How to Improve How You Learn - Hammans Stallings

In Chapter 10 of 22 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, innovation strategist Hammans Stallings answers "How Are You Improving How You Learn?"  Stallings embraces tools such as his Amazon Kindle and blogs to manage the complexity of new information and knowledge sources.  He finds references in the back of books extremely useful researching and hyperlinking to reference material, especially in an all digital environment.  This helps him understand the formulating evidence, information and theory behind what he reads.  This is Hammans Stallings' Year 2 CYF interview.  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 Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, 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 Apply Academic Theory in Business Work - Hammans Stallings

In Chapter 12 of 22 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, innovation strategist Hammans Stallings answers "How Do You Translate Academic Theory into the Language of Business?"  Stallings finds support in the communication skills of his frog design colleagues.  Specifically he uses visual and communication design tools to prototype ideas and theories to business and create a reaction and subsequent feedback loop.  He This is Hammans Stallings' Year 2 CYF interview.  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 Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, 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.

Research Skills for Problem Solving Careers - Hammans Stallings

In Chapter 20 of 22 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, innovation strategist Hammans Stallings answers "What is the Role of Research in the Problem Solving Process?"  Stallings notes two ways research plays into the process.  The first is researching to understand the problem itself and the various perspectives on that problem.  This helps him gain ownership of or personalize the problem.  The second is researching to learn how other people have thought about the problem in the past.  This gives Stallings references points.  Over time, Stallings improves his research skills by keeping reference materials close at hand.  This is Hammans Stallings' Year 2 CYF interview.  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 Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, 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 Choose a College Major You Can Use All Your Life

In Chapter 11 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, Boxee co-founder and head of product Idan Cohen answers "How Did You Choose What to Study at College and How Has It Remained Relevant as You Have Gotten Older?"  Cohen references his time at Tel Aviv University and his shift in studies from computer science (CS) to physics and art history.  He takes a physics class and loves it.  As the math gets more complex, Cohen complements the physics classes with art, photography, music and architecture classes.  He finds apprenticeship or on the job learning the best ways to learn techical skills and recommends using the college experience to build useful day to day life skills and tools. 

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: How did you choose what to study at college and how has it remained relevant as you’ve gotten older?

Idan Cohen: So I chose to study physics and art history, and I got there in a pretty weird way, because I started off—I started off studying—I did one semester in CS, in Computer Science, and I just—I already knew how to program and it was a lot of math, and it was just like very theoretical programming, and I was just not interested and disengaged, and then I said, okay, I’ll switch to—I actually did a semester in chemistry, and I said, okay, this is also interesting but then I saw that actually what’s interesting for me is physics, then I did a semester in physics and I said, this is great. I enjoy it. It’s a little bit of like a manual for universe, you suddenly understand how things work, from very big things to very small things, to just this thing moving on the table and friction between the table and whatever, and gravity, I loved it. 

But I needed something a little bit more for the soul and as I saw the math getting more complex, I took art history in addition, and that was great because suddenly I was in the university, I was going to these very, you know, technical theoretical math and physics classes but then going and studying about art and photography and music and architecture, and it was awesome. 

Looking back at it, then I think it’s all just tools for life, and I think that that’s what most people should look at when they’re going to college, if you are going to go to college, I believe a lot in just apprenticeship, you know, a little bit like, we—like the path that I took, I mean going for instance into the army then having someone to learn from, how to code, or how to, you know, whatever we did there just—but someone that works with you, so you don’t need all of the theoretical knowledge but someone will help you get into it, and I really believe in that, just learning on the job. 

And on the other hand, there’s very few real professions that you can come out of academia with, so, you know, if you wanna be a medical doctor, probably you need to go there, although, as well, by the way, they learn a lot of theory and then they learn a lot on the job. If you wanna be an accountant or a lawyer, probably you need to go there ‘cause there’s a lot of theoretical material that you should learn. But then there’s so many things that just have nothing to do with sitting in class and studying. 

So if you are going to go there, just make sure you’re gonna study something that is very broad, very shallow, but is gonna give you tools—thinking tools that you can apply later in life. So from, you know, just understanding history or how things were made, and why, and being able to appreciate a work of art or, you know, physics, and just even though I probably forgot a lot of what I studied, and just being able to look at things and understand better how the—you know, what they’re made out of, and how exactly they function, I think that’s great, it’s just—it’s really useful day-to-day tools, and I wish that people would focus more about that. 

