Anatole Faykin on Leaving a Cushy Corporate Job to Start a Company

In Chapter 8 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "What Do You Consider the Milestones to Be in Your Online Marketing Career?" Faykin shares his biggest moment: leaving a cushy, secure corporate marketing job to start a company. He shares how much he had to learn about online marketing going through a trial and error process while building a startup company in China. Over time, by testing online marketing campaigns on Google ads and Baidu ads, he finds success as an entrepreneur running his own business.

Anatole Faykin is an Internet entrepreneur and digital marketer exploring new career options. A passionate world traveler and problem solver, Faykin plans to return to graduate school to earn a biosciences masters degree. Previously, Faykin has started multiple companies, including Tuanpin, a Shanghai startup he sold in 2011. He holds an MBA from NYU and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

How to Research Career Options While in Graduate School

In Chapter 9 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, management consultant Michael Olsen answers "How Did You Research Career Options While Attending Graduate School?" While doing a joint business school and public health graduate program, Olsen finds each school treats career planning very differently. Business school career planning is more structured around personality test analysis to identify fit for career paths. Olsen finds public health school career planning more open-ended. In both programs, Olsen focuses on meeting the experts invited to speak at the schools. There he gets advice that in order to build a long-term career in social entrepreneurship, a good place to start is working a corporate job before transitioning into social enterprise.

Michael Olsen is a management consultant at Accenture. Previous to Accenture, Olsen earned dual MBA and MPH degrees at Emory University in Atlanta. Olsen earned a BA in symbolic systems from Stanford University and spent the next five years founding an IT consulting company, Redwood Strategies. 

How to Reinvent a Media and Publishing Career

In Chapter 13 of 17 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and small business owner Rachel Lehmann-Haupt answers "What New Challenges Are You Facing in Your Media and Publishing Career?" Lehmann-Haupt finds traditional 30-year careers in media and publishing are going away. To succeed in media and publishing, she finds it critical to have a willingness to reinvent herself by building new skills and adapting to new publishing mediums. Further, Lehmann-Haupt gains career momentum by being more entrepreneurial in how she approaches her writing career.

Rachel Lehmann-Haupt is a writer, editor and multimedia content strategist. She is the owner of StoryMade, a storytelling studio that creates new media content solutions for businesses. Previously, she was a founding editor and multimedia producer at TED Books, designing TED Talk content for tablet computers. She is the author of "In Her Own Sweet Time", published in 2009. Lehmann-Haupt earned a BA from Kenyon College and a Masters in Journalism from UC-Berkeley. 

How to Get Promoted Faster in Your First Job After College

In Chapter 6 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business strategist Bryan Law answers "What Did You Learn on Your First Job After College That is Still Relevant Today?" Finding an entry-level job working in HR consulting, Law finds ways to stretch himself and get new opportunities as a business analyst. He looks for ways to stretch himself outside his business analyst job to gain new skills specializing in technology, which leads him to get more client-facing experience and get promoted faster.

Bryan Law is a Principal in the Global Business Strategy Group at Google and a board member at Angola University. Previously, he was a manager at Monitor, a management consulting firm. He has worked in consulting roles at Watson Wyatt and Mercer. He earned an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Business and a BA from Georgetown University. 

Bryan Law on Starting a New University in Angola

In Chapter 20 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business strategist Bryan Law answers "How Are You Going About Starting a New University in Africa?" After meeting Guerra Frietas while studying at Northwestern University, Law joins Freitas' volunteer team to help build a new university in Angola. Law shares steps he and the team have taken to build credibility get a top-tier team of volunteer professionals to help build the school.

Bryan Law is a Principal in the Global Business Strategy Group at Google and a board member at Angola University. Previously, he was a manager at Monitor, management consulting firm. He has worked in consulting roles at Watson Wyatt and Mercer. He earned an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Business and a BA from Georgetown University. 

Adam Geller on the Importance of Self-Reflection

In Chapter 20 of 22 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, education technology entrepreneur Adam Geller answers "What Role Has Reflection Played in Shaping Your Personal Growth?" Geller shares how self-reflecting has helped him professionally by honing his sales delivery. Personally, Geller finds self-reflection helps him think through his actions and identify gaps where asking for advice would have helped him make better decisions. He also learns how to more openly ask friends and colleagues for feedback to understand how his actions are affecting others.

