Audrey French on How Grade Skipping Impacts Child Development

In Chapter 1 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Audrey Parker French answers "What Childhood Experiences Have Been Most Fundamental to Shaping Who You Are Today?" French starts preschool early and then skips 2nd grade. Being the youngest in her class by two years has a profound impact for French as she goes through school.  She shares the challenges of being 11 years old in 8th grade and then starting high school at 12. The experience ultimately helps her succeed as a young entrepreneur doing business with much older people. Audrey Parker French is an entrepreneur who co-founded CLEAResult, an energy management consulting firm she helped grow to #144 on the 2010 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies and then sell to General Catalyst Partners. She currently volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and teaches children's choir. She graduated from Wake Forest University and lives with her husband in Austin, Texas.

Audrey French on How to Get Comfortable Living Outside Your Comfort Zone

In Chapter 4 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Audrey Parker French answers "What is Your Comfort Zone and What Do You Do to Break Free of Living in It?" French notes she has lived her life constantly outside her comfort zone, nearly always in environments where she is the outsider. This pushes her to always be moving and developing. As an introvert, she finds solace spending quiet time in those rare moments she is able to slow down.

Audrey Parker French is an entrepreneur who co-founded CLEAResult, an energy management consulting firm she helped grow to #144 on the 2010 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies and then sell to General Catalyst Partners. She currently volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and teaches children's choir. She graduated from Wake Forest University and lives with her husband in Austin, Texas.

Honing Interdisciplinary Job Skills to Do More Impactful Work

In Chapter 10 of 19 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, innovation strategist Hammans Stallings answers "What Skills Are You Working on Right Now to Become Better at Your Job?" Stallings finds honing his interdisciplinary skillset - psychology, design, marketing, and strategy - is helping him contribute more to a team and take on more leadership responsibilities.

Hammans Stallings is a Senior Strategist at frog design. Previously he worked in 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 and a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Improving Class Syllabus Design by Setting Teaching Goals

In Chapter 16 of 19 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, innovation strategist Hammans Stallings answers "How Has Preparing to Teach an Innovation Class Helped You Clarify Your Teaching Goals?" Stallings finds preparing to teach a Masters of Business Innovation class at CEDIM in Mexico City pushes him to rigorously edit and hone the material in advance of the class. His focus is to distill what he knows into story format that will connect with his students and also be useful reference material for years to come.

Hammans Stallings is a Senior Strategist at frog design. Previously he worked in 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 and a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Brett Goldman on How Marathon Training Changes Your Life

In Chapter 4 of 18 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, real estate developer Brett Goldman answers "What Do You Enjoy Most About Running the New York City Marathon?" Beyond running through the five boroughs during the race, Goldman loves marathon training.  Training for marathons challenges him to get motivated and follow through on goals. The process itself allows him to compete against himself and, through running three New York City marathons to date, push himself to better his time.

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.

3 Ways to Handle Pressure and Excel in a Creative Director Job

In Chapter 9 of 20 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, creative director and Manifold ad agency co-founder Jason Anello answers "What Does It Mean to Perform Under Pressure in the Work That You Do?" Working in advertising creating experiential marketing events, Anello details the three areas where he needs to handle the pressure.  The first is in pitch meetings. He learns to understand he will never be in control and learns to let go. The second is in coming up with ideas. Here, he learns to set expectations that the ideation process is anything but consistent. The third is executing a marketing event and blending your plans with a need to adapt on the go.

Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at Manifold Partners, an award-winning creative advertising agency.  Previously, Anello worked in creative leadership roles at Yahoo!, Ogilvy & Mather, and Digitas.  A passionate foodie and traveler, he runs the Forking Tasty food blog and supper club series.  He earned a BFA from University at Albany.

How to Manage Across Work Disciplines - Andrew Epstein

In Chapter 9 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, charter school CFO Andrew Epstein answers "How Have You Learned to Work More Effectively Across Different Disciplines?"  Epstein shares how he first puts people he trusts in place to do very specific jobs.  He then is able to make a specialist to generalist transition in his own role to then be a more effective general manager. 

Andrew Epstein is CFO of the Ascend Learning Charter School Network.  Previously, Epstein was a finance executive at Democracy Prep Public Schools and an operations executive at Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Records.  He is a former Teach for America corps member and middle-school science teacher.  He holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Andrew Epstein on Making Time for Reflection in Your Life

In Chapter 17 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, charter school CFO Andrew Epstein answers "What Role Has Reflection Played in Shaping Your Personal Growth?"  Epstein is always thinking about ways he can get better - as a partner in his personal relationships, as a partner to his boss, as a friend.  Setting aside time before and after dinner Epstein tries to make it a habit of having these thoughts so he can put them to work in his life.

Andrew Epstein is CFO of the Ascend Learning Charter School Network.  Previously, Epstein was a finance executive at Democracy Prep Public Schools and an operations executive at Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Records.  He is a former Teach for America corps member and middle-school science teacher.  He holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

CFO Andrew Epstein on Getting Management Career Advice

In Chapter 18 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, charter school CFO Andrew Epstein answers "At This Moment in Your Life, Where Are You Seeking Advice and Coaching?"  Epstein reaches out to peers in comparable management roles.  He looks for support learning how to hire and develop bridge positions between higher education manager and executive level jobs.  Further, he looks for guidance on how to better manage home and work balance. 

Andrew Epstein is CFO of the Ascend Learning Charter School Network.  Previously, Epstein was a finance executive at Democracy Prep Public Schools and an operations executive at Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Records.  He is a former Teach for America corps member and middle-school science teacher.  He holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Kyung B. Yoon on Elementary School Influences on Career Choices

In Chapter 4 of 17 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, non-profit executive Kyung B. Yoon answers "What Childhood Experiences Have Been Most Fundamental in Shaping Who You Are Today?"  Yoon recounts learning memorization skills as a 6th grade elementary school student.  Learning to memorize and recite poetry gives Yoon an appreciation for memorization and practice she uses later in her career as a journalist and public speaker. 

Kyung B. 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.

Lulu Chen on How Confidence Improves Your Work Performance

In Chapter 4 of 16 in her 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, art director Lulu Chen answers "What Role Does Confidence Play in the Work That You Do?"  As a fashion professional, Chen finds confidence helps improve your own performance and, as a result, those working around you. 

Lulu Chen is a photo art director working in retail e-commerce in New York City.  Previously, Chen worked as a freelance stylist for leading fashion catalogs and magazines.  She earned a BFA in design and art history from the University of Michigan.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: What role does confidence play in the work that you do?

Lulu Chen: So I think confidence comes into play in a lot of different ways actually. I think it comes into play for yourself, in that you trust your own abilities and, you know, if you have to lead a team or direct for—in what I’m doing now, you direct a team of people, you also—I think when you exude confidence, they trust you, and they, you know, they trust in the process and the project, and—I mean, no one really wants to take direction from someone who seems unsure of themselves, right?

When you’re confident, I think you stress less. You’re just more sure, you’re more steady. I think that’s great for yourself and anyone you work with. But also when you aren’t confident, I think it snowballs, you know. Everybody kind of through osmosis, everyone becomes a little, you know, unsure of themselves. And that’s just a disaster. Right? Because—And also, you know, when you confidently present something to someone in a meeting even or let’s say a prospectus or something, it definitely sells better than if you carry yourself in an unsure way. You know, the way you speak, and how you feel about it too.

Hattie Elliot on What You Learn Producing a Reality TV Show Pilot

In Chapter 2 of 19 in her 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, female entrepreneur Hattie Grace Elliot answers "What Happened With Your TV Show Pilot and What Were the Takeaways from the Experience?"  Elliot talks about what she learned producing a docusoap reality television series called "The Grace List" based on her life and her business.  The experience gives her a firsthand view of how television is made and how a show concept and characters can change after a network buys the show. 

Hattie Grace Elliot is the founder and CEO of The Grace List, a social networking company that creates destination events and experiences to forge lasting personal and professional connections across its young professional members. Elliot graduated from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, where she studied economics, philosophy, and politics.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: What happened with your TV show pilot and what were the takeaways from the experience?

Hattie Elliot:  Wowsers, that was an incredible whirlwind. So last year, I was producing a pilot for a TV show on my business called The Grace List. And it was really kind of a pseudo—they called it a docu-soap, it profiled my personal life and my search for love along with, you know, “the daters,” you know, members of The Grace List. And it was a great concept. It was an incredible, incredibly unbelievable, unbelievably frustrating, chaotic, ridiculous experience, but at the same time, really extraordinary, and like I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world, but I just now understand why Lindsay Lohan and all these celebrities are so dysfunctional, ‘cause I feel like I’ve got a very good head on my shoulders and I’ve worked very hard for years, but even I was like, wow, to keep—be level-headed in this industry, it’s tough. 

It was a huge undertaking. I was very, very proud of the initial pilot, which the network bought, they then decided to re-tweak it and reshoot it, and change the premise quite a bit, and cast the characters, and I was really devastated, to be honest, about the final product, I was absolutely—I really worked so hard and was very actively involved, but the final edit, I was just didn’t feel—I didn’t wanna put my name on. I wouldn’t. It was very upsetting especially after putting all that time in. Do I have regrets about doing it? Never. It’s like I would rather have loved and lost, you know, I would have rather had that whirlwind experience, I learned so much. I don’t regret it. 

But would I do a show again? I might with caution, but now I understand why reality shows are never around real businesses, you know? Because when you have a real company, it’s your baby, like I take great, great pride in this company that I built, and what I do, and I’m very protective of my friends and family, and so I’ve never just been willing to sell out, you know, for 5 minutes of fame, and, you know, crouch shot on the cover of Us Weekly or something, like, it’s just not my thing. 

So at this point, the project, the second round went actually to an offsite which is basically like where all the network execs meet and see if it’s gonna go to season, made it through the offsite, went to focus group testing, and I think about halfway through focus group testing was dropped, and it was a real blessing, actually. And there’s definitely some other show concepts in the works, but they’re very different. And they are concepts that I really believe in and that I feel like I can really do justice to now that I realize what goes into a show and what—what’s negotiable and what’s not negotiable, and what the actual process is, time-wise, commitment-wise and, you know, what you have authority to have edits on and stuff, so I’m excited. It really has—it was a—it really led to a lot of opportunity for me, a lot of opportunities, so—Yeah, it was a trip. Albeit an entertaining one.

Hattie Elliot: How to Reflect on and Improve Your Life

In Chapter 10 of 19 in her 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, female entrepreneur Hattie Grace Elliot answers "What Role Has Reflection Played in Shaping Your Personal Growth?"  She finds what separates the inspiring people in her life from others is how they reflect back, learn from their choices, plan for the future and execute on these plans.  Hattie Grace Elliot is the founder and CEO of The Grace List, a social networking company that creates destination events and experiences to forge lasting personal and professional connections across its young professional members. Elliot graduated from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, where she studied economics, philosophy, and politics.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: What role has reflection played in shaping your personal growth?

Hattie Elliot: Wow, reflection I think is one of the most painful, difficult, spectacular, and just brutal processes but ultimately in life, one of the most unbelievably rewarding. It’s why—you know, when I think about New Years and birthdays and things like that, and anniversaries, it’s why people oftentimes get very sentimental because it’s a time that you—you not only look forward but you often tend to look back, it forces you to reflect. For me, as tough as it is, I think my life has been so much more rewarding to me because I just—I force myself to kind of constantly kind of acknowledge where I am and reflect back. Coming here for instance, you know. Checking in every year with you, and talking about the business, it forces you to reflect about when I was like sitting in this seat last year, like where was I? What’s changed? But I think one of the most liberating and awesome things in life, too, about being an adult, is you have the ability, you reflect back, you reflect on the good stuff, the tough stuff, but then you have the ability to really figure out--to change what’s wrong. And I think that that’s really what separates people that I really admire and that inspire me from others is that they are people that can confront that, they can reflect back, they can acknowledge it and be accountable for things in their life and what they might need to change, and what their aspirations from what they want and they come up with a plan, and not only do they come up with a plan, they’re not all show no blow, they actually execute on that, and to their best. We’re not always gonna be successful at everything but, you know, to the best of their ability. It’s something that I really strive to do in my life, and it’s something that when I look at people that I really—I hold dear and that I really admire, and wanna be surrounded by, who inspire me to do better and be better, that’s a quality that they have as well, is ability to really reflect.

Erik Michielsen: Where do you even get started with that?

Hattie Elliot: First, I think it’s realizing what reflection is and that’s what it is. It’s that feeling that you have on those particular days, the day that your father passes away, the day that your niece was born, the day that comes around every year, something significant in your mind. I kind of even trick myself but, you know, I set up—and this is just my own little trick that I play with myself but it forces me to do it, is I set up little, you know, marks that I can use, like kind of I hedge timelines in my mind, whether it’s every Friday where I was the week before, or the first weekend of every month, and there are just specific times where I force myself to look back at my to-do list the week before and what was going on, and—what was going on with everything in my personal life, my professional life, with my finances, with the—with our membership members, with the events that I was doing, with things that made me happy, sad, and just kind of see which of those things that I can personally change, or there—that I can take action on, that’ll make this time next week Friday when I reflect that I’ll be in a better situation. Or this time next year on a date that will forever be set in my mind. Because whether it’s a happy date or a sad date, where hopefully I’m in a better place because you make your future. You make your destiny—I mean we can all be struck down with bad luck, but we do have choice, we do have the ability to be better and do better and to move forward. And that’s what I choose. That’s what I choose.

Adam Carter on Adding Reflection Into Daily Routines

In Chapter 3 of 13 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, micro-philanthropist Adam Carter answers "What Role as Reflection Played in Shaping Your Personal Growth?"  Carter details the importance of starting each day with a personalized yoga routine and meditation practice and how he has developed his daily routine over time.  This helps prepare him for the day and gives him a daily opportunity to reflect and be mindful of his environment, his decisions and his plans. 

Adam Carter is a micro-philanthropist currently living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  He is the founder of the Cause and Affect Foundation which raises small amounts of financing to provide direct-to-source project funding for individuals and communities in need across the globe.  To date, Carter has traveled to over 80 countries.  He earned an MA in International Development from George Washington University and a BA in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Michigan.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: What role has reflection played in shaping your personal growth?

Adam Carter: I think we all have our own form of spirituality, and for me personally, I’m a very regular practitioner of yoga and meditation, so, for me, about five days a week, you know, I start my day with a yoga routine that I’ve developed over the course of the last decade, that continues to evolve, and, so, for me, being able to start each day, ground myself, and my practice ends with meditation that really helps me focus on the day, and helps me focus on and who I am, and it really helps me. I think sometimes, you know, we’ll wake up, people wake up, they have that cup of coffee and it’s just like, the day just like hits them head on, like, full on. It’s really been valuable for me to be able to kind of ease into my day and to be mindful, and doing meditation really helps me kind of be mindful throughout the day. Whenever I can I try to just kind of take a deep breath, take a step back and just kind of, center myself because things can get stressful when you let them pile up and your mind’s going a mile a minute. So for me to be able to ground myself every day has been especially important because I’m often living in different places, and I don’t have the routine that a lot of people have, so I might be waking up in a completely different bed. I might be—find myself in a completely different—it could be a city, it could be a shanty town, it could be on a farm, you know, who knows where I am, but having that—being able to ground myself in that sense, or with that sense of reflection has really allowed me to maintain some consistency in my life.

Ken Rona on How Reflection Informs Manager Career Growth

In Chapter 9 of 15 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, digital media executive Ken Rona answers "What Role Has Reflection Played in Shaping Your Personal Growth?"  Rona refers to fundamental attribution error, which is where you take credit for good things and blame bad things on the external world.  Understanding this bias helps Rona reflect and make sense of challenges and his choices to overcome them.  Ken Rona is a Vice President at Turner Broadcasting, where he leads teams across advertising sales, big data software development and business strategy.  Rona earned a BA and MA in Political Science from Stony Brook University and a PhD in Behavioral Economics from Duke University. 

