Mark Graham on Learning Work Ethic from Two Working Parents

In Chapter 5 of 15 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, media executive Mark Graham answers "Where Did You Learn Your Work Ethic?" Graham learns his work ethic from his mother and father.  To give his family a yard and good schools, Graham's father chooses a long, 55-mile commute over being close to work and still finds ways to make school events for the kids. Graham's mother teaches him the value that comes with working close to home and, over time, staying active as a community volunteer.

Mark Graham is currently a managing editor at MTV Networks. Previously Graham worked in editing and writing roles at New York Magazine and Gawker Media. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in English. 

Simon Sinek on Why to Live a More Generous and Sincere Life

In Chapter 1 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, author and public speaker Simon Sinek answers "How Are Your Aspirations Changing As Your Experience Grows?" Sinek notes how early in his career his aspirations were about personal achievements and goals. With experience, Sinek shifts his focus to helping others grow and learn. He details why generosity and sincerity have been central elements in the transition and provides examples of why others should consider embracing them.  Simon Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people. Sinek is the author of two books, "Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Come Together and Others Don't" and "Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action". He is a public speaker, an adjunct professor at Columbia University and a Brandeis University graduate.

Transcript

Erik Michielsen: How are your aspirations changing as your experience grows?

Simon Sinek: Earlier in my career, my aspirations had to do with me. What can I achieve? What can I do? How much money can I make? That kind of thing. My aspirations have really changed into what can I do for other? How can I help people around me grow, and learn, and do more, and achieve more? And so, my aspirations have a lot less to do with me these days, which not unsurprisingly has been the greatest asset in my own career. It is not unusual to expect that when you give to others that others look after you. The reason to give to others is not so that they will look after you, it is an unintended by-product. There has to be sincerity in the giving, otherwise, it’s not sincere, is it? I mean taking someone out there for a round of golf because you wanna win their business is not sincerely wanting to build the relationship, and it’s just a protracted transaction. The only reason you’re taking them for golf or dinner is because you want something from them. It’s not actually relationship building. Relationship building is I’m taking you out for dinner because I actually wanna get to know you, and whether we do business or not together is irrelevant, that it has to be sincere.

Erik Michielsen: And how has that shown itself, in the actions that you’ve taken, the projects that you’ve taken on?

Simon Sinek: Well, two ways, I would say. The first way is when I have a meeting. I don’t come into a meeting wanting something from the person in the meeting. I will answer every question. We’ll have every discussion. I’m happy to give my ideas away. Someone told me a long time ago that people who are protective of their idea only have one idea. Well, I have a lot of other ideas. And not to mention the fact that when you’re an idea generator, and somebody’s not an idea generator, and they wanna steal your ideas, they have value in you because (chuckles) you can generate ideas. They see value in you. So I tend to not want anything from anybody when I come into a meeting. And it never occurred to me that I was doing that until somebody said, “Why are you so generous in your meetings?” And I was like, “I’m just answering all your questions.” And never would say, “Well, it’s gonna cost you,” or “Well, we’ll have to do a consulting engagement,” or hold anything back with the hope of. That’s one big thing. The other big thing is who I choose to work with. I wanna work with people who have similar values as I do, and so I’ve become more discerning as to who I work with, that people are devoted to other people. Those are the people I wanna work with. And people would sort of scoff at me and say, “Oh well, yeah, you can afford to do that now.” I’ve been doing this my whole life. When I was living paycheck to paycheck, I still did this, which hurt, but, for me, it was worth it, because “Do I wanna make money working with somebody I don’t wanna work with?”, which is then taking time away from finding somebody who I do wanna work with, and so it might have taken longer for me to sort of get the financial stability that I needed, but I certainly don’t regret it.

Erik Michielsen: I distinctly remember you talking about this back in 2003 with some of those old clients from your old company—.

