Idan Cohen on Managing International Project Teams

In Chapter 18 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, Boxee co-founder and head of product Idan Cohen answers "What Have Been Your Greatest Challenges Managing International Project Teams?"  Cohen notes two perspectives.  The first is not being able to iterate quickly side by side.  The second he ties to consumer product development and the importance of having the entire team on board with the market, user and consumer. 

This is Idan Cohen's Year 1 Capture Your Flag interview.  Cohen is co-founder and head of product at Boxee Inc, an online video software company.  Previous to Boxee, Cohen held telecom software innovation and developer roles at Comverse.  He was a Captain in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and graduated from Tel Aviv University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Geophysics and Art.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: What have been your greatest challenges in managing international project teams?

Idan Cohen: It’s about just not being able to sit in the same room, you know, just being able to iterate quickly with a few people sitting on a couch for a couple of hours, that’s very important. Doing it on the phone as much as we think, that, you know, with Skype and other tools, the world is flat, it just doesn’t work in a lot of cases.

And then probably the other really important thing is just when you’re creating consumer products, it’s so important for everyone to understand the market and the user and the consumer, and if you’re a small company, then you know it comes down to the last person, it’s the last developer or the officer manager, it doesn’t matter, or the HR woman, let’s say that does recruiting part-time for you, everyone needs to understand what you’re all working on in order to be able to really build the right product and that’s a huge challenge, when you’re working separately with teams in different places, it’s just not everyone seeing the same picture, that was a huge challenge for us.

Why to Travel to Foreign Places

In Chapter 2 of 15 in her 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Audrey Parker French answers "What Have You Found Most Rewarding About Traveling to New Places?" French not only learns to be more open to new experiences while traveling abroad but also to embrace home more fully after getting a new sense of appreciation for Austin, Texas. 

Audrey Parker French returns to CYF for her Year 3 interview after a one-year sabbatical from work and getting married.  She 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.  She graduated from Wake Forest University. 

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: What have you found most rewarding about traveling to new places?

Audrey Parker French: I find that traveling to new places and experiencing new things just reminds us all that we can have new eyes when we look at things, a new perspective. And for the 6 weeks abroad that my husband and I enjoyed last fall, just really having the freshness of perspective to see that people’s lives are lived in all different ways, in all different languages, in all different cultures, and it helps free up any of the, you know, everyone does it this way, I have to do it this way kind of things that just run in the background of our minds that we don’t necessarily pay attention to.

It’s just like, well, this is how everybody does it, and when I – when we got the opportunity to travel and look around and see not everybody does this like this, not everybody eats like this or goes to work with the same attitude or for the same purposes or lives the same lifestyle, there’s just – there are so many new things to see and travelling is just an opportunity to have perspective on our own lives and learn anything and everything that we didn’t even know is out there to learn.

You can go to a new place and before you know it, you’re learning things about that place that make it special and unique, and it has you realize the special and unique things where you live, where – it was amazing just to come home. We started seeing our home – our hometown, Austin, Texas with new eyes. And really comparing it to other cities and countries and just saying, “We really have a new appreciation for where we live.” Seeing the quirks and the culture and the flavor and the things that for us are like home for us, and yet they are very different to other cultures. Other people of other places would come here and point out all sorts of things that they thought were different or interesting and to us it’s life -- it feels home, so it brought an expanded perspective to us of how other people live and a new appreciation for how we live here and just the fact that we love where we live and we love the culture and the people, and it really could be – all those things could be very, very different.

Why to Ask About Company Culture in a Job Interview - Matt Curtis

In Chapter 13 of 18 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, public affairs and communications strategist Matt Curtis answers "What Company Qualities Did You Seek When Looking for a New Job?"  Curtis shares the question he now always asks in a job interview.  He shares team sports experiences and how playing basketball taught him the importance of positivity and teamwork and why he carries those lessons closely in his professional life.  Matt Curtis is the director of government relations at HomeAway Inc. Previously he was communications director for Austin mayors Lee Leffingwell and Will Wynn.  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.

How to Be More Creative by Changing Your Surroundings

In Chapter 5 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, leadership philosopher Bijoy Goswami answers "How Has Changing Your Surroundings Made You More Creative?"  He notes how altering patterns and routines creates a more open-minded or curious mindset that fuels his creative thinking. 

