How Company Alumni Help Alma Mater Firms Succeed - James McCormick

In Chapter 9 of 12 in his 2010 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, legal career advisor James McCormick shares how professional service company alumni such as those from law firms, can impact company culture after leaving the firm. The alumni fill relationship gaps - advisors, recruiters, partners, clients, customers - that complete the business ecosystem. James McCormick is a Vice President at Empire Search Partners - http://www.empiresearchpartners.com - in New York City. Before transitioning into legal career advisory services, McCormick practiced law as an employee benefits and executive compensation attorney for both Proskauer Rose - http://www.proskauer.com- and Jones Day - http://www.jonesday.com . He holds a JD from Tulane University Law School - http://www.law.tulane.edu - and a BA in History from the University of Michigan - http://www.umich.edu .

Why Operations Experience is Useful in a Venture Capital Career - Josep Oriol

In Chapter 4 of 11 in his 2010 interview with Capture Your Flag host Erik Michielsen, East African venture capitalist and conservation investor Josep Oriol shares why operations experience is useful in providing value in a venture capital career. Operations experience helps Oriol structure and manage growth and planning as well as manage the personal relationships that come with fast pace and high stress that comes with early stage companies.

How Practical and Theoretical Problem Solving Approaches Differ - Maurizio de Franciscis

In Chapter 9 of 19 in his 2010 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, education entrepreneur and Global Campus (www.globalcampus.com) founder Maurizio de Franciscis learns practical problem solving approaches working at General Electric (GE). At GE, de Franciscis finds a culture built on execution and delivery. Solving problems requires taking action and executing on the plan. This contrasts with his previous experience working in consulting, which focuses more on theoretical problem solving. De Franciscis graduated from Universita degli Studi di Roma - La Sapienza - and earned his MBA from INSEAD.

Learning Motivation by Training Pro Tennis Players - Maurizio de Franciscis

In Chapter 3 of 19 in his 2010 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, education entrepreneur and Global Campus (www.globalcampus.com) founder Maurizio de Franciscis develops motivational tools by teaching professional tennis players. De Franciscis finds mental fitness, not physical skill, separates good from great in tennis' top 200 players. He motivates his students by identifying gaps and then marking progressive improvements over time as the players pursue respective goals. De Franciscis graduated from Universita degli Studi di Roma - La Sapienza - and earned his MBA from INSEAD.

Why to Pursue International MBA at IESE Business School in Spain - Ramsey Pryor

In Chapter 8 of 22 of his 2010 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, international Internet product management executive Ramsey Pryor shares why he chose University of Navarra's IESE Business School for his MBA Studies. Pryor notes the rigorous classroom component, including mandatory attendance, intense workload, case studies, and cold calling. He also notes the absolute curve and associated probationary periods. While more academically focused than North American peer schools, Pryor finds value in high percentage of international students and the related post-graduate international networking possibilities. Learn more about IESE at http://www.iese.edu/en/MBAPrograms/index.asp.

What Journalism School Skill is Most Useful in a Reporting Career - Yoav Gonen

Yoav Gonen returns to Capture Your Flag to build upon his 2009 interview with a 2010 conversation with host Erik Michielsen. In Chapter 7 of 17, New York Post newspaper education reporter Yoav Gonen shares the most useful skill learned in Journalism School. He highlights persistence, as he commonly faces challenges getting someone to respond and participate in a story. Gonen prefers to confront a potential source in person. He finds 9 times out of 10 the person contributes. It is not always easy. Gonen shares that he often will have to find out where the person will be after hours, for example at a dinner benefit, and then track them down for a quote. Gonen earned his BA in English from the University of Michigan and his Masters in Journalism from New York University.

How KKR Private Equity Job Teaches Complex Thinking - Dan Street

In Chapter 20 of 20 of his 2010 Capture Your Flag interview, hyperlocal entrepreneur Dan Street joins private equity firm Kohlberg, Kravis, & Roberts (KKR) in a turnaround operations role. Street finds the experience extremely challenging, as it pushes him away from predictable behavior and into more complex thinking. He finds support reading author Ken Wilber and "Spiral Dynamics" author Dr. Don Beck and, through effort and sacrifice, is able to make a stronger contribution.

How Competitive and Collaborative Work Cultures Differ - Dan Street

In Chapter 16 of 20 of his 2010 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Dan Street shares the pros and cons of competitive and collaborative work cultures. Competitive cultures naturally attract competitive people who like to succeed and are likely intelligent and energetic. The downside is the constant competition that rewards winning but forces constant losing, too. Collaborative cultures attract like-minded people who tend to agree. The downside here is the lack of creative tension reduces arguments that improve ideas. He finds there is a way to find a happy medium, creating a collaborative environment with structured competition.

How Student Athlete Opera Singer Defines a College Life - Dan Street

In Chapter 13 of 20 of his 2010 Capture Your Flag interview, Rice University graduate and entrepreneur Dan Street shares his approach to balancing opera singing, full courseloads, and sports while attending Rice University. After pushing himself to his limits with a full courseload, basketball, baseball, and opera singing, Street retreats to focus on school and singing. 

Why Study Economics, History, and Computer Science - Bijoy Goswami

In Chapter 6 of 15, leadership philosopher and bootstrap business expert Bijoy Goswami blends three majors - computer science, history, and economics, to shape his thinking. Collectively, the three perspectives allow Goswami to find multiple answers and make stronger decisions. Computer science is engineering - technical, precise, methodical. History offers many perspectives and serves a reminder that nothing is ever new, be it telephones, Internet or Middle East conflict. It is a repeating cycle, with variance. Economics comes down to efficient resource planning and setting rules and regulations to optimize this allocation of resources.

