In Chapter 14 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, musician Conrad Doucette answers "How Do You Compare and Contrast Performing Live to Recording in a Studio?" Doucette notes they are completely different. For him, recording in a studio is about trying to attain perfection. It must map to your particular vision and it will be permanent, as it is a recording. He also notes how recording allows you to bring substantial resources to bear on the work, from additional tracks to technology to additional musicians. Playing live is more about feeding off the space, the room, and the energy and being in the moment. Conrad Doucette is a Brooklyn musician and the drummer for Takka Takka, which released its 3rd studio album, AM Landscapes, in late 2012. He has performed with Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, The National, Alina Simone, and many other leading acts. When not performing music, Doucette is the communications and brand director at music licensing and publishing startup Jingle Punks. Doucette earned a BA in History from the University of Michigan.
Matt Ruby on Taking Comedy Skills Beyond Just Being Funny
In Chapter 5 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian Matt Ruby talks to Erik Michielsen about honing his comedy voice and improving his skills over time. Ruby notes that he has more work to do being vulnerable on stage and giving himself greater stakes to make a difference to the audience on stage. He notes that his work is becoming less about just trying to be funny all the time and instead taking charge of what he wants to talk about and then layer the humor in that work.
Matt Ruby is a standup comedian and comedy writer based in New York City. He produces a video comic strip at Vooza.com, co-produces the weekly show "Hot Soup", co-hosts the monthly show "We're All Friends Here", and writes a comedy blog "Sandpaper Suit". Ruby graduated from Northwestern University.
Garren Katz on Why Travel to Distant and Unfamiliar Places
In Chapter 7 of 15 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, business and personal coach Garren Katz answers "What Have You Found Most Rewarding About Traveling to New Places?" Traveling to distant and unfamiliar places teaches Katz about people. He finds this is something he is unable to get by watching TV or movies - being present in a foreign place connects him not only to people he meets but also to humanity in general.
Garren Katz is a business and personal coach based in State College, PA and advises his national client base on small business management, entrepreneurship, relationships, and personal finances. He is also an active angel investor in several business ventures. He earned his BA from Western Michigan University.
Garren Katz on Helping Cancer Survivors Achieve Life Goals
In Chapter 10 of 15 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, business and personal coach Garren Katz answers "Where Can Cancer Survivors Benefit From Life Coaching?" After coaching multiple clients and also helping friends and family through cancer, Katz finds cancer survivors do not lack passion; rather, they often lack focus. As a coach, Katz works with cancer survivors on defining where they want to direct their energy and putting a plan in place to achieve those goals.
Garren Katz is a business and personal coach based in State College, PA and advises his national client base on small business management, entrepreneurship, relationships, and personal finances. He is also an active angel investor in several business ventures. He earned his BA from Western Michigan University.
Simon Sinek on How to Be at Your Best Each Day
In Chapter 8 of 16 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, author and public speaker Simon Sinek answers "When Are You at Your Best?" Sinek reaches his personal best by putting himself in a position of strength, namely surrounding himself with support. Sinek notes he is able to "stack the deck" by being around people who want him there and who he wants to be around. Simon Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people. His goal is to "inspire people to do the things that inspire them" and help others find fulfillment in their work. Sinek is the author of "Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action". He works regularly with the United States Military, United States Congress, and many organizations, agencies and entrepreneurs. Sinek is an adjunct professor at Columbia University and an adjunct staff member at the think tank RAND Corporation. Sinek earned a BA in Cultural Anthropology from Brandeis University.
Transcript
Erik Michielsen: When are you at your best?
