Michael Olsen on Learning Work Ethic From a Big Brother

In Chapter 6 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, management consultant Michael Olsen answers "Where Did You Learn Your Work Ethic?" Olsen learns work ethic from his big brother, Marc, who leads by example working hard and staying determined to accomplish goals. This shapes Olsen as he develops his own sense of drive and applies it in his own career and life pursuits.

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 Relationship Connections Build Leader Capacity

In Chapter 14 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, product management executive Ramsey Pryor answers "What Leadership Skills are Becoming More Relevant as Your Career Progresses?" Pryor shares how the question of leadership he is trying to answer changes over time. Early in his career, leadership is more about individual performance at a higher level than peers or competitors. Over time, leadership becomes less about tactics and more about people and resources you can bring in to solve a problem.

Ramsey Pryor is a product management executive at IBM focused on cloud-based collaboration and security software products. Previously he was VP Product Marketing at Outblaze, acquired by IBM. Pryor earned an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain and a BA in Economics and Spanish from Northwestern University.  

Mark Graham on Assessing Fit Interviewing Job Candidates

In Chapter 12 of 15 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, media executive Mark Graham answers "How Do You Assess Fit When Interviewing People for a Job?" As a hiring manager who regularly interviews job candidates for writing and digital media jobs, Graham looks not only for talent but also for alignment of interests and skills to the brand's audience expectations. He makes sure to set clear expectations on what he is seeking from a job candidate and in the job description. Graham finds peer and ex-colleague feedback useful to assess fit and speaks to references as well.

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 Effective Ways to Manage Creative Teams

In Chapter 13 of 15 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, media executive Mark Graham answers "How Are You Learning to Work More Effectively with Different Personality Types?" Graham finds managing creative teams as a team leader comes down to understanding what space each creative employee needs to be successful. Graham also shares what the team needs to be successful with employees and finds common ground where the individual has flexibility while staying aligned to team goals.

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 Leading by Teaching in a Manager Job Role

In Chapter 15 of 15 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, media executive Mark Graham answers "How Are You Becoming a Better Teacher?" Graham shares how in a role that requires him to produce content and manage a team that produces content, he finds identifying teaching moments key to building productive bonds with this team. A big part of this is learning to be a better listener to understand different points of view specific to team members.

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 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). 

Fabian Pfortmüller on Rethinking Career Ambition As You Grow Older

In Chapter 5 of 18 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur and community builder Fabian Pfortmüller answers "How Are Your Aspirations Changing As Your Experience Grows?" Pfortmüller finds life in his 30s teaches him life is more a marathon than a sprint. As a self-described ambitious person, he finds ambition can be dangerous if you do not maintain some work-life balance. He creates more with doing less and, surrounded by ambitious peers, finds what is right for others is not always right for him. Rethinking career ambition helps Pfortmüller better balance professional and personal goals, including family and relationships. 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 Using Rituals to Strengthen Company Culture

In Chapter 13 of 18 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur and community builder Fabian Pfortmüller answers "What Steps Are You Taking to Maintain a Strong Company Culture in a Growing Business?" Pfortmüller shares how culture has become a top priority as Holstee has hired more employees. By using rituals, from weekly lunches to birthday days off to shoes off comfort rooms to a new office expressly designed for culture, Pfortmüller and his Holstee team look for small ways to make employee workdays better. He adds how this prioritization of company culture has translated into more focused hiring practices around cultural fit. 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 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 Finding the Right Fit Interviewing for Film and TV Jobs

In Chapter 10 of 15 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, filmmaker and television producer Tricia Regan answers "How Do You Assess Fit When Interviewing for New Film or Television Projects?" For television jobs, Regan looks for opportunities that pay well and complement her documentary filmmaking projects. In finding fit making documentary films, Regan makes a point to have some connection to the subject matter, especially given the economic benefits are less certain in documentary film work than in TV. 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. 

Doug Jaeger on Managing and Motivating Creative Project Teams

In Chapter 13 of 14 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, creative director and brand marketer Doug Jaeger answers "How Are You Learning to Better Manage and Motivate Teams?" Jaeger finds how he works best in spurts and builds his management style around this on and off approach. He makes sure to check in with his team when taking breaks from his own work and make sure there are no obstacles in their way. He favors this more casual approach over planning regular meetings. Doug Jaeger is co-founder and creative director at JaegerSloan Inc. where he focuses on brand and experimental marketing for clients such as Squarespace, Samsung and PwC. He is an adjunct professor at New York's School of Visual Arts (SVA) and co-curator of JnrlStr. He graduated from Syracuse University.

Ken Biberaj on How to Distinguish Yourself From Campaign Rivals

In Chapter 14 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, New York City Council Candidate Ken Biberaj answers "How Do You Distinguish Yourself and Your Positions From Your Rivals in the Primary Campaign?" In a crowded Democratic field, Biberaj, the youngest candidate, shares how he differentiates himself and his campaign platform by focusing on the intersection of non-profits, government, and business and his experience across all three.

Ken Biberaj is currently a 2013 Democratic Candidate for City Council in New York City. 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 Biberaj was Florida Research Director for the Kerry-Edwards for President Campaign. Biberaj 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. 

Slava Rubin on How an Executive Coach Helps Him Be a Better CEO

In Chapter 5 of 15 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, Indiegogo CEO Slava Rubin answers "What Skills Are You Working on Right Now to Become Better at Your Job?" Rubin shares how working with an executive coach helps him be a better CEO by improving his decision making, listening, and management skills. He shares how the executive coaching relationship complements what he learns from his cofounders, board of directors, and investors. Slava Rubin is CEO and co-founder of Indiegogo, the world's largest crowdfunding platform. Indiegogo empowers anyone, anywhere, anytime to raise funds for any idea—creative, cause-related or entrepreneurial. Prior to Indiegogo, Rubin worked as a management consultant. He earned his BSE degree from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: What skills are you working on right now to become better at your job?

Slava Rubin: Definitely around how to lead, how to make decisions, how to listen, and how to focus on people.

Erik Michielsen: Where do you get that direction? Do you have a board of directors now?

Slava Rubin: We do have a board of directors. We’ve had a board of directors since we closed the seed round 2 years ago.

Erik Michielsen: And how do you receive guidance from the board of directors and how does that compare and contrast from the guidance that you receive from, say your co-founders?

Slava Rubin: Typically, in the board meeting, it is a little bit more functional for us, where we’re discussing “What are the challenges? What are the opportunities? How do the numbers look? What are we focusing on the next quarter or what do we do for the last quarter?” But I am in touch with the board and the other investors and advisors a lot throughout them, 3 months between board meetings, plus we’re constantly in touch as executive senior management of the team, and I also have an executive coach. So these are just things where we pull together different feedback, and listening, and keep on trying to improve.

Erik Michielsen: What have you found most helpful in the executive coaching relationship?

Slava Rubin: An executive coach is helpful from the standpoint of everybody has a little bit of bias sometimes in their relationship with you, so it’s hard to be completely open and be able to really have complete feedback as part of the process because an investor has their bias, a co-founder has their own bias, an employee has their own bias, so it’s good to speak to somebody who is a professional, who is just constantly speaking to your type of similar individuals. For me, the situation is founder or CEO, and being able to parallel that, to explain, “Hey, this is what I’ve seen. Are there people going through a similar situation? Maybe this is what you’re going through, and maybe have you thought about this?” So it’s helpful.

James McCormick on Lessons Learned in Year 3 of Parenthood

In Chapter 5 of 21 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, legal search and consulting firm executive James McCormick answers "How is Your Parenting Approach Evolving as Your Child Transitions from Infant to Toddler?" McCormick shares how his very active two-year old son Jack teaches him the importance of playing good defense at home and out and about. He finds that no matter how much he reads on being a good parent and raising a two-year old, it ultimately comes down to what he and his wife decide is best for their son Jack. 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. 

James McCormick on Why There is No One Right Way to Live Your Life

In Chapter 6 of 21 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, legal search and consulting firm executive James McCormick answers "How Are Your Personal Experiences Shaping Your Professional Aspirations?" McCormick shares what he has learned in his 20s and 30s, namely that there is no one right script to follow to life a full life. Moving from Detroit to Ann Arbor to San Francisco to New Orleans to New York City, getting married, becoming a father, and building a law career all teach him the importance of improvisation and flexibility. He channels what life has taught him into his work as an executive recruiter by learning to listen and treat every person he works with as an individual. 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.

James McCormick on How Trial and Error Can Improve Listening Skills

In Chapter 19 of 21 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, legal search and consulting firm executive James McCormick answers "How Are You Learning to Work More Effectively With Different Personality Types?" McCormick shares how trial and error has helped him become a better listener. Listening helps McCormick determine what is motivating someone's point of view or behavior so he can be more helpful sourcing candidates for new jobs. 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.

James McCormick on How to Give Better Advice When Asked for Help

In Chapter 20 of 21 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, legal search and consulting firm executive James McCormick answers "How Have You Learned to Give Better Advice When People Ask You For Help?" McCormick gives better advice by listening more and talking less. When giving career advice, he asks questions to learn specific details of an individual's circumstance so he can be more helpful. 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.

Leslie Kerner on Ways to Better Manage and Motivate Teams

In Chapter 19 of 21 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, education software company executive Leslie Kerner answers "How Are You Learning to Better Manage and Motivate Teams?" Kerner shares the importance of better structuring goals so that each team member clearly understands how he or she can contribute to achieving them. She finds this hugely helpful motivating teams. Kerner notes making it a priority to get to know team members in and out of work helps her manage better by understanding the best way to encourage and support them.

Leslie Kerner is Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Professional Services group at Amplify, a software and services company innovating K-12 education. She is responsible for building and managing training, professional development and consulting services for schools. Previously, Kerner worked as a management consultant at Deloitte & Touche. Kerner earned an MBA from the Duke University and a BA from Northwestern University.