Simon Sinek: Yeah. It was so hard, and I had a business partner back then who used to get very mad at me, like, “Why are we turning away business? We need the business.” And it’s because our values didn’t align. There’s an old Zen Buddhist saying which I love, which is, “How you do anything is how you do everything.” And so, when somebody treats you like dirt or like browbeats you to get a contract? Well, guess what’s gonna be like once you have the contract. So I pay great attention to sort of the courtship, and if the courtship is stressful, I don’t want any part of it, because that’s what the relationship will be like. It’s an indicator of what you’re gonna expect and it always is. Nobody ever says, “Well, I’m just like this now, and then I’ll be nice.” Like, “I’m only abusive while we’re dating, but once we get married, don’t worry, it’s gonna go away.” It doesn’t work that way.

Simon Sinek on Why Organizations Need a Circle of Safety

In Chapter 6 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, author and public speaker Simon Sinek answers "What is a Circle of Safety and Why Should Organizations Consider Building One?" Acknowledging constant dangers and threats outside an organization, Sinek looks inside an organization to what leaders can provide employees to make the business better. He finds creating a circle of safety helps leaders foster secure environments that promote trust and through it, collaboration, innovation and productivity. Simon Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people. Sinek is the author of two books, "Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Come Together and Others Don't" and "Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action". He is a public speaker, an adjunct professor at Columbia University and a Brandeis University graduate.

Simon Sinek on How to Collaborate on Projects More Successfully

In Chapter 9 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, author and public speaker Simon Sinek answers "What Have You Found to Be the Key to Creating Successful Project Collaborations?" Sinek notes collaborative success comes from first being clear on goals and how the individual and team will contribute to those goals. Clarity here creates motivation built upon shared values and beliefs teams can use to successfully work together. Sinek notes how self-centered behavior breaks down trust and the ability to form long-term collaborations. Using ad agencies as an example, Sinek shares how breakdowns in transparency and respect impair collaborative potential. Simon Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people. Sinek is the author of two books, "Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Come Together and Others Don't" and "Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action". He is a public speaker, an adjunct professor at Columbia University and a Brandeis University graduate.

Lauren Serota on Rethinking Career Goals After Three Years at a Job

In Chapter 5 of 21 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, creative director and educator Lauren Serota answers "How Are Your Aspirations Changing As Your Experience Grows?" Now in her third-year working at frog design, Serota shares how her career aspirations are becoming less about individual recognition and more about sharing knowledge to improve how others learn and live. She reflects to a time when her goals were more narcissistic and how her goals have progressively shifted from self to serving others.

Lauren Serota works as an associate creative director at frog design. She is also a teacher at the Austin Center for Design (AC4D). Serota earned a bachelor's degree in industrial design from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). 

Nina Godiwalla on Building Family Bonds in an Immigrant Community

In Chapter 1 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, author and entrepreneur Nina Godiwalla answers "What Childhood Experiences Have Been Most Fundamental in Shaping Who You Are Today?" Godiwalla shares why she valued her experience being raised in a close knit Persian Indian immigrant community in Houston. She details how it informed her and her husband's decision to raise their two children in that same community. Nina Godiwalla is an expert on diversity, leadership and women in the business world. She is CEO of Mindworks, which provides leadership, stress management, and diversity training to companies all over the world. She is also a bestselling author and public speaker. Godiwalla earned an MBA from Wharton, a MA from Dartmouth and a BBA from the University of Texas.

Transcript

Erik Michielsen: What childhood experiences have been most fundamental in shaping who you are today?

Nina Godiwalla: I grew up in a Persian-Indian immigrant community. I really got this sense of community from being in that sort of environment, and, to me, now I have my own family. There are all these elements of community which I took for granted growing up, to me that was normal. My parents took us out for New Year’s, I was always with my family for our weekly events. It was much less just our family time, and everything revolved around our community, whether it was for a big event or for every single weekend, we were with our people in our community. So I think that sort of element has been incredibly impactful because I constantly feel like I have to create a sense of community for my family now when I think about what has had such an impact, and it’s interesting because my husband grew up in a completely different community but it was very much that way too, that they were part of a small community that they were always getting together, and so I think because we grew up in these communities, we both feel that, and it’s interesting because I don’t feel a lot of my other friends sincerely feel that way, and I think, partly, it may be because we’re both from different immigrant communities. I’m not sure if that is part of it, but it definitely—it informs so much of what I do now within my family life. It does inform my professional life as well.

