Anatole Faykin on What Gets Easier and What Gets Harder

In Chapter 2 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "What is Getting Easier and What is Getting Harder in Your Life?" Faykin shares how over time he is learning to better understand himself and be more accepting of himself. He finds it harder to engage with corporate recruiters as his career path has been anything but traditional.

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.

Anatole Faykin on Why Meaningful Work is More Than Accomplishments

In Chapter 13 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Are Your Personal Experiences Shaping Your Professional Aspirations?" Now mid-career and having experience working at corporations and starting companies all over the world, Faykin realizes aspirations are less about accomplishments and more about doing meaningful work.

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.

Michael Olsen on Choosing a Career in Health Care Management

In Chapter 3 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, management consultant Michael Olsen answers "When are You at Your Best?" Olsen finds he is at his best when working on something important that directly impacts people he serves. He finds working in health care a more direct way to help people than, for instance, working in finance or insurance, and consequently earns his MPH MBA degree and commits to health care management consulting.

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. 

Michael Olsen on How Reflection Informs Personal Growth

In Chapter 17 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, management consultant Michael Olsen answers "What Role Has Reflection Played in Shaping Your Personal Growth?" Olsen shares measuring personal growth is dependent on being able to successfully reflect. He notes how he prefers structured reflection over unstructured reflection to learn from his past to plan his future.

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 Create Space for Weekly Reflection

In Chapter 6 of 17 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and small business owner Rachel Lehmann-Haupt answers "What Role Has Reflection Played in Shaping Your Personal Growth?" Lehmann-Haupt shares how she creates space in her week to reflect across all aspects of her life. She finds it helpful to block out time for reflection and to create weekly rituals, such as reflective dinner party conversations with friends, to learn from experience and find ways to improve herself in all aspects of her life.

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 Use 360 Degree Feedback for Reflective Learning

In Chapter 8 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, product management executive Ramsey Pryor answers "What Role Has Reflection Played in Shaping Your Personal Growth?" Pryor shares how experiencing the 360 degree feedback professional development practice while working at Accenture changed his career trajectory. Getting feedback from those who manage you and those you manage provides Pryor a balanced set of insights that complements his own reflections on what he is doing right and where he can improve over time.

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. He started his career as a consultant working at Accenture. Pryor earned an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain and a BA in Economics and Spanish from Northwestern University.  

Managing Your Time to Live More Meaningfully

In Chapter 12 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, product management executive Ramsey Pryor answers "How Are Your Aspirations Changing As Your Experience Grows?" As he gets older, gains career experience and raises a family, Pryor finds he does not want to do anything that is at the expense of what matters most to him, namely his family, his work, and his health. If those begin to suffer, then he pushes himself to take a step back and revisit whether his actions are out of alignment with his priorities.

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.  

Adam Geller on Finding Work That Brings Out Your Passion

In Chapter 2 of 22 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, education technology entrepreneur Adam Geller answers "When Are You At Your Best?" Geller finds he is at his best when he is passionate about the work he is doing. He feels it when he is excited about the problem he is working to solve. He does not mind staying late at work as long as he believes in the work he is doing.

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.

How Self-Reflection Improves Teacher Effectiveness

In Chapter 13 of 22 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, education technology entrepreneur Adam Geller answers "What Role Does Observation and Feedback Play in a Teacher's Professional Development?" Geller finds self-reflection fundamental to improving teacher development. He builds online video teacher coaching platform, Edthena, to create group observation and feedback programs for teachers to improve classroom teaching.

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.

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.

Geoff Hamm on How Reflection Builds Business Development Skills

In Chapter 2 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, mobile business executive Geoff Hamm answers "What Role Has Reflection Played in Shaping Your Personal Growth?" Relationships are fundamental to Hamm's work in business development and sales. He uses reflection techniques to learn from his actions as a professional and as a parent as he gains experience. He visits an executive coach multiple times annually for coaching and unbiased feedback.

Geoff Hamm is a business development executive and VP Strategic Alliances at mobile marketing platform start-up Applovin in San Francisco, CA. Previous to Applovin, Hamm held senior sales management positions at Tapjoy, Scribd, Electronic Arts, Yahoo!, Orbitz, IAC and Excite where he built deep relationships with advertisers and brands. Hamm graduated from the University of Illinois.

Geoff Hamm on Performing Under Pressure Working in Sales

In Chapter 7 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, mobile business executive Geoff Hamm answers "What Does It Mean to Perform Under Pressure in the Work That You Do?" Hamm finds high performers can benefit from putting pressure on themselves to succeed. He gets motivation building better business relationships, beating the competition, and making his company successful. As he builds sales experience, he develops confidence, learns his strengths and weaknesses and discovers where and when to put that pressure on himself.

Geoff Hamm is a business development executive and VP Strategic Alliances at mobile marketing platform start-up Applovin in San Francisco, CA. Previous to Applovin, Hamm held senior sales management positions at Tapjoy, Scribd, Electronic Arts, Yahoo!, Orbitz, IAC and Excite where he built deep relationships with advertisers and brands. Hamm graduated from the University of Illinois.

Two Job Skills You Need to Be a Better Executive Leader

In Chapter 13 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, mobile business executive Geoff Hamm answers "What Skills Are You Working on Right Now to Become Better at Your Job?" As an executive team member, Hamm focuses on honing two core job skills, patience and communication, both written and verbal. He benefits from learning from a very transparent founder who exposes him to operational aspects fundamental to running a business.

Geoff Hamm is a business development executive and VP Strategic Alliances at mobile marketing platform start-up Applovin in San Francisco, CA. Previous to Applovin, Hamm held senior sales management positions at Tapjoy, Scribd, Electronic Arts, Yahoo!, Orbitz, IAC and Excite where he built deep relationships with advertisers and brands. Hamm graduated from the University of Illinois.

How to Adapt Parenting as Infants Grow Into Toddlers

In Chapter 19 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, mobile business executive Geoff Hamm answers "How is Your Parenting Approach Evolving as Your Children Grow From Infants into Toddlers?" Hamