 17, 18 through my early 20s, thinking about what I wanted to do.

Most recently, this has been a really wonderful year, but a year of a lot of challenges, a lot of ups and downs, a lot of new situations that I have not faced before as a leader in our organization, and some really hard times. And I think that, you know, it’s when the going gets tough, I get on the phone or I go to my parents’ backyard, and I’m lucky to have two really wonderful parents who are mentors and that who really are equally as passionate about my passion as I am. And so, I would say that while I would give them credit for putting me on the right path to following your passion, I think that knowing that I can turn to them in times of doubt, or crisis, or questioning what we’re doing, and being able to have that as like a sounding board, and a family is pretty amazing, actually, so.

Courtney Spence on How to Build Relationship Trust

In Chapter 3 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "How Do You Establish Trust When Building Relationships?" Spence shares how building relationship trust comes down to honesty, transparency, and vulnerability. She finds you create and maintain trust by being committed to honest communication and accepting that it is okay to be vulnerable.

Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University. 

Courtney Spence on How Children Ground You and Remind You Family Comes First

In Chapter 4 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "How Are Your Personal Experiences Shaping Your Professional Aspirations?" Newly engaged Spence shares how having her fiancee's 5-year old daughter has given her a more holistic perspective on life that puts family front and center. The experience allows her to take a step back and appreciate her family relationships and get a healthy separation from work. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: How are your personal experiences shaping your professional aspirations?

Courtney Spence: This last year has been one of a lot more personal experiences, I guess, I would say. I got engaged.

Erik Michielsen: Congratulations.

Courtney Spence: Thank you. I, you know, have now a wonderful 5-year-old child in my life that I love, and what it has done for me is it has grounded me in a way that makes me realize what’s really important. And, again, there’s a lot of theme my family for me right now, and, you know, the things that really matter are the ones that you love most. And so, when you go through difficult times in your career, in your company, they don’t seem as insurmountable as they might have seemed a few years ago, and I think that’s because I have, you know—with the kind of the blending of this new family of mine, I now understand so many more things about just life in general that I don’t think I could have seen or understood before, so it has been a pretty profound year for that.

Erik Michielsen: Tell me more about that.

Courtney Spence: Especially when there is a child that you love, this daughter that I love, I am fiercely protective of her, and I get scared sometimes, or I get, you know, inspired, or l laugh a lot more than I did before, I mean just the range of emotions that comes with that, and it comes with seeing the kind of stepping back and starting to see the generations of my family, and spending more time with my parents, and my siblings, and my cousins, and then my new family, There’s a lot of just real understanding of just what’s important, and you see it daily. You see it daily. And what it makes me wanna do is when I do go to work, or when I am working, or if I’m working Friday night on my computer, I wanna work faster, better, smarter, harder, because I wanna wake up Saturday morning, go to the park, and that’s just a new—that’s something that has been pretty new for me, so.

Courtney Spence on How Making Hard Decisions Can Strengthen Your Resolve

In Chapter 5 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "How Are Your Aspirations Changing As Your Experience Grows?" In the year since her last Capture Your Flag interview, Spence shares the challenge of making her work and her organization more lasting and sustainable and the resolve it has taken from her as a leader. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: How are your aspirations changing as your experience grows?

Courtney Spence:  So, this year, and lot has happened this last year. I feel like I keep referencing it as this year, but these are annual interviews, so that would make sense. But this year has been about, I think, wanting to create sustainability within my organization, and I think—and that is not for legacy reasons but for the reason that I really believe in what I’ve been building for the last 13 years. We’re starting to see true traction and enthusiasm and the possibility of making Students of the World, and our new endeavors have a much more of a lasting kind of global impact than we’ve ever been able to see or imagine before.

And having seen that and understanding where we’re going, it makes me very focused and concerned about the longevity of the organization, the health of the organization, the sustainability, you know, being able to provide benefits to employees, and being able to, you know, really, really put people in the right places and assemble a team that can weather the difficult times and the good times.