Bijoy Goswami is a writer, teacher, and community leader based in Austin, Texas.  He develops learning models, including MRE, youPlusU, and Bootstrap, to help others live more meaningfully.  Previously, he co-founded Aviri Software after working at Trilogy Software.  Goswami graduated from Stanford University, where he studied Computer Science, Economics, and History. 

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen:  How has changing your surroundings made you more creative?

Bijoy Goswami:  You know, you get into patterns, right? So, when I'm in Austin I'm in my pattern. I mean, there’s a set of things that I do and I think Austin is a very creative place because there’s so much serendipity that happens both from things like South By and other festivals, Fuse Box and things like that happen through the year and they sort of immerse you into these different environments but otherwise with those happening you’re kind of on a particular pattern.

I think you start to get grooved in, you know, things start to solidify and you don’t really think outside the box but when things like South By happens, it’s really interesting because it’s actually an experience layered on to the same environment all of a sudden I'm in a different mode, you know, and so it’s a very interesting thing because you’re not going toward something you’re more open to receiving things. So, your mindset is very different. You’re saying, oh, what’s new? What’s interesting? You’re looking up and around rather than forward and ahead. So, I think that’s what that does, I mean, in Austin our festivals do that.

For me, it’s whenever I travel that’s what happens. I mean, you know, I go to London or go to UK or I was in Oslo last year, I mean, it’s just always interesting because – and it’s also funny because you see the similarities of what makes culture the same but you also see all these differences and you’re like, oh, that’s really interesting and I can see where that came from and the weather influenced this and, you know. So, I think it just jogs you out of your routine, which is really cool.

How Real Estate Jobs Teach How Communities Work - Ken Biberaj

In Chapter 14 of 21 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, New York City Council candidate and public relations executive Ken Biberaj answers "What Has Your Real Estate Experience Taught You About Community?"  Biberaj notes how real estate job experience informs a better understanding of community, from schools and small business to housing and recreation.  He finds real estate fundamental to understanding urban development and building livable communities.  Ken Biberaj is currently a 2013 Candidate for New York City Council for the West Side of Manhattan.  He is also a public relations executive for the Russian Tea Room restaurant at One Fifty Fifty Seven Corporation, a family business focused on real estate development, investment sales and retail leasing.  Previously he was Florida Research Director for the Kerry-Edwards for President Campaign. He holds a JD from New York Law School, a Masters in Public Policy (MPP) from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, and a BA in Political Science from American University. 

Fabian Pfortmüller on How to Run Projects Using Culture and Process

In Chapter 11 of 15 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, community builder and entrepreneur Fabian Pfortmüller answers "How Do You Balance Experimentation and Commitment in the Projects You Pursue?"  Pfortmüller answers the question in the context of process and culture and how both are relevant to project planning, team building and problem solving.  Pfortmüller is co-founder of the young leader accelerator, Sandbox Network, and HOLSTEE, an apparel and design firm that sells meaningful products to mindful shoppers.  Pfortmüller graduated from Columbia University and its school of General Studies. 

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: How do you balance experimentation and commitment in the projects that you pursue?

Fabian Pfortmüller: I would answer that question with two buckets. On the one hand, I think it’s about process and on the other hand it’s about culture. I believe it’s all about having very clear processes when you run any project. We’re learning every day about project management, we’re learning about setting goals, we’re learning about, you know, making sure those deadlines are met and finding structures how we feel comfortable that we can really plan out projects in quite a lot detail but at the same time building the culture to be super free and how we wanna solve that problem.

Once we clearly define the problem, there should not be a required way to get there and I think culture is one of the key elements that allows people to think freely and that’s just something that we’re trying to tell ourselves but also the people we work with. No matter how you get there, it doesn’t matter. It’s just about the goal, and the crazier ideas, the better.

We at HOLSTEE for example have a 10% rule, a little bit like Google’s 20% rule but 10% where we just encourage people to work on whatever they want and something that they are passionate about, something where they believe they can have impact and I think that openness and that freedom in, you know, going no matter where as long as they’re creating something valuable is super important for any organization.

Why to Sell Clients on Your Company Culture - Mike Germano

In Chapter 11 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, social media ad agency CEO Mike Germano answers "How Are You Becoming Better at Selling Your Vision?"  As Germano sees his company grow, he shifts his focus from fighting to establish its brand reputation to selling the story of his company culture.  Mike Germano is co-founder and CEO of DUMBO, Brooklyn based social media advertising agency Carrot Creative.  Previously, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut.  He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University.

How to Create an Inclusive Company Culture - Mike Germano

In Chapter 13 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, social media ad agency CEO Mike Germano answers "What Steps Have You Taken to Create an Inclusive Company Culture?"  Germano finds culture building the most important thing happening at his company.  Culture building comes with respecting each other and listening to one another.  He finds these often get lost as organizational charts become more tiered and employee levels get clustered.  Mike Germano is co-founder and CEO of DUMBO, Brooklyn based social media advertising agency Carrot Creative.  Previously, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut.  He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University.

Why to Seek Advice From Entry Level Hires - Mike Germano

In Chapter 14 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, social media ad agency CEO Mike Germano answers "At This Moment in Your Life, Where are You Seeking Advice and Coaching?"  Germano notes the valuable advice he gets from speaking with entry-level hires, typically recent college graduates, who have worked less than a year at the company.  This helps him stay connected and focus on the little things shaping company culture, mission, and values.  Mike Germano is co-founder and CEO of DUMBO, Brooklyn based social media advertising agency Carrot Creative.  Previously, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut.  He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University. 

Feeling Freedom Riding a Motorcycle

In Chapter 11 of 14 in his 2012 interview, real estate development executive Brett Goldman answers "Where Do Motorcycles Play into Your Story?"  He shares how he gets a feeling of freedom by riding and how exploring the country on a cycle differs from exploring it in a car. 

Brett Goldman is a Real Estate Acquisitions Director at Triangle Equities in New York City.  He holds a BA in General Studies from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Real Estate Development from the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: Where do motorcycles play into your story?

Brett Goldman: I just love the feeling of freedom, it's totally different when you're riding a motorcycle than driving a car. When you're driving a car -- even a convertible, but mostly a regular car that's totally -- has windows and windshields, you don't feel the wind, you don't feel like you're outside even though you think that you are outside and you feel like you're outside when you're driving in a car, when you're on a motorcycle, it's completely different.

I can drive 60 miles on a motorcycle versus 60 miles in a car, and the 60 miles on a motorcycle is -- it's almost difficult in that you experience every mile, and I like to stop on the side of the road a lot. The way that we've set up the interstate system in this country, you can really just fly through places and never even know that they exist and if you stop for just a second and just take it in, it's a whole different experience. But you have to stop when you're in a car. When you're on a motorcycle, it's almost as if you're on foot. And you feel like you've been to some place, not just been through it. 

How to Use Company Culture to Recruit Great Teams - Jason Anello

In Chapter 9 of 20 in his 2012 interview, creative director Jason Anello answers "What Has Your Experience Taught Your About Bringing Together Teams to Successfully Complete Projects?" Anellos shares he and his business partners use cultural fit in how they recruit employees and freelance workers.  He notes why he values cultural fit over skillset when recruiting and building high performance teams. 

Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at marketing services agency Manifold Partners.  He is also the co-founder of the Forking Tasty Brooklyn supper club.  Previously, Anello held creative leadership roles at Yahoo! and Ogilvy & Mather.  He graduated from the University at Albany. 

Transcription: 

Erik Michielsen: What has your experience taught you about bringing together teams to successfully complete projects?

Jason Anello: I'm almost 2 years in at Manifold, and it's been a very interesting 2 years, I've learned a whole lot about having what I would say is a real business, I had a lot of little businesses that were in my mind maybe more businesses than just they were really projects. And this is definitely a full-blown business, with all the things that businesses come along with, particularly finding employees that can execute to the level that me and my 4 partners expect and do. That's a really interesting thing about having a business and who do you -- how do you find the right people that are going to meet and then exceed the expectations, the very high expectations that me and my partners have. And I think one of the keys to finding proper employees that will make a successful team, or freelancers for that matter, or even outside of the context of a working environment in any project that you're trying to get done, is for the culture to be a match. I know people talk about culture in many -- lots of big companies talk about culture and just thinking about who your friends are and how you -- when you hit it off with somebody and you don't hit it off with somebody. I think that skill set is obviously really important but you could have somebody who's really, really good at the thing that needs to get done, and if you don't mesh with them right, and they're -- they don't fit inside of the culture of Manifold, in this example, then the project won't be as successful.

So I would rather have somebody who's less skilled but fits the culture better, because that would make a more successful project. A real world example of that is, if I yell at you, because of the way that Manifold's culture is, I can't really explain what that is right now, is that that's -- it's a high intense sometimes environment because we're hanging things in the middle of Times Square for 24 hours and it's -- there's permits and these things and all sorts of -- it's raining and whatever.

So it's sort of like a kitchen environment, sometimes, when we throw a big event. It's like what you see on TV, when Gordon Ramsay is going berserko, screaming at people and people are just doing stuff, that's sort of what it's like when you're doing high-profile events and you're in the shoot, as we say. But the shoot being, you know, a slide of some sort, or the barrel of a gun. But if you can't take that and you think that if you don't fit that culture, if I can't yell at you, you can't brush it off your back, that's not gonna fit with our culture. Because I don't -- I'm not really mad at you, I just need you to do that thing right now. And I'm not saying we're a bunch of these screamers and yellers, but you could be really, really good getting that thing done and if you shut down when I yell at you then that's not gonna make a successful team. 

How Storefront Office Transforms Creative Business - Doug Jaeger

In Chapter 9 of 17 in his 2012 interview, entrepreneur Doug Jaeger answers "How Did You Decide Where to Locate Your Office?"  Jaeger learns from mentor, Carl Johnson of Anomaly, how London creative agencies work out of storefront offices.  After opening JaegerSloan as a hybrid office / gallery, Jaeger finds unexpected surprises being connected to the local community.  By being present in the community, Jaeger finds he is able to both participate and contribute as a member and help it flourish.  Doug Jaeger is the co-founder of JaegerSloan, a multimedia design services firm in New York City.  His street front office doubles as the JS55 Gallery. Jaeger is also an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts (SVA).  He graduated from Syracuse University.

Creating a Global Incubator for the Creative Class - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 7 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "What Criteria Have You Used When Considering International Expansions?"  McKenzie notes the importance of understanding his core purpose, to facilitate the global development of the creative class.  He then ties that back into the cornerstones of his initiative, keeping a close eye on when to move forward or when to hold back expanding into new cities.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University. 

Leading Through Cultural Diversity - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 19 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "What Role Does Diversity Play in Shaping Your Leadership Style?"  By nature, McKenzie finds cultural diversity front and center in how he is curating an international event series.  Most importantly, he finds diversity of opinion and team construct critical.  He notes this different mix is less focused around American context of diversity - race and gender - and more around an international element build upon culture and views. McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University. 

How to Build a Stronger Korean American Community - Kyung Yoon

In Chapter 13 of 19 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, non-profit executive Kyung Yoon answers "What Makes Your Work Meaningful?"  Yoon shares how she is building the bridge between the first immigration wave from Korea which focused on survival and the second, which is now thriving.  She details how she is working across the Korean American community to utilize the assets to make deeper contributions to America.  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.

How Children Inspire Parents - Ramsey Pryor

In Chapter 4 of 15 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Ramsey Pryor answers "How Do Your Children Inspire You?"  Pryor finds inspiration in children's honesty and transparency.  He also finds inspiration experimenting with different ways to raise the kids, learning from these decisions along the way.  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. 

How to Break Out of a Comfort Zone and Live More Fully - Ramsey Pryor

In Chapter 8 of 15 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Ramsey Pryor answers "Where is Your Comfort Zone and What Do You Do to Break Free of Living in It?"  Pryor discusses the benefits of immersive moves and travels to change scenery.  He also details how becoming a parent and raising children evolves his approach over time.  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.

How Product Manager Startup and Corporate Jobs Compare - Ramsey Pryor

In Chapter 10 of 15 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Ramsey Pryor answers "How Does a Startup Product Management Job Differ From a Large Corporate One?"  Pryor notes how startup product managers have a blank slate and significant autonomy, whereas large company product managers must work withing much more complex and numerous role definitions.  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.