Simon Sinek: I’m at my best when I’m around people who believe what I believe. I know it seems silly but I try very, very hard to sort of stack the deck, you know, to put myself in a position of strength. So for example, you know, somebody asked me just yesterday, have you ever had sort of a bad, you know, engagement. I was thinking to myself, I’m like, not really. But it’s not because I’m some sort of genius or anything like that. It’s because I stack the deck. It’s because I want to be there—I wanna be around people who want me there. In other words, if I’m somebody’s 10th choice, and like, you know, I’ll probably turn it down. Whereas if I’m their first choice, they really want me there, and so I’m more likely to have a good engagement. They’re supportive of me, I’m supportive of them. And so—yeah, I’m at my best when I stack the deck. When I choose to be in an environment where my strengths are there.
Simon Sinek on How to Strengthen Your Creative Skills
In Chapter 13 of 16 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, author and public speaker Simon Sinek answers "How is Your Creative Toolbox Changing?" The more Sinek practices his creative skills, the stronger his toolbox gets. He focuses on amplifying on his strengths and hiring out his weaknesses to both broaden and sharpen skills. As a lover of creative people, Sinek looks to try new things such as modern dance choreography and painting to get perspective on creative process. Simon Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people. His goal is to "inspire people to do the things that inspire them" and help others find fulfillment in their work. Sinek is the author of "Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action". He works regularly with the United States Military, United States Congress, and many organizations, agencies and entrepreneurs. Sinek is an adjunct professor at Columbia University and an adjunct staff member at the think tank RAND Corporation. Sinek earned a BA in Cultural Anthropology from Brandeis University.
Transcript
Erik Michielsen: How is your creative toolbox changing?
Simon Sinek: I’m adding to it. Right? I mean, you know, I don’t think I’ve thrown anything away. I may use some things less than I used to. But the more I learn and the more I get to practice more importantly, the more tools I’m adding to that toolbox. What’s also great is some of the tools change size, in other words, there are some tools that I really like and I’m really good with, and so I use those tools because they’re very helpful to me, and there are other tools that I’ve learned that I’m really no good with and so they’re there if I need them, you know, I’ve never understood the idea of working on your weaknesses, you know, we’re always told in our performance reviews, here are your weaknesses and these are the things you need to work on to get to the next level, I’ve never understood that, the whole idea is to work in our strengths, amplify our strengths, and we, you know, hire our weaknesses or—this is the value of a team, right? What’s the point of having a team if you have to be—if you have to improve on your weaknesses?
The whole idea is we have you on our team because you’re really good at this. You know? And we found somebody else who’s really good at this, which you’re really bad at. You guys are a team. This is the value of a team. And so I think in our workplace, our companies do us a great disservice by telling us that we have to fix our weaknesses or improve upon our weaknesses to get to the next level, they should be encouraging us and giving the tool to amplify our strengths to get to the next level, that’s what they want us for, right? Otherwise, here are your strengths and here are your weaknesses, now you’re even. Wouldn’t you wanna be this? You need to be aware of your weaknesses but we need to amplify those strengths.
Erik Michielsen: What are a couple of examples of like the creative tools that have brought that out?
Simon Sinek: I’m a lover of creative people. And so any sort of expression of how you see the world in a—with different terminology is fascinating to me. And so even though I myself am a photographer so I have that visual aspect, I’m a huge fan of modern dance and spend a lot of time sort of with dancers and in the dance world and have, you know, tried my hand at choreography just to see, you know? I’m not good. But it—I like the idea of trying it, you know? And so for me it’s about perspective, which is when I—when you hang out with dancers and you sort of learn to dance a little bit or you learn to choreograph a little bit, or you learn to paint a little bit, you know? I’m not a painter but I painted a painting recently, you know? If you—it’s like chaos theory. Everything’s connected, right? It’s like we conveniently divide up our lives, like here’s my personal life, here’s my professional life, I’m—here’s my social life, I’m looking to find balance. It’s just you. And all the same things apply. And so if you’re good here, you can apply what you learn here to there. And so when you learn how things interconnect and people interconnect, and how human relationships work, and presence, I mean you wanna learn about presence? Take a dance class. You learn all about how to present yourself and be forwards. Take an acting class, learn how to, you know, present your speech. People say, Simon, how did you learn this? It’s like—I’m exposed to all of this. So the tools I’ve learned have just mainly been different perspectives on how other people use their creative talents to see the world in it. If I can get little pieces of those, they help me in many, many different ways.