Like, for example, we had to go through a series of a few layoffs in August, and that was the hardest time I’ve ever experienced from a professional standpoint. And it was not something that was pretty, it was certainly the most stressful, sad time that I’ve experienced with Students of the World, but it was necessary to continue the work that we were doing. It was for the health of the organization and the mission. And, you know, having to kind of grow up and make some of those harder decisions in a role of leadership is difficult but it also strengthens, I think. It strengthened my resolve in what I’m doing and my role as a leader and, you know, as the executive in the company.

Courtney Spence on Getting Mentor Advice on How to Conduct Layoffs

In Chapter 6 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "How Have Mentors Helped Motivate You to Do Your Best Work?" Spence shares how mentors have supported her through challenging situations by sharing examples of how they acted in similar circumstances. She highlights a recent need to conduct layoffs and how mentors supported her through decisions to lay off employees. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

Courtney Spence on When to Run a Nonprofit Like a Business

In Chapter 7 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "What Problems Are You Trying to Solve to Grow Your Nonprofit Organization?" Spence learns to use business decision-making skills more to understand how to operate Students of the World as a sustainable business. This includes being comfortable making decisions that are not black and white, including needing to layoff staff and form a strategic partnership with Participant Media. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

How Courtney Spence Adapts When Things Do Not Work as Planned

In Chapter 8 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "How Have You Learned to Adapt When Things Have Not Worked Out as Planned?" Spence finds being present in the moment and not dwelling too much on the past helps her stay adaptive and flexible to the twists and turns life presents. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

Courtney Spence on Performing Under Pressure and Facing Fear

In Chapter 9 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "What Does It Mean to Perform Under Pressure in the Work That You Do?" For Spence, performing under pressure starts with believing in the mission for the work that you do. Believing in her mission is fundamental and mission confidence will enable performance even in the face of adversity or fear. If the performance pressure is more personal, then she finds it needs to be addressed quickly or it will hinder her performance. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

Humor and Other Leadership Skills You Use More as Your Career Grows

In Chapter 10 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "What Skills Are You Using More As Your Career Advances?" Spence embraces humor - in particular learning not to take herself so seriously - and finds it incredibly helpful in her professional development as a nonprofit leader. She sets goals to develop stronger relationships and learns to hand off responsibility and put the right team members in the right places. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

How to Work More Effectively With a Team of Different Personalities

In Chapter 11 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "How Are You Learning to Work More Effectively With Different Personality Types?" For Spence, the first thing is to not take things personally. She learns to respect differing opinions and to stay patient in hearing different perspectives that contribute to a team decision. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

How to Communicate Better to Make Sure You Are Understood

In Chapter 12 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "How Are You Learning to Communicate More Effectively?" She learns that just because you say something to someone does not mean they heard you. Spence finds it useful to communicate a message different ways at different times to make sure her message is received and understood. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

Courtney Spence on Managing a Busy Schedule to Get Things Done

In Chapter 13 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "What Do You Find Are the Keys to Managing a Busy Schedule and Getting Things Done?" For Spence, staying productive and getting things done comes down to two things: prioritizing and delegating. With effective prioritization comes more effective focus on the right tasks. She finds delegating tasks to the right people also helps her get the focus to help her be more productive at work. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

How to Be a More Flexible Manager and Lead Teams Through Change

In Chapter 14 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "How Are You Learning to Better Manage and Motivate Teams?" Spence learns to recognize that individuals that make up a team are in a constant state of change. She learns to be more adaptive, flexible, and responsive in her management style to bring out the best in her team as the organization evolves and grows. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

How to Give Better Advice When Someone Asks You For Help

In Chapter 15 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "How Have You Learned to Give Better Advice When People Ask You For Help?" Spence finds giving pause when someone asks her a question is a useful first step. By taking time to answer, she is able to better formulate a response and more fully understand context behind why the person is asking her for help. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

How to Help Young Working Women Prepare for 20s to 30s Changes

In Chapter 16 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "How Are You Learning to Be a Better Mentor to Young Women Professionals?" Spence, now in her mid-30s, shares how connecting with her sisterhood of friends in the past year has given her greater context for where she can be most helpful to young women professionals in their 20s. She learns to appreciate the difficult decisions that make a woman's professional life more complex and the realistic professional trade offs that women make in their 30s to achieve personal goals. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.