I think that when they go to college, they are so obsessed with what they’re gonna do in life, and we’re so privileged compared to our parents for instance, that probably we’re gonna—every 10 years, we’re gonna change what we’re doing, like there’s something about today’s environment that just allows us to do that, so don’t focus on that, just focus on what theoretical knowledge you can obtain now that will serve you through life, and not necessarily through the next 10 years.

How High Schools Can Teach Entrepreneurship - Slava Rubin

In Chapter 13 of 13 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, crowdfunding entrepreneur and IndieGoGo CEO Slava Rubin answers "How Can the Education System Better Prepare Entrepreneurs?"  Rubin details how middle and high schools should promote entrepreneurship curriculum that focuses on practice in addition to theory.  He compares entrepreneur skill development to that of a basketball player, highlighting LeBron James as an example of how practice shapes skills and how schools might use this concept in their curriculum planning.  Slava Rubin returns to CYF for his Year 3 interview.  As CEO and Co-Founder, Rubin has helped transform cause and project fundraising by establishing his company IndieGoGo as a global leader in crowdfunding.  He is also active in philanthropy, starting the Music Against Myeloma annual charity event to fight cancer.  He graduated from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: How can the education system better prepare entrepreneurs?

Slava Rubin: Yeah, to me entrepreneurial thinking is just as important as teaching Math or Mandarin or Spanish or even coding. I think it’s a new language that kids should be learning. I think that an innovative idea is we should actually create a entrepreneurial class and add it to the curriculum where starting in 7th grade until you graduate high school or college every student had to run a business a year. See to me, when Lebron James was learning to play basketball, he didn’t just watch Michael Jordan on TV. He actually played every day with a basketball and we ask our students and our young people to be entrepreneurial with their thinking but we ask them to do with theory, which means without a basketball.

So, I would think that the best way to bring entrepreneurial thinking to our students, have them become innovative, have them – have the opportunity to go to the workplace or start something new very quickly and without as much fear and risk is give them the opportunity starting in 7th grade to be able to be entrepreneurs. This really goes back to kindergarten when your teacher taught you about what you aspire to be, she probably used words like lawyer and doctor and fireman and the word entrepreneur was never used and I think that needs to change.

How to Be a Better Storytelling Teacher - Michael Margolis

In Chapter 16 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "How Are Your Becoming a Better Storytelling Teacher?"  He notes how we teach what we need to learn most and how this continues to shape his continuing education in how he teaches storytelling.  He notes a progressive comfort with his approach and knowledge and how it translates into improved presence, lesson planning, and listening.  Margolis also shares what he has learned about game dynamics' influence from Jane McGonigal and her book "Reality is Broken".  Michael Margolis is founder and president of Get Storied, an education and publishing platform dedicated to teaching the world how to think in narrative.  He earned a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Tufts University. 

Brett Goldman on How to Make Neighborhoods Nicer Communities

In Chapter 5 of 14 in his 2012 interview, real estate development executive Brett Goldman answers "What Has Jane Jacobs Taught You About What Makes Communities Great?"  Goldman shares how Jacobs' writing about eyes on the street and low to medium density neighborhoods have informed his efforts to unify neighborhoods into communities. 

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: What has Jane Jacobs taught you about what makes communities great?

Brett Goldman: She really taught me that places make communities.

Jane Jacobs was all about eyes on the street and it was -- she was all about low-density or medium-density neighborhoods that as a result of their nature caused communities to happen. And I sometimes try to apply that to my work. But it's very difficult. It's like place-making. 

The Rewards of Teaching a Cooking Class

In Chapter 8 of 16 in her 2012 interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Have You Found Most Rewarding About Teaching?  Erway shares how she has embraced a hands-on approach in teaching cooking.  She finds how she learns instructs how she teaches. 

Cathy Erway is an author and food writer living in Brooklyn.  Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  She earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen:  What have you found most rewarding about teaching?

Cathy Erway:  Ooh. I really like teaching because it's kind of like a party where you just hang out, and that's my style of teaching. So, of course, I'm not like a very strict teacher with a... whatever they're holding there, pointer. So, yeah, I recently taught a class, where I had my uncle help out and just like hang out and it was about basic Chinese for foodies, hilarious. I mean, we just had the best time ever.