Adapting British Business Culture for U.S. Expansion - Richard Moross
In Chapter 12 of 17 in his 2012 interview, London entrepreneur and Moo.com CEO Richard Moross answers "What Has Working Internationally Taught You About Communicating Across Cultures?" Moross discusses taking his London, UK based company into the United States and the cultural and customer differences that have come with it. He discusses the importance of understanding employees on their terms, for example knowing about commutes, and doing the same for customers, in particular how product demand varies by region. Moross is founder and CEO of Moo.com and a leader in the London startup scene. Before starting Moo.com, an award-winning online print business, Moross was a 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 Prepare for an International Work Project - Hammans Stallings
In Chapter 7 of 22 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, innovation strategist Hammans Stallings answers "What Has Working Internationally Taught You About Communicating Across Cultures?" Stallings shares notes from his work projects in Ukraine, Germany, and Australia and how he has made it a point to arrive early and normalize himself in the culture before work begins. He references Margaret Mead and the necessity to sit in a culture until no big surprises remain. Stallings also learns to embrace the human bonds that connect all cultures. 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.
Idan Cohen on the Reality of Managing Long Distance Relationships
In Chapter 5 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, Boxee co-founder and head of product Idan Cohen answers "How Are You Learning to Better Manage Long Distance Relationships?" As a New Yorker with many family and friends overseas in Israel, Cohen talks about his approach to maintaining relationships virtually and in-person as well as the sacrifices that sometimes come with moving away from friends.
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 are you learning to better manage long distance relationships?
Idan Cohen: So my long distance relationships are probably my family and my friends that are in Israel and I have a lot of them. And they’re all very close to me. What I do learn is that actually for me it doesn’t really work. I mean I’m here, I’m in my day-to-day life, and it’s very hard to stay in touch. I stay in touch with very few people on a daily basis, and I don’t think we share a lot of the day-to-day lives that we have. We try and stay in touch frequently on the phone and kind of just get a little bit updated – anything kind of like each other’s mood and what’s happening much more in a broader perspective.
And then I think that the relationships that I have are deep enough and close enough that even a visit or meeting every 6 months or a year can revitalize the relationship enough to kind of make it still relevant. I don’t think that long distance relationships work, so it’s about being able to revisit them every so often or otherwise they’re gonna get lost and that’s also okay, I think, you know, we have, we acquire new family and new friends, and it’s okay to understand that some friends will—might be left behind, doesn’t mean that you don’t love them but it’s just you’re in a little bit of a different place and they’re going in a different route and that’s the way it is.
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.
Making a Mindset Shift to Be More Open to Marriage
In Chapter 1 of 15 in her 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Audrey Parker French answers "How Has Taking Time Away From Work Given You a Fresh Perspective on Life?" During her time off from work, she reconnects with family and meets her husband. The time off work allows her to shift from capturing her flag in career to capturing her flag in life and personal relationships.
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: How has taking time away from work given you a fresh perspective on life?
Audrey Parker French: Well, in several ways. First of all, it gave me time to reconnect with family and to meet my husband. About a year ago actually, very similar time to this interview last year, I had just met the man who just 2 months ago became my husband. And I – over the last 5 to 6, 7 years, the intensity of my work and my career had made it such that I was putting so much energy into those things because that really was my passion. That was the flag that I was capturing at that point in time. I really didn’t have time for the relationship, a really strong meaningful relationship.
And so – and I also didn’t have as much time to connect with friends and family, and over this last year, the energy that I didn’t even realize that I had been putting into my career all of a sudden became really available to me to reconnect with old friends, to develop my bonds with my family further that I really hadn’t even realized that it would be more surface level, shorter conversations with them when I was working really, really hard constantly.