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: What role has reflection played in shaping your personal growth?

Ken Rona: You know, there’s that line about a self-reflected life is not worth living. I take some of that to heart. When I have a challenge, I try to think about what role I’ve played in creating it. Do you know what the fundamental attribution error is? 

Erik Michielsen: Tell me more about that.

Ken Rona: Sure. It’s a psychological phenomenon, right, that many people experience. And the notion is that when something good happens, it’s because I’m great.  Right? And when something bad happens, it’s because the world is against me. Right? Or you know, it’s your fault, basically. Right? So you blame good things on yourself—Or you take credit for good things, but for negative things, you attribute to the rest of the world. And that’s one where, you know, when I think about something, I really try to separate that out. I really try not to take too much credit for the good, nor try to put so much of the bad, some of the negative factors on the external world. I try to kind of have a much more balanced—I try to—because I know about this I’m biased. I try to think about how to have a really honest assessment about what my role in whatever the challenge was, was. And I found that helpful. 

And I actually—it’s actually my—almost my talking point for the year has been to tell people about this. Because I have been in a situation in business where it happened with a vendor, where they were blaming something on us that was—like their product failure. They’re like, well, you’re not using the product right. Look guys, it’s your product. Right? Like, you know, why would you not take ownership of your product, and like blaming your customer is not a good way to go, right? But—So I’d say that’s kind of the—how I think about reflection. I guess it’s an empirical question if I do it enough or not, it’s certainly it seems to be okay but I think that you have to—especially as you get more senior, as you get more senior, you really have to think carefully about what your role in things are. And to make sure that you’re having the appropriate amount of influence, how you’re doing that influencing, where you use more direct power, right? 

I used to be accused of being a bit -- my elbows were too sharp. My elbows are probably always gonna be too sharp for the level I’m at, but I think that my use of the elbows is much more surgical. Right? I’m not like whacking them around, I’m more like—I’m more just going… And it was funny, I have a staff member who works for me and he’s—I—Do you know this notion in a—like World of Warcraft in a multimassive, multiplaying—massively multiplayer role-playing game, you have roles, right? And one of the roles that people have is they’re called tanks, and a tank is basically like a character that is designed to take abuse, right? 

So that while everyone else is running around stealing the vorpal sword, you know, the enemy is beating on the tank. Right? He is that guy. People just beat on him and he just takes it and takes it and takes it. And he’s—has much more—much higher emotional intelligence than I have, right? His EQ is much higher. I think. Because he takes that stuff and he takes it with a lot of equanimity, right? He’s just like really cool about it. And somebody was taking advantage of him. And I said, dude, they’re taking advantage of you. He said, I know, what should I do? I said, you gotta throw the elbow, man. Like so there are times when like being the calm voice, right -- the tank, is not always the right thing, right? Sometimes you gotta go a little bit on the offensive. 

So I’ve tried to be more—I’ve tried to kind of take actually from him the “be cool,” right? And I’ve tried to be a little more tank-ish. But I’m much more surgical about my use of my elbows.

Conrad Doucette on How Reflection Informs Personal Growth

In Chapter 4 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, musician Conrad Doucette answers "What Role Has Reflection Played in Shaping Your Personal Growth?"  When Doucette looks back on his past, he reflects on decisions he did and did not make.  As he gets older, he finds he is better prepared to think through why he made those decisions and how to better prepare for the future. 

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.

Comparing Live Performance with Studio Recording - Conrad Doucette

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 How to Rebound From Rejection

In Chapter 6 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian Matt Ruby answers "How Do You Deal With Rejection?"  Ruby, a self-appointed rejection expert, offers tips on how to get through those moments.  He learns along the way that putting up with the bad parts helps you get to the good parts.  He notes the importance of having a positive self-image that is grounded so you understand why you are getting rejected when trying to hit your goals. 

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.