Jullien Gordon on How to Personalize a Leadership Lifestyle

In Chapter 4 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, motivation teacher Jullien Gordon answers "What Does It Mean to Be a Leader in What You Do?"  Gordon shares the stages of his own leadership journey and how experiences have shaped his approach to being a leader in his actions and ambitions.  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:  What does it mean to be a leader in what you do?

Jullien Gordon:  Wow!  What does it mean to be a leader?  For me leadership has always been defined as creating more leaders and if you’re not creating more leaders then -- well actually that’s the external version of leadership.  I think leadership actually starts with self leadership and actually directing your life in the way that you want it to go and then from there, by that example, you actually inspire others to take control and full responsibility for the decisions and the choices that they’re making. 

So I definitely think leadership actually comes back to are you taking full responsibility for your choices, or are you letting life and other external factors actually influence your choice and therefore your choice being inauthentic.  Leadership is I think this space where you are actually continually making authentic choices based on what you think is best for you and those around you.

Erik Michielsen:  And how have you learned about leadership as your career has developed?

Jullien Gordon:  In undergrad I actually was a student leader of various organizations.  When I graduated I actually became executive director of a program called the Shake program where I was managing 32 part-time undergrads plus a team of volunteers and so that was my first real experience of full time leadership, then I went to business school and then I worked with MLT for quite some time. I developed a team there at MLT and from there I’ve been building my business on my own for the past few years now.  I would say that it’s all been about self-leadership for me. 

I haven’t figured out how I’m gonna take full responsibility for a team of people and still have the balance that I want in my life so I haven’t really committed to that responsibility.  I have part time people who work with me on various things. I have administrators, assistants, legal team, sales team etcetera but they’re all part-time so in terms of leading other people I haven’t been in that space for quite some time where I feel fully responsible for the life of someone else or for the economic future of someone else and so I’m still exploring that and do I actually want to have a big building out like the ones out here in New York is that ultimately my goal or is my goal actually time freedom. 

As I’ve navigated my journey over the past three years I’ve realized that it’s not about financial freedom for me it’s actually about time freedom which gives me the freedom to make choices and spend my time the way I want to spend it and that means that my business also isn’t necessarily about profit maximization. 

I’m actually using entrepreneurship as a vehicle to create a lifestyle that aligns with who I am and what I want and so as I think about my leadership it’s really been about time freedom and so a lot of leadership has been with self and not necessarily leading hordes of people or teams.  Of course when I’m speaking, at my speaking engagements, I’m leading people for that given time or if I’m doing a training for a corporation or a college, I’m leading people in that moment but I haven’t – it hasn’t been – it’s been a while since I’ve actually been responsible for leading people on a daily basis.

Jullien Gordon on How Standup Comedy Facilitates Self-Discovery

In Chapter 9 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, motivation teacher Jullien Gordon answers "What Did Taking a Standup Comedy Class Teach You About Yourself?"  Gordon notes how the experience helped him "uncan" himself, allowing him to loosen up, be himself, and be corny and silly in his life.  Gordon learns to use humor and comedy to get people to open up and be more receptive to the more challenging messages he delivers.  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:  What did taking a stand up comedy class teach you about yourself?

Jullien Gordon:  Oh wow.  I really enjoyed that experience.  The term I like to put to it is that it really let me un-can myself because being a professional coming from Stanford and just being in this business world, often times we can ourselves and we have these prepackaged ways of delivering ourselves to other people and taking a comedy class just loosened me up and allowed me to be more of who am I. At the end of the day I’m really corny.  I’m really corny.  I make corny jokes at home with my friends, they even know me as corny and it allowed me to bring that corniness into every space that I’m in and not be ashamed of it and so I really loved that experience.

 Ultimately when I speak I bring the truth to people to the best of the my ability or the truth that I see just so that they can be exposed to it but when I would just deliver the truth, a lot of people might close off.  So through comedy and humor I’m actually able to open people up so that they’re smiling in the way that you are and then once people are open they’re more receptive to the messages that you deliver and then I can give the harder things that people have to consider.  So it has really helped me become a better communicator, a better speaker and so I’m really grateful for that experience.