Erik Michielsen: In what ways?

Nina Godiwalla: Well, I think, professionally, so much of what I determined what I would do when I was growing up, what I determined what I would major in, so much of what I was exposed to, from my entire growing up, like the first 18 years, was so much through that community, (chuckles) and so I think it informs all these choices you’re making at such critical times. What am I interested in? What are my interests? Who do I wanna be like? Who are my role models? All gets informed by this community, and you got your parents in this community, and so that was a lot of it, a lot of it was around that.

Nina Godiwalla on Learning Work Ethic From Asian Immigrant Parents

In Chapter 2 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, author and entrepreneur Nina Godiwalla answers "Where Did You Learn Your Work Ethic?" Godiwalla notes how her parents had a tireless work ethic and always put the needs of children and family before their own. Their behavior sets a role model example that teaches young Godiwalla that with hard work she can achieve anything. This helps prepare her for the hundred-hour work weeks of in her first Wall Street job. Nina Godiwalla is an expert on diversity, leadership and women in the business world. She is CEO of Mindworks, which provides leadership, stress management, and diversity training to companies all over the world. She is also a bestselling author and public speaker. Godiwalla earned an MBA from Wharton, a MA from Dartmouth and a BBA from the University of Texas.

Erik Michielsen: Where did you learn your work ethic?

Nina Godiwalla: Oh, I think from having immigrant parents, there is definitely a work ethic. There is a tireless work ethic from my parents, and it’s also selfless, life was never about my parents, it was all, always, about their children, and I don’t know if that’s being Asian, immigrant, or maybe a little bit of both, but everything—I can’t—you know when I was writing my book about Wall Street and my family, I had to go back and think about it. I could not remember a time where my parents would buy something for themselves. I still—I mean I still can’t think of a time where my mom had said, “Oh, you know what? I need to go buy this for myself,” or my father, ever. If they got a piece of clothing or something, it was for Father’s Day or for Mother’s Day, but, in general, everything was for their children. There was always an opportunity to do something else for their children, and I think that they had that mentality with work. They would work, work, work, either at their traditional jobs or doing something for us, and I think that was a huge part of it.

On top of it, I started off, when I went into Wall Street where the culture was you work day and night, you work day and night, and I think that kind of preparation, being with my family, was the perfect preparation for pulling off a hundred-hour workweeks on Wall Street. And there were a lot of things that I—pros and cons about my—starting your first job on Wall Street in this kind of environment where it’s work, work, work, and one of them, by far, was getting that very strong work ethic so early on because every job to me afterwards has been kind of I can do this. This is no brainer, I can do this pretty easily, so I think those two things were definitely huge.

Nina Godiwalla on Why to Raise Your Children Near Their Grandparents

In Chapter 3 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, author and entrepreneur Nina Godiwalla answers "How Are Your Family Relationships Changing As You Get Older?" After having children, Godiwalla realizes the importance of raising her children around the support and influence of her parents. She learns from being around her parents, learns more about her family history and culture, and is able to give her children valuable time with their grandparents. Nina Godiwalla is an expert on diversity, leadership and women in the business world. She is CEO of Mindworks, which provides leadership, stress management, and diversity training to companies all over the world. She is also a bestselling author and public speaker. Godiwalla earned an MBA from Wharton, a MA from Dartmouth and a BBA from the University of Texas.

Transcript

Erik Michielsen: How are your family relationships changing as you get older?

Nina Godiwalla: My family relationships are changing significantly since I had children. I grew up in Texas, and then I left for a long time, and I kind of had the mindset where, “Why would I go back? I have all these incredible opportunities professionally, geographically,” and I didn’t necessarily really think about going back.

Now that I have children, I think everything changes because it goes back to that community of being raised by people that I value what they think. I see my parents with my children, with their other grand—my sister’s children, and I think there’s no way I can miss that. There is no way I could take my kids away from that, and I think part of it is just being older, our generation tends to have children older, so there’s not that much time my kids will have with my parents. It’s actually a limited time where my parents can go out and do things and be active. I don’t know what’s gonna happen in 15 years from now, so I—that has changed significantly because I wanna be as close as I can to them, because I want my kids close to them, and, from that, I’m learning so much from being back around my parents, because I’ve stepped away for a long time, so, suddenly, I’m learning so much just from being around them as well.

Erik Michielsen: Such as?

Nina Godiwalla: I don’t know much about of our religion. I’m not very informed. I grew up in this very tight-knit community but I don’t know basic things about our religion. I don’t know family stories because it was kind of we’re in this crazy, crazy, everyone’s busy. They’re taking us to dance class, they’re taking us to this class, but now I’m coming back when they’re not so crazy, crazy, they were tired, things aren’t so crazy, crazy, they were tired, and they have time to think about, “Oh, you know what? When I grew up and I didn’t hear all these stories when I grew up, we were too busy,” they were too busy doing too many things, so I’m starting to learn more about our family.

And my grandfather was brilliant, and, actually, he was very sentimental, and my mother had written all these letters, she was an immigrant to the U.S., and she moved here when she was 17, and she would write my grandparents, her parents, all these letters about what they would do day-to-day, and so, it’s basically when we were born, from so long ago, and my grandfather saved every letter, and he had it all documented with the date and the time, I mean it was just amazing, and that’s history. I mean it’s for years. We’re talking letters for about 30, maybe 40 years of letters, and so there’s a whole story that I’m so excited. My mom and I, we’ve talked about sitting down and she’s just gonna read them to me, and that I told her that Indians are very big on giving jewelry, and I said I don’t want your jewelry, I don’t care about your jewelry, I said I want the letters, give me the letters, ‘cause that’s history, those were the important things.

Fabian Pfortmüller on the Restorative Value of a Long Vacation

In Chapter 2 of 18 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur and community builder Fabian Pfortmüller answers "How Are Your Personal Experiences Shaping Your Professional Aspirations?" Pfortmüller shares how taking a sabbatical or extended vacation for two months gave him the necessary rest to come back to the Holstee office fresh, reinvigorated and ready to make a change. He notes the company policy of taking off as much time from work as necessary to happy and to perform at the highest levels. Fabian Pfortmüller is co-founder of Holstee, a socially conscious online marketplace, and Sandbox Network, a global community for young entrepreneurial people. Pfortmüller graduated from Columbia University.

Fabian Pfortmüller on Validating Your Company Mission and Values

In Chapter 8 of 18 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur and community builder Fabian Pfortmüller answers "What Experiences in the Past Year Have Most Influenced the Direction of Your Company?" Pfortmüller shares how validation moments have helped him and his co-founders find clarity and confidence in their mission and purpose. At Holstee, outside feedback on "mindful living" shapes company direction while at Sandbox Network insight on trust and family values validate the cultural development occurring as the organization grows. Fabian Pfortmüller is co-founder of Holstee, a socially conscious online marketplace, and Sandbox Network, a global community for young entrepreneurial people. Pfortmüller graduated from Columbia University.

