How Diversity Shapes Leadership Development - Kyung Yoon

In Chapter 11 of 19 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, non-profit executive Kyung Yoon answers "What Role Has Diversity Played in Shaping Your Leadership Style?"  Yoon notes how growing up as an Asian American, she was very mindful that she may be perceived differently than how she saw herself.  She made it a priority not to be seen as submissive, quiet, and timid, traits typical of Asian women stereotypes. She pushes herself to be more outgoing and outspoken in her work as a Fox News television reporter, incrementally honing leadership skills useful in diverse communities.  Kyung Yoon is the executive director of the Korean American Community Foundation (KACF) in New York City.  An award-winning journalist and documentary film producer, Yoon earned an MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University and a BA in History and Political Science at Wellesley College.

Jullien Gordon on How Purpose Motivates High Energy Performance

In Chapter 3 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, motivation teacher Jullien Gordon answers "Where Do You Get Your Energy?"  Gordon references Daniel Pink's book, "Drive" and shares how he gets his energy by living in alignment with his purpose.  He understands living in his purpose acts as an intrinsic motivator that allows him to make the most out of each day.  Gordon is the founder of the Department of Motivated Vehicles, a personal and professional development company that helps clients identify purpose and map it to successful outcomes. Gordon has written five books and speaks regularly to college students across America.  He earned masters degrees in education and business from Stanford University and an undergraduate degree from UCLA.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen:  Where do you get your energy?

Jullien Gordon:  To be honest going back to Daniel Pink’s drive I think purpose is where I get my energy from.  When I’m in alignment with my purpose I get this wind behind my sail that allows me to do things that I couldn’t have imagined doing on my own.  When you’re in alignment with a current of energy it just takes you in places as opposed to trying to swim against the current like no I’m going up this stream no matter what.  No, I’m – when you’re in alignment with your purpose I feel like you’re going with this universal current and that’s where I think a lot of my energy comes from.  

My diet isn’t the greatest diet, I don’t exercise, I want to do all those things well but I do know that where my high level of energy comes from is this deep sense of purpose.  This intrinsic motivation that’s within me and that’s where I think my most powerful and my spiritual source is.  My purpose is my connection to my spiritual source.  It’s the single most important reason why I’m here.  

Now a lot of us go through life and we have all these to do this lists and we check off all kinds of things on our to do lists and by the end of life we’re like yeah I checked off all this stuff but the big question is did you do the one thing that you were uniquely created to do and I feel like I’m moving in alignment with that right now and so that’s where my energy comes from.

Career Benefits of Graduate School Research Training - Andrew Hutson

In Chapter 4 of 17 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Andrew Hutson answers "How Has Your Graduate School Education Helped You Become a More Disciplined Thinker?"  Hutson, an environmental advocate working in the private sector, notes how his PhD research training is useful in his career advising clients and solving industry problems.  He notes how his graduate school and PhD training has given him problem solving methods - structured thinking skills - that have made him a more effective professional.  Hutson is a senior project manager at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), where he advises corporate partners such as Wal-Mart on sustainable supply chain initiatives.  Hutson holds a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MEM from the Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment.  He earned his BA from Michigan State University. 

Nina Godiwalla on How Meditation Training Improves Employee Wellbeing

In Chapter 19 of 22 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, author Nina Godiwalla answers "How Does Meditation Training Impact Employee Wellbeing".  Godiwalla shares how the training teaches employees to accept they have the right to choose their decisions.  This allows individuals to take control, which provides perspective that decreases panic and stress while raising the impact they create.  She is also a public speaker on workplace diversity and founder and CEO of Mindworks, where she teaches mind-based stress reduction techniques to help organizations improve employee wellbeing.  Godiwalla holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, an MA in Creative Writing from Dartmouth University and her BBA from the University of Texas at Austin. 

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen:  How does meditation training impact employee well-being?

Nina Godiwalla:  When I speak to professionals, I hear, “I have so much stress that I don’t know what to do,” you know, “Help me lower the stress,” and I think the perspective which is -- it’s hard for people to understand initially but that you choose that stress.  I mean no one wants to hear that because the minute you say you choose how much you’re allowing your stress to be, I mean I’ll get a laundry list from some people like no I don’t because I have this project due and I have this project due and then I have to do this and I have to do that and the reality is, is you get to choose some of that.

One, you get to chose how you treat yourself so even if some people will have a list of 10 things to do and they can be the calmest people around and some people will have that list of 10 things that, you know, doesn’t necessarily look realistic that it could happen this week and they kind of just, you know, break down about it and so the reality is, is it’s building in for employees it’s helping them understand that we have control over how we treat ourselves and the stress that we create for ourselves and we also – when you get to a calmer place, you’re able to manage that a little bit better and it doesn’t mean -- part of it’s understanding what really needs to get done, asking the right questions but when you’re in that state of mind of panic or of fear, you’re not able to really realistically manage this, you’re not in control and it’s helping people feel comfortable bringing themselves from the panic to the “Okay, maybe I can do this and maybe there are certain things I need to change about the situation so that I can manage this better” and it – so much of it, this first step, is about perspective and the reality is it just changes peoples lives and their productivity permanently because having different perspectives allow you to actually get things done and it allows you to be a better manager, a better leader, a better person colleague for other people so it has definitely a complete ripple effect and when you have – especially when you have leadership and senior managers who don’t know how to handle their stress.  All of that has a ripple effect on the employees.