How to Design a Corporate Social Network - Marc Ferrentino

In Chapter 10 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, cloud computing technology executive Marc Ferrentino answers "So How Has Your Approach to Solving Problems You are Having Led You to Developing Social Tools for the Enterprise?"  Ferrentino, who concepted a corporate social network called Chatter, walks through the process that informed why and how Salesforce Chatter was built.  He compares and contrasts corporate social networks with consumer social networks and what he learned about applying Web 2.0 and social tools in an enterprise environment.  Ferrentino is Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of cloud computing at BMC Software.  Previously, he was Chief Technology Architect (CTA) at Salesforce.com.  Previous to Salesforce.com, Ferrentino worked in mobile and Internet startups and at Goldman Sachs.  He earned a BSEE in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan.

How Startups Can Better Prepare for Acquisition or Exit - Ramsey Pryor

In Chapter 7 of 15 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Ramsey Pryor answers "What Was Most Educational Going Through An Acquisition Process as a Startup Executive?"  Pryor learns to understand how to assess what and what not an acquiring company cares about.  Pryor also shares specifics around what the diligence process taught him about what young startup companies can do to better prepare for an exit.  Pryor is currently a product management executive at IBM focused on cloud-based communication and collaboration software.  Previously he was VP Product Marketing at Outblaze, acquired by IBM.  Pryor earned an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain and a BA in Economics and Spanish from Northwestern University. 

Nina Godiwalla on What Gets Easier and What Gets Harder

In Chapter 2 of 22 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, author Nina Godiwalla answers "What is Getting Easier and What is Getting Harder in Your Life?"  She notes how she has pushed herself to overcome challenges and identify with and connect to a tribe of like-minded aspirational peers.  Through the process, she finds it getting easier to find herself.  What becomes more difficult is putting this into action.  Godiwalla is the author of "Suits: A Woman on Wall Street". 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:  What is getting easier and what is getting harder in your life?

Nina Godiwalla:  When I grew up, there wasn’t a whole lot of focus on what do I love, what do I want to do, so I’d say it wasn’t until my 20s that I kind of got to a point and I call it -- I had my midlife crisis in my 20s because I was an investment banker and I realized, “Oh wow” everything the way that -- the whole way my life of success has been defined to date is not in line with what I want. So I think what’s getting easier is starting to understand what I like and what I enjoy in life and that was very hard for me before because I had never focused on that so that’s getting easier and then the challenge becomes, okay, now I’m starting to get it, I’m slowly starting to learn about myself and who I am and now what’s getting harder is putting that into the world, like how do I actually create my life around that and at moments, it’s hard and then there’s something about it that’s so easy honestly because when you love it, you’re so good at what you’re doing and you find a way to move through things and I really believe that there’s people that come along in your path and you -- I call it your tribe.  You find people that are like you in your tribe and through that, you start to build your world around it and so, I think that parts, it’s challenging yet at the same time, it’s exhilarating and when you’re around in the right world and the right people, everything starts to work out.

Erik Michielsen:  Can you give me an example of that?

Nina Godiwalla:  Yeah, I mean my book is a great example of that.  That was something – it was something that kind of sat in me that I needed to do.  I was actually, I was in a corporate job not doing, it was when the economy was low and everyone was like trying to hang on to any job they had and the reality was my job at that time was not very thought-provoking.  It was just – it was a job.  It got to a point it where it’s job.  Our client cut back so much that we weren’t doing a lot of interesting work and in the end, what happened was I had in my head like this is kind of boring.  I’m not learning a lot.  I’m not doing a whole lot and I left to pursue my book and it’s cause -- it’s kind of that book kind of looked at me and I had written it before but I hadn’t really done anything with it and with that whole process, I mean I got it published very quickly.  I got -- everything fell into place along the way, just the way it should because I was so excited about it.  I mean I worked so hard towards it but also when I needed the right people to fall into place, somehow miraculously, I would meet the right person that would help me get to that next step, next step, next step and it’s because I was on the right path for me.

How Success Shapes Standup Comedy Career Growth - Matt Ruby

In Chapter 11 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, standup comedian Matt Ruby answers "What Interests You Most About the Arc of a Standup Comedy Career?"  Ruby notes how comedians get more interesting with age and experience.  Experience and time allow a comedian not only to build a set but also to build a brand.  Over time, it becomes less about being an anonymous name in a large room to being the featured performer in a fan-filled room. 