Learning Leadership and Motivation at Goldman Sachs - Marc Ferrentino

In Chapter 13 of 17 of his 2010 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, engineer and Salesforce.com Chief Technology Architect Marc Ferrentino learns how to motivate and lead teams while working at investment bank Goldman Sachs after college. Ferrentino then applies a best of breed confidence building framework building teams across several software startups. Specifically, Ferrentino highlights the importance of making people feel part of something bigger, part of an elite team. As a result, individuals work harder to differentiate against competition while holding themselves to a different standard.

Ferrentino holds a BS in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan.  After leaving Goldman Sachs, he worked for several years in New York City based startups before joining Salesforce.com.  

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How to Use Youth as Asset in Business and Politics - Mike Germano

In Chapter 3 of 13, Carrot Creative (www.carrotcreative.com) social media agency co-founder and social media expert Mike Germano reflects on entering Connecticut politics.  He embraces his younger perspective and learns valuable lessons about preparation managing relationships and presenting arguments to older peers and constituents. Germano, co-founder of social media agency Carrot Creative, now applies these lessons learned when engaging brand manager clients. He positions youth as an asset in social media while keeping mindful of his responsibility to develop credibility in dealing with large, multi-million dollar marketing budgets.

How Comic Refines Material by Trial and Error - Matt Ruby

In Chapter 6 of 14 in his 2009 Capture Your Flag interview, stand-up comedian Matt Ruby constantly uses audience feedback, positive and negative, to refine material performance by performance.  Failure is fundamental to comic material development.

How Reflective Moments Improve Decision Making - Tricia Regan

In Chapter 17 of 17 in her 2009 Capture Your Flag interview, filmmaker Tricia Regan finds reflective moments, such as long walks on the beach, help her compare risks and rewards, await decision-making moments, and remain open to new possibilities. Central to each are patience, thinking through ideas, and a remaining positive that the appropriate path will appear given a balance of focus and time.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: What do you get out of solitude? For example while you were making your film you took long walks on the beach to process, to think. How does that contribute to that self-confidence?

Tricia Regan: Yeah. This is where it could get a little trippy. But I think most creative people, most people who are really, really good at what they do, probably have that same sense of mystery about it. I sometimes feel like there’s nothing particularly talented about me. I just have the patient to wait for the solutions and recognize them when they come and to not be afraid to try things that I’m not sure are right with the hope that they lead me to the solution. So those long walks on the beach that I would take everyday, I would take them when I was shooting, I would take them when I was editing, were really just a way of sort of opening up, not thinking about it or thinking about it. Starting the walk or the day or going to bed the night before, this is our problem, which character goes next, this is our problem.

So I feel like that gave from providence. It didn’t come from me having a brilliant idea. I just thought about it for long enough until there it was and there was the solution.

How to Make a Living Playing Drums and Writing About Bands - Conrad Doucette

In Chapter 3 of 13, musician and music writer Conrad Doucette learns to take responsibility for choosing a non-linear lifestyle and career.  This provides Doucette, drummer for Takka Takka, Blender.com writer and Fuse TV online producer, to resist peer-pressure and focus on pursuing new opportunities in both music and the Internet.

Simon Sinek on How Teaching Others Builds Your Knowledge

In Chapter 12 of 16 of his 2009 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, while teaching marketing at Columbia University, Simon Sinek learns to better organize the pieces into course material and classroom discussion. Teaching forces "Start With Why" author Sinek to more deeply understand his own knowledge and challenges him to learn by breaking down his knowledge into smaller components.

Simon Sinek is a trained ethnographer who applies his curiosity around why people do what they do to teach leaders and companies how to inspire people. He is the author of "Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action". Sinek holds a BA degree in cultural anthropology from Brandeis University.

Transcript

Erik Michielsen: For a number of years you have taught a class at Columbia University.  What has surprised you most about that teaching experience?

Simon Sinek: You don`t know anything unless you are able to teach it to somebody else.  It is amazing how much we think we know, competence in something, until the job is not just to show it to someone else but to show it to them in a way they can understand it and do it as well or better than you.  Do you know how to ride a bicycle?  Yes I do.  Go teach somebody how to do it.  Teaching forces you to do is break down your knowledge into components that give you a deeper understanding of your own knowledge.  I love teaching because I learn more every time I teach.  

What to Consider When Asking for Help Making a Big Decision - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 12 of 13, media and publishing entrepreneur Phil McKenzie shares his approach to seeking counsel and advice on difficult decisions.  McKenzie finds value both in independent decision making and in accessing pragmatic outside views.  He highlights overcoming the challenge presented when others focus more on safety than on possibility.  Phil McKenzie graduated from Howard University and earned an MBA from the Duke University Fuqua School of Business.  Before starting FREE DMC and the Influencer Conference, McKenzie worked for eight years in sales and trading at Goldman Sachs.

How Track and Field Teaches Athletes to Set Priorities and Goals - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 11 of 13, Howard University track and field experiences shape Phil McKenzie's approach to priority and goal setting.  Specifically, the mental preparation and fitness training provide McKenzie an orderly approach to set and top goals through perseverance, practice, and mental fitness.  Phil McKenzie graduated from Howard University and earned an MBA from the Duke University Fuqua School of Business.  Before starting FREE DMC and the Influencer Conference, McKenzie worked for eight years in sales and trading at Goldman Sachs.