Why Writer Enjoys Telling Stories - Scott Gold

In Chapter 8 of 20 of his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, author and writer Scott Gold answers "What Do You Enjoy Most About Telling a Good Story?"  Firstly, Gold notes the satisfaction of physically delivering something and receiving the positive response.  He also finds gratification in the storytelling process itself, detailing several ways in which it provides satisfaction.  Scott Gold is an author and writer based in New York City.  When not writing, Gold moonlights as a bartender at Char no. 4 restaurant in Brooklyn.  He earned a BA in Philosophy from Washington University in St. Louis. 

How to Argue More Effectively Using Deductive Reasoning - Scott Gold

In Chapter 14 of 20 of his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, author and writer Scott Gold answers "How Does Deductive Reasoning Create More Sound and Valid Arguments?"  Gold shares how he learns to argue by studying philosophy and applying it in his reasoning.  He discusses logical deductive structure and how working from premises to conclusion creates a valid argument but not necessarily sound one.  Scott Gold is an author and writer based in New York City.  When not writing, Gold moonlights as a bartender at Char no. 4 restaurant in Brooklyn.  He earned a BA in Philosophy from Washington University in St. Louis. 

How to Assess Business Network Relationship Strength - Ben Hallen

In Chapter 15 of 21 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, business school professor Ben Hallen answers "How Do You Balance Statistical Modeling and Interviewing to Better Understand and Deconstruct Relationships?" Hallen does both because each has its strength. Interviewing provides rich insight that is often unexpected. Statistical analysis - quantitative or empirical analysis - offers the ability to look at large patterns and draw conclusions between inputs and associated outcomes. He applies these approaches in understanding how entrepreneurs and venture capitalists form relationships. Hallen is an Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at London Business School. Previously, he was Assistant Professor of Management and Organization at University of Maryland. Hallen earned his PhD from Stanford University and its Stanford Technology Venture Program (STVP). He has been a startup CTO and graduated from the University of Virginia with a BS in Electrical Engineering and a Masters in Computer Science.

How to Be at Your Best Each Day - Audrey Parker

In Chapter 1 of 21 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, entrepreneur Audrey Parker answers "When Are You at Your Best?" Beyond a good night's rest, some exercise, and a healthy breakfast, Parker notes she is at her best when there is enough going on to keep her engaged but not enough where she is overwhelmed. She notes how she has learned to scale back to find her sweet spot and be her best. Parker is currently on a one-year sabaatical. Parker co-founded CLEAResult, an energy management consulting firm. In 2010, CLEAResult ranked #144 in the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies. In late 2010, CLEAResult was sold to General Catalyst Partners. Parker graduated from Wake Forest University.

How Entrepreneurial Skills Enhance Personal Wellbeing - Audrey Parker

In Chapter 13 of 21 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, entrepreneur Audrey Parker answers "Where Do You Find Business Skills Most Transferable to Life, Relationships, and Family?" Parker shares how she has learned to roll with life and its changes in her entrepreneurial business experience. She is currently on a one-year sabbatical after selling her company, CLEAResult. Looking back on what she learned, she finds her entrepreneurial experiences very transferable into her personal life. She learns her limits and how to manage actions, decisions, and relationships in high pressure, fast paced situations. Parker co-founded CLEAResult, an energy management consulting firm. In 2010, CLEAResult ranked #144 in the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies. In late 2010, CLEAResult was sold to General Catalyst Partners. Parker graduated from Wake Forest University.

How Operations Makeover Positions Company for Growth - Richard Moross

In Chapter 11 of 13 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, Moo.com CEO and London entrepreneur Richard Moross answers "Since We Last Spoke a Year Ago, What Has Been the Most Exciting Thing to Happen in Your Life?" Moross cites how rebuilding the company from the ground up has positioned it for 2011 growth. By rearchitecting Moo.com's website, software, and backend, the company strategically positions itself for the future. Moross is founder and CEO of Moo.com. Before starting Moo.com, an award-winning online print business, Moross was a senior design strategist at Imagination, the world's largest independent design company. He graduated from the University of Sussex, where he majored in philosophy and politics.