Matt Ruby is a standup comedian based in New York City.  He co-produces the weekly show "Hot Soup", co-hosts the monthly show "We're All Friends Here", and manages a comedy blog "Sandpaper Suit".  Ruby graduated from Northwestern University.

How Comedian Creates Meaningful Career Goals - Matt Ruby

In Chapter 13 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, standup comedian Matt Ruby "How Is Gaining Standup Comedy Experience Affecting Your Approach to Who You Want to Be on Stage?"  Ruby notes how he is going through a metamorphosis, evolving his act and performance.  He begins by thinking about his audience and what he can do to create more memorable experiences.  The process leads him to a deep introspective analysis of what makes his work meaningful and how he can improve. 

Matt Ruby is a standup comedian based in New York City.  He co-produces the weekly show "Hot Soup", co-hosts the monthly show "We're All Friends Here", and manages a comedy blog "Sandpaper Suit".  Ruby graduated from Northwestern University. 

How Rebranding Project Refines Small Business Model - Hattie Elliot

In Chapter 9 of 16 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, The Grace List founder and entrepreneur Hattie Elliot answers "How Are You Improving as a Matchmaker?"  Elliot details how a rebranding project helped her refocus her business, The Grace List, as a singles event company.  In addition to focusing communication, client expectation, and service offerings, Elliot grows as a founder, learning to be more judicious and confident making decisions in the best interest of her business.  Elliot is the founder and CEO of The Grace List, which is redefining the dating world by creating opportunities for singles to revitalize personal interests and find intriguing people who will influence their lives.  Before founding The Grace List, Elliot worked as a social entrepreneur and business development consultant.  Elliott graduated from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, where she studied economics, philosophy, and politics.

How to Optimize and Expand Your Network - Ben Hallen

In Chapter 17 of 21 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, business school professor Ben Hallen answers "How Do You Teach Aspiring Entrepreneurs How to Use and Expand Their Networks?" As an educator, Hallen considers himself a consultant to his students, helping them use tools and approaches, including network theory, case studies, self-reflection, and relationship building fundamentals, to engage and develop. 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.

What Gets Easier and What Gets Harder - Audrey Parker

In Chapter 4 of 21 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, entrepreneur Audrey Parker answers "What is Getting Easier and What is Getting Harder in Your Life?" Parker feels her experiences starting, growing, and exiting the company she co-founded, CLEAResult, have put her in a positive place. The learning experiences in that time have left her better prepared for what comes her way. After leaving the business, she decides to take a one-year sabbatical to rest, relax, and plan free from outside distractions. Parker is currently on a one-year sabbatical. 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 Personal Identity Philosophy Shapes Aspirations - Audrey Parker

In Chapter 21 of 21 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, entrepreneur Audrey Parker answers "How Have Your Views on Your Personal Identity Changed as You Have Aged?" After selling and leaving her company, CLEAResult, Parker asks herself "who am I?" She realizes identity is something we put on, so after dissolving her CLEAResult persona she can now put on a new identity and be anyone or anything she wants. Parker is currently on a one-year sabbatical. 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 to Break Out of a Comfort Zone and Live More Fully - Matt Curtis

In Chapter 7 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, public affairs and communications strategist Matt Curtis answers "Where is Your Comfort Zone and What Do You Do to Break Free of Living in It?" Curtis shares how for the longest time, his comfort zone was living a sedentary life at home. After breaking free of this by moving into the city and cutting his cable TV, Curtis now focuses on how he can become more centered each week. He finds waking up early an effective way to get the alone time necessary to plan his future. Curtis is the communications director for Austin mayor Lee Leffingwell. Curtis' charity work includes affiliations with Capital Area Food Bank, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Students of the World, the Rainforest Project and the Art Alliance. In 2011, Curtis won "Austinite of the Year" in the Austin Under 40 Awards. He earned his bachelor's degree in radio, television and film from the University of North Texas.