And that -- I mean, you know, my cooking classes are all hands-on, I would never have it not that way. So everyone has to get dirty, has to lose--you know, their, kind of like come out of their shell a little bit. And everyone gets to know each other, you can bring beer if you want. I got some stuff in the fridge, you can improvise with whatever sauces I have, feel free. So, that's my way of teaching, and that's the way I like to learn, so I figure if that's how I learned to cook, then this is how I teach. 

When Can an MBA Degree Help an Entrepreneur - Julie Hession

In Chapter 9 of 21 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, food entrepreneur Julie Hession answers "Where Has Your MBA Been Most Useful in Your Career as an Entrepreneur?"  Hession shares how her MBA coursework in marketing and entrepreneurship provided foundation experiences she could build upon as she created her own business.  Over time, experience teaches Hession not to rely on business plans and to more openly embrace change.  Julie Hession is the founder of Julie Anne's All Natural Granola Company.  Passionate about food since childhood, Hession has developed her career by food blogging, cooking contests, and starting fine food companies.  Hession earned an MBA in Marketing from Duke University and a BA from UNLV. 

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. 

How to Develop Practical Problem Solving Skills - Andrew Hutson

In Chapter 6 of 17 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Andrew Hutson answers "How Have Your Problem Solving Skills Developed Since Joining EDF?"  Hutson notes how he has become more practical working at EDF, or the Environmental Defense Fund, as an advisor to corporate clients.  He notes the results-driven nature of EDF generates a gratifying feeling of accountability and ownership associated with managing a project from start to finish.  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. 

How Philosophy Can Improve Non-Fiction Writing - Scott Gold

In Chapter 13 of 20 of his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, author and writer Scott Gold answers "Where Has Your Philosophy Education Been Most Impactful in Your Writing Career Development?"  A philosophy education teaches Gold to more fully consider his points and arguments and to make sure they are well supported.  He uses his philosophy toolbox to better articulate his thesis and make his points to communicate more effectively.  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. 

Creating Game Changing Moments Using Business Analytics - Ken Rona

In Chapter 9 of 13 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, data analytics expert Ken Rona answers "What Do You Enjoy Most About Telling Stories with Data?"  Coming from an academic background, Rona finds delivering game changing moments a highlight in his work.  By using business analytics and data, Rona can come across something new and create that game changing analysis that changes strategy at scale and creates very large bottom line impact.  Rona is currently VP Audience Insights and Ad Sales Partnerships at Turner Broadcasting.  Previously, Rona has worked in roles in data analytics at IXI Digital and AOL and management consulting at McKinsey & Co.  He earned a BA and MA in Political Science from Stony Brook University and a PhD in Behavioral Economics from Duke University. 

How MBA Professor Finds Purpose Helping Entrepreneurs - Ben Hallen

In Chapter 1 of 21 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, business school professor Ben Hallen answers "To What Do You Aspire?" Ben aspires to have impact and hopefully alter how people go about being entrepreneurs. An experienced entrepreneur, Hallen tries to find tools to help others be more successful entrepreneurs in his academic research and teaching. Hallen is currently 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.

Using Entrepreneur Experience in Business Strategy Research - Ben Hallen

In Chapter 9 of 21 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, business school professor Ben Hallen answers "How Has Your Own Entrepreneurial Experience Informed Your Academic Development?" Hallen notes how it has given him a great appreciation of what entrepreneurs do each day. As an academic, Hallen embraces his ability to take the time to research different entrepreneurs and learn optimal behaviors shaping positive outcomes. 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 Social Scientist Cultivates Technology Passion - Ben Hallen

In Chapter 10 of 21 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, business school professor Ben Hallen answers "How Do You Keep Your Passion for Science and Technology Relevant in Your Pursuit as an Academic?" As an academic in a business school, Hallen's work is applied - what he learns gets applied to create value in business. Outside this, Hallen enjoys studying new technology companies and their respective innovation. He also applies his social science and engineering education to understand the behaviors driving technology adoption and growth. 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.

Applying Entrepreneurship Passion Teaching MBA Strategy - Ben Hallen

In Chapter 11 of 21 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, business school professor Ben Hallen answers "How Do You Apply Your Passion for Entrepreneurship as an MBA Professor?" Hallen notes how fortunate he is to do both research and teaching. In the classroom, he gets to work with students who want to learn low power strategy and give them a tool kit for students the to go out and affect change in the world when there are limited resources. Entrepreneurship provides Hallen a great research and teaching platform to understand not only entrepreneurs but management, social behaviors, and strategic thinking underlying performance. 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.