Fabian Pfortmüller on Building Emotional Customer Relationships

In Chapter 17 of 18 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur and community builder Fabian Pfortmüller answers "How Have You Learned to Build Stronger Emotional Connections With Your Customers?" Building an e-commerce company, Pfortmüller and his Holstee team connect with potential customers early to understand how they learned about the company and its products. They design a user interaction experience to engage potential visitors through the sales funnel to improve how they can connect the right product to the right customer at the right time. This approach highlights how the Holstee business sees itself less as a product vendor and more of a mindful living lifestyle branded community. Fabian Pfortmüller is co-founder of Holstee, a socially conscious online marketplace, and Sandbox Network, a global community for young entrepreneurial people. Pfortmüller graduated from Columbia University.

Michael Margolis on How Storytelling Became an Essential Business Skill

In Chapter 6 of 17 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "How is the Practice or Trend of Storytelling Changing?" He shares how storytelling as a business communication skill for innovators, marketers, entrepreneurs and change makers hit an inflection point in 2012. In 2012, storytelling suddenly became a top priority for corporate leaders and marketing executives. Margolis shares how multiple variable inputs contributed to this moment, all playing a role in the increasing humanization of business. 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.

Michael Margolis on Rethinking Your Career Goals After an Illness

In Chapter 7 of 17 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "What Experiences in the Past Year Have Most Influenced the Direction of Your Company?" Margolis shares how recovering from a long-term illness reshaped the aspirations he has for his company Get Storied. Going through the illness and recovery pushes Margolis to evolve the business model from a lifestyle business and his role as a self-employed author/speaker/thought leader running a virtual company into a full-time employee-led business and his new role as CEO. 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.

Michael Margolis on How to Find the Right Project at the Right Time

In Chapter 8 of 17 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "How Do You Filter and Find the Right Project at the Right Time?" Running a fast growing storytelling business communication business, Margolis looks for client stories his team can believe in and invest in to tell a bigger story. This then requires Margolis and team to select companies who are willing and open partners in the transformational storytelling process. 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.

Michael Margolis on Building Culture at a Fast Growing Small Business

In Chapter 11 of 17 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "How Are Your Team Dynamics Changing as Your Company Completes More Creative Projects?" With a company that tripled in size in less than three months, CEO Margolis manages employee growth by investing in an intentional, transparent company culture. This sets clear employee expectations around priorities and values and helps Margolis do his best as a CEO to lead his team, earn their trust and respect, and provide coaching and guidance to help his team better serve its clients. 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.

Michael Margolis on Learning to Motivate and Develop Employees

In Chapter 12 of 17 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "How Are You Learning to Better Manage and Motivate Teams?" Margolis shares two ways he is building these skills as he grows his small business. The first is how getting to know each employee personality allows him create a workplace better suited for employee learning and development. The second is having a company mission and vision employees embrace and putting an intentional culture in place to reinforce each of them. 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.

Tricia Regan on Learning Values and Work Ethic From Role Model Parents

In Chapter 3 of 15 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, filmmaker Tricia Regan answers "Where Did You Learn Your Work Ethic?" Regan tells the story of learning her work ethic from her mother and father. Her father tells her "There's no job worth doing that's not worth doing well" and instills in her the importance of doing work with integrity. Tricia Regan is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker known for writing, directing and producing documentary films, including the Emmy-winning "Autism: The Musical". She also has worked extensively in non-fiction television for A&E, ABC, FOX, Lifetime, MTV Networks and NBC. Regan earned a bachelors from Binghamton University and masters from New York University. 

Richard Moross on When to Make Management Skills a Hiring Priority

In Chapter 10 of 14 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, Moo.com CEO Richard Moross answers "What Has It Been Like to Transition From Managing Specialists to Managing Managers?" Moross notes how growing a business to nearly 200 employees has necessitated hiring staff with management skillsets to manage day-to-day decisions and support employee development. Adding a management layer to his company allows him to transition into a role of setting standards, values, morals, ethics and aspirations while empowering his managers via process and goal setting structures. Richard Moross is founder and CEO of award-winning online print business Moo.com. He is a member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and a board member at Ladbrokes PLC. Before Moo.com, Moross was a strategist at design firm Imagination. He graduated from the University of Sussex.