The Cathartic Power of Epic Failure - Jon Kolko

In Chapter 14 of 17 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, designer and educator Jon Kolko shares how failure has been fundamental to advancing and refining his career. Kolko notes how the greatest moments in his professional life have come after epic failures. For example, after being part of a failed startup, Kolko waits tables at a restaurant, where he decides to apply to the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) to teach. 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 Using Left and Right Brain Thinking - Hammans Stallings

In Chapter 1 of 12 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, innovation strategist Hammans Stallings shares how he defines success by blending left and right brain thinking in his professional pursuits. Early in his career, Stallings, educated in studio art, psychology, and economics, focuses on analytical left brain pursuits. Over time, Stallings transitions more toward emotional and intuitive right brain exercises. He learns the most complex decisions are best made minimizing time spent thinking about them. 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 the Startup Story is the Modern Hero's Journey - Bijoy Goswami

In Chapter 9 of 15 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, leadership philosopher Bijoy Goswami shares why startups fascinate him. He sees entrepreneurs and startups as the modern "Hero's Journey". Playing on the Joseph Campbell metaphor, Goswami shares how the startup is where entrepreneurs confront themselves, learn, and develop personally. He continues with his interest of how we can apply what entrepreneurs learn to a broader audience. 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.

Fabian Pfortmüller on What is the First Step to Living Your Dream

In Chapter 7 of 19 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, community builder and entrepreneur Fabian Pfortmüller shares how he encourages others to take the first step to living their dream. The first step is that taking action on a dream means you cannot fail. He finds the fear of failure holds back people from acting on dreams and pursuing their respective passion. He lives his own dream by asking himself often what is success. Pfortmüller is co-founder of Sandbox Network (www.sandbox-network.com). He also co-founded an innovation think tank, Incubaker (www.incubaker.com), and is part of the group's first spin-off, Holstee (www.holstee.com), an apparel brand for people who would like to wear their passion. Pfortmüller graduated from Columbia University and its School of General Studies.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: When you advise others to live their dream what do you advise they do to take the first step?

Fabian Pfortmüller: So, I meet a lot of people and I always encourage them to live their dream and I think many people say ‘Yeah, you know I’d love to’ I mean who wouldn’t want to live their dream, right? And what I try to convince them of as a first step is that they can’t fail. I really believe so that – I think that especially applies to us being here in the US and in Europe and… the fortunate environments that we have that we have many people we have to do with and that might not apply to someone who is in India and has nothing to eat but most people I deal with in my daily life, they can’t fail, they have food, they have shelter, they have good education, usually they have enough money, there is no struggle for survival and seriously realizing that, incorporating that and acting upon that I think is one of the most important first steps, because I believe that’s what holds a lot of people back is kind of a very deep down sense of ‘I’m totally utterly going to fail and I’m going to end up on the streets’. If you tell them, ‘Look, you’re not going to be that successful in the first few years and so-‘ I think people can deal with that, people can deal with that but deep down they have to have the fear that they always dreamed of being an artist but perusing that is going to bring them out in the streets and I believe that’s wrong.

Erik Michielsen: How are you living your own dream?

Fabian Pfortmüller: Asking myself very often what I want and what really drives me, what is success? Having that question very close to me and asking it very, very regularly that helps me to live my dream. Because in order to live your dream you need to know what your dream is and one of the qualities of life, maybe in general but particularly in my life, is that it goes on very fast and things come up and they’re very noisy and they speak to you very loud voices that sometimes the important things get pushed backwards you know? And keep them very close to… the forward part of your brain so to speak I think that’s what helps me to live my dreams. In a practical sense it is by doing what I love kind of working on Holstee, working on Sandbox and being here in New York you know, that’s my dream right now.

How to Align Career Purpose With Childhood Ambition - Doug Jaeger

In Chapter 8 of 12 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, designer Doug Jaeger shares how his aspirations and goals have changed from his childhood, through his 20s, and into his 30s. After finding early success and the associated financial rewards, Jaeger begins aligning his creative career aspirations with early childhood aims to contribute by creating lasting media. Jaeger is a partner at design firm JaegerSloan - http://jaegersloan.com/ - and is also president of the Art Director's Club - http://www.adcglobal.org/ . Previously he founded thehappycorp and has served in creative director leadership roles at TBWA/Chiat/Day and JWT. Jaeger holds a BFA in Computer Graphics and Art Media Studies from Syracuse University.