And all of a sudden, I could have deeper more meaningful conversations more often and the combination of those things just making space for new people, my husband, his family, the new people that have come into my life. It’s been a really incredible year to have all that space and that energy freed up.
How Immigrant Family Embraces American Citizenship - Ken Biberaj
In Chapter 3 of 21 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, New York City Council candidate and public relations executive Ken Biberaj answers "How Do You Define Citizenship?" Biberaj finds his definition in the community he participates in today. He references the immigration story of his family and how a broader social contract that involves receiving the opportunity and giving back to the community. 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.
Finding Personal Best by Being Present in the Moment - Ken Biberaj
In Chapter 8 of 21 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, New York City Council candidate and public relations executive Ken Biberaj answers "When Are You At Your Best?" Biberaj notes that inside his full schedule, from morning runs to afternoon business meetings to weekend campaign meetings, he tries to be present in the moment. Additionally, he finds doing multiple things helps him set priorities and focus on the task or meeting at hand. 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.
How to Manage a Busy Schedule and Get Things Done - Ken Biberaj
In Chapter 10 of 21 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, New York City Council candidate and public relations executive Ken Biberaj answers "What Do You Find Are the Keys to Managing a Busy Schedule and Getting Things Done?" Biberaj shares the approach he uses to map, prioritize, and manage obligations across his personal and professional endeavors. 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.
How Marriage Relationship Guides Career Decisions - Ken Biberaj
In Chapter 17 of 21 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, New York City Council candidate and public relations executive Ken Biberaj answers "How Has Getting Married Changed Your Life?" Biberaj shares how meeting his wife Valerie has been so impactful in his life. He shares how the relationship has helped understand why he does what he does support him through the process of deciding to run for public office. 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.
A Father's Advice for First Time Parents - James McCormick
In Chapter 4 of 18 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, legal career advisor James McCormick answers "What are Three Things You Wish You Knew Before Becoming a Dad?" McCormick notes that no matter how much preparation or planning you do, the actual experience will surprise you. Additionally, he discusses how everyone has an opinion about everything and offers suggestions how to manage this as a family. Lastly, he talks about putting a priority on the little moments, the early moments, after the baby is born and why you should do so. James McCormick is a Partner at Empire Search Partners in New York City. Previously, he practiced law as an employee benefits and executive compensation attorney for Proskauer Rose and Jones Day. He earned a JD at Tulane Law School and a BA in History at the University of Michigan.
Fabian Pfortmüller on Finding Personal Best by Connecting Others
In Chapter 2 of 15 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, community builder and entrepreneur Fabian Pfortmüller answers "When Are You At Your Best?" Pfortmüller shares how connecting others by networking and listening has helped him flourish and build young leader communities all over the world. 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: When are you at your best?
Fabian Pfortmüller: The moment I feel most alive is when I'm surrounded by people and -- we just hosted a big conference in Lisbon with 200 people from all over the world. We had Sandboxes from all kinds of countries there for a super intense 4 days experience, that’s when I feel truly alive and I feel -- I love to bring people together. I love to connect them, I love to help them grow, I love to find out what they’re looking for and that really makes me alive.
Erik Michielsen: How are you learning to better connect people and help them grow?
Fabian Pfortmüller: I would say by building communities and just by being an entrepreneur I’ve learned a lot about building relationships and about connecting people and one thing that really has helped me a lot is just listening.
You know, it’s very simple but actually really, truly listen to what people have to say is something I had to learn and we live in such a high paced environment and you have the possibility to meet 200 people in one night that when you have a conversation, really truly listen to them has helped me then also to really support them better because I could dig deeper and truly understand what they were looking for, maybe.
And probably over time you see a certain pattern that comes up again and again and once you see more of those patterns it’s just easier to help those people because you realize, oh, that person might be looking for a CTO or that person might be looking for feedback or that person might be just looking for some inspiration and just some motivation and those things I think I start to recognize faster and quicker.
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.