How to Solve Ill-Defined Problems - Jon Kolko

In Chapter 10 of 17 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, designer and educator Jon Kolko shares how he thinks about well-defined, ill-defined, and wicked problems. Kolko sees wicked problems as more likely to be mitigated than solved. Ill-defined problems, however, can be solved, though, as he notes, not algorithmically. Kolko notes the value in bringing interdisciplinary approaches to solve the ill-defined problems and finding satisfaction working on them to the point of exhaustion. Kolko is the executive director of design strategy at venture accelerator, Thinktiv (www.thinktiv.com). He is the founder and director of the Austin School for Design (www.ac4d.com). Previously, he worked at frog design and was a professor of Interactive and Industrial Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). He has authored multiple books on design. Kolko earned his Masters in Human Computer Interaction (MHI) and BFA in Design from Carnegie Mellon University.

Learning by Teaching - Jon Kolko

In Chapter 17 of 17 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, designer and educator Jon Kolko shares why he teaches. He finds teaching an incredible learning process. Kolko does not see teaching as purely altruistic; rather, he finds balance between making a contribution and selfishly learning from his students. Kolko is the executive director of design strategy at venture accelerator, Thinktiv (www.thinktiv.com). He is the founder and director of the Austin School for Design (www.ac4d.com). Previously, he worked at frog design and was a professor of Interactive and Industrial Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). He has authored multiple books on design. Kolko earned his Masters in Human Computer Interaction (MHI) and BFA in Design from Carnegie Mellon University.

How Quant Models Help Understand Human Behavior - Hammans Stallings

In Chapter 5 of 12 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, innovation strategist Hammans Stallings shares how quantitative decisions tools can help understand human behavior. He notes how both economics and psychology have gone through arcs thinking about people independently in their respective models. Stallings notes that analytic models that capture base assumptions allow you to capture differences to compare and contrast behavior against the model. Stallings is currently a Senior Strategist at frog design. Previously he worked in business strategy at Dell and investment banking at Stephens. He earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, a MS in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas McCombs School of Business and a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Virginia.

How to Break Out of a Comfort Zone and Learn New Things - Bijoy Goswami

In Chapter 2 of 15 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, leadership philosopher Bijoy Goswami shares how he breaks out of his comfort zone. He does this by embracing activities and experiences he normally would not seek. This may mean attending movies he knows nothing about or going to events or conferences not directly aligned with his career or personal interests. The different environment provides the intellectual stimulation he then uses to develop and refine his interests and ambition. Goswami lives in Austin, TX, where he develops models, including MRE, youPlusU, and Bootstrap, to help others live more meaningfully. He teaches his models through community activism, lectures, writing, and online communication. Previously, he co-founded Aviri Software after working at Trilogy Software. Goswami graduated from Stanford University, where he studied Computer Science, Economics, and History.

How to Manage Lifestyle Change Becoming an Entrepreneur - Dan Street

In Chapter 2 of 20 of his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, software entrepreneur and Loku founder and CEO Dan Street shares what getting easier and harder as he builds his company Loku. He focuses on some of the lifestyle challenges that accompany starting a company. This includes finding time for social activity, eating healthy, getting exercise, and perhaps most importantly setting expectations with friends and family. Street is the founder and CEO of Loku, previously known as Borrowed Sugar, which develops Internet software to strengthen local communities. Previously, Street worked in private equity at Kohlberg, Kravis, and Roberts (KKR) and management consulting at Bain & Co. He earned a BA in music and business from Rice University.

How Friendly Peer Competition Motivates Writing Career - Mark Graham

In Chapter 13 of 19 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, editor and writer Mark Graham how his Internet writing peers provide friendly competition and motivate him to improve. Graham enjoys reading friends' articles critically to not only provide feedback but also to inform his own development and ideas. He also how peers motivate and inspire him on story turnaround time. In his new editor role, Graham looks beyond individual writing pieces to more a body of work, how and when it was laid out, and how it resonated with viewers and fans. Graham is currently a senior editor at MTV Networks. Previously he worked in editing and writing roles at New York Magazine and Gawker Media. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in English.

How to Overcome Common Influencer Brand Marketing Mistakes - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 11 of 12 in his 2010 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, media and publishing entrepreneur Phil McKenzie shares how fear and knowledge gaps limit brand marketer ability to connect with influencers and tastemakers. Additionally, short-term timelines - predicated by Wall Street quarterly earnings pressures - causes breakdowns in longer-term influencer community connection.  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 Goldman Sachs Sales and Trading Teaches MBA to Adapt - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 1 of 12 in his 2010 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, media and publishing entrepreneur Phil McKenzie joins Goldman Sachs sales and trading upon earning his MBA at Duke University. McKenzie is thrown into an unfamiliar trading floor and industry environment and is forced to adapt over time. McKenzie recounts that initial year as the most challenging in his career given the intensity and overwhelming amount of new information to learn, both at the bank and within the industry - pharmaceuticals - he covered as a trader. McKenzie worked at Goldman for eight years before embarking on an entrepreneurial career. McKenzie is now co-founder of FREE DMC, a New York based event, media and publishing company, and co-founder of the Influencer Conference, a global event series bringing together entrepreneurial, arts, design, and non-profit communities. 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.