Adam Geller is founder and CEO of Edthena, a video platform enabling online teacher coaching, peer review, and group learning. He is a recent Education Ventures fellow at the Kauffman Foundation and the founder of Teach For Us, a network connecting Teach for America corps members and alumni. He earned a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a MA from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis.

Preston Smith on Teaching First Grade at Teach for America

In Chapter 4 of 22 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, elementary charter school network CEO Preston Smith answers "How Did Teaching in the Teach for America Program Inform the Next Steps in Your Career?" Smith shares how he developed an affinity for community organizing and teaching as a first grade teacher in Teach for America. He learns to work with student families and parents to get support outside the classroom and improve student engagement in the classroom.

Preston Smith is co-founder and CEO of Rocketship Education, the highest performing low-income school system in California. After graduating the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Smith joined Teach for America. After three years teaching 1st Grade, he founded a district school in San Jose and became its principal. Smith was selected as a member of the 2010 class of Aspen Institute New Schools Fellows. 

Louise Langheier on Asking For Advice Before Having a Baby

In Chapter 20 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Louise Langheier answers "At This Moment in Your Life, Where Are You Seeking Advice and Coaching?" Nine months pregnant, Langheier shares how she openly seeks out advice from working parents on how they navigated parenthood and career after starting a family. She shares how she asks working parents and the way she asks follow-up questions.

Louise Davis Langheier is founder and CEO of Peer Health Exchange, a non-profit that trains college students to teach health education in public high schools. Louise was selected as a member of the 2011 class of Aspen Entrepreneurial Education Fellows, and was named an Ashoka Fellow in 2012. She graduated from Yale University. 

Mark Graham on How to Socialize Your Successes in an Entry-Level Job

In Chapter 8 of 15 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, media executive Mark Graham answers "What Did You Learn in Your First Job Out of College That is Still Relevant Today?" In an entry-level marketing assistant job, Graham learns the importance of socializing his successes on the job. As an entry-level hire working in a large corporation, Graham learns to clearly explain to others the value he contributes to a project and how that relates to the company's success as a whole. 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. 

Mark Graham on Essential Advice Every Intern Needs to Know

In Chapter 14 of 15 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, media executive Mark Graham answers "How Have You Learned to Give Better Advice When People Ask You For Help?" Graham shares what he does to counsel interns on how to build career skills in an internship and get a full-time job working in media and entertainment. He shares the importance of making connections and keeping in touch with your professional network. Additionally, he shares the importance of saying yes and taking initiative to go above and beyond your job description. Lastly, he pushes interns to socialize their successes to others in the organization can better understand the contribution they make in their time working the internship.

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.

Lauren Serota on Using Reflection to Understand How Others See You

In Chapter 18 of 21 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, creative director and educator Lauren Serota answers "What Role Has Reflection Played in Shaping Your Personal Growth?" Serota finds reflection helps her avoid getting caught in her own head and pushes her to examine her actions from the perspective of others. This underscores an important lesson she has learned: the value of regularly asking for and receiving feedback on her actions and work.

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 Training Leaders to Step Up and Speak Up

In Chapter 7 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, author and entrepreneur Nina Godiwalla answers "When Someone Asks You, 'What is Your Mission', How Do You Respond?" In her diversity and leader training work, Godiwalla strives to teach those in power to "Step Up and Speak Up" to support those with less or no power. She examples of this as it relates to diversity issues in the office as well as in more general meeting environments where credit for ideas and work is often taken by senior staff who just restate another's idea or work. 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: When someone asks you, “What is your mission?”, how do you respond?

Nina Godiwalla: I think one of the major messages I have is really focused on step up, speak up, and it's about being able to, when you’re in a place of power, really being able to take your power and help other people that might not be in power, and those apply to both my focuses, leadership and diversity, and that applies from a diversity standpoint, so such a small example is if you’re in a room and you hear an inappropriate joke about a certain minority group, if you’re not part of that minority group, it’s the most important thing, and it makes you feel a little bit uncomfortable, a lot of times we’d just gonna look the other way. The most important thing for you to do at that moment is be able to say something and be able to stand up for that group because that group has been criticized and it’s an opportunity for you as not being a part of that.

And I think from a leadership standpoint which I’m focused on is being in a place of power, whether you—wherever you are. You don’t even have to be high in the hierarchy or whatever it is, but a great example was we were just talking in a meeting, we were at the State Department, we were having this talk about how people repeat, someone gives their credit to the wrong person, so a very senior person says, basically, he repeated what someone else said, and everyone kind of starts giving credit to the senior person who said it, 15 minutes before, two other people had already mentioned it, and we’re giving examples of what’s a way to actually remind people that that’s not the right person, that’s not the person that really said it, and it’s something along the lines of, “Oh, well, Joe, that’s a great point—that’s a great way that you’ve summarized Sandy’s comments earlier, that’s—that was really impressive the way you did it concisely,” or something like that, and, basically, giving back credit to the person that did it. And if you are the most senior person in that room, it’s even more important for you to do that because you’re acknowledging to the rest of the staff, I’m aware of where that came from, and even if you’re not the most senior person, you’re in that room, and so you have an opportunity to bring attention to that, so it’s those sort of things, always making an impact, whether you formally have a hierarchical place or not.

Fabian Pfortmüller on Learning Hospitality From His Parents

In Chapter 1 of 18 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur and community builder Fabian Pfortmüller answers "What Childhood Experiences Have Been Most Fundamental in Shaping Who You Are Today?" Pfortmüller shares how watching his parents treat their houseguests with hospitality and kindness has been a huge influence on how he treats other people, including Holstee customers and his own dinner party guests. 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 Empowering Employees Working at Holstee

In Chapter 11 of 18 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur and community builder Fabian Pfortmüller answers "How Are You Learning to Better Manage and Motivate Teams?" Pfortmüller gets better feedback on his management skills by asking staff directly for feedback on what they expect from him. By understanding employee expectations, he learns to let go more and hand off responsibilities, stress less, and give employees more ownership of their work. 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.

Yoav Gonen on Two Ways to Test and Validate Your Career Choices

In Chapter 5 of 19 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, New York City reporter Yoav Gonen answers "At This Moment in Your Life, Where Are You Seeking Advice and Coaching?" Gonen gains career planning insights from co-workers leaving their newspaper reporting jobs to change careers. He also reaches out to writers he admires for career advice. In both instances, he finds validation in his work and learns to better appreciate what he does for a living. Shortly after this interview, Gonen was promoted from education reporter to New York City Hall Bureau Chief for the New York Post daily newspaper. Gonen earned a B.A. in English from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Journalism from New York University.

Newspaper Reporter Yoav Gonen on Building Storyfinding Job Skills

In Chapter 7 of 19 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, New York City reporter Yoav Gonen answers "What Skills Are You Using More as Your Career Advances?" Gonen shares how he is honing two types of job skills to find newsworthy stories. He first learns how to build better news source relationships and how to talk to news sources to obtain information the general public will value. Second, he hones his approach to story research and building online research skills. Yoav Gonen is a reporter and City Hall Bureau Chief for the New York Post daily newspaper. Previously he spent nearly six years covering the education beat for the New York Post. Gonen earned a B.A. in English from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Journalism from New York University.

Tricia Regan on How Personal Priorities Change With Age

In Chapter 14 of 15 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, filmmaker Tricia Regan answers "How Are Your Personal Priorities Changing as You Get Older?" As her carer matures, Regan finds herself thinking more about retirement and economic security. This pushes her to think about life changes that she will face in the next 10 or 20 years and how to manage her career to better prepare for them. She learns to be more assertive asking to be paid what she is worth when interviewing for new jobs and projects. 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 Opening a Retail Store for an E-Commerce Brand

In Chapter 7 of 14 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, Moo.com CEO Richard Moross answers "What Has Surprised You Most About What You Have Learned by Opening a Retail Store?" Moross shares how he learned about physical space design working at design firm Imagination. After applying this in a trade show context as well as a physical product design process, he and his team take the detail-oriented products he offers from an online retailing experience to a physical one. He notes the resulting customer experience was as much about physically interacting with the products as it was interacting with the brand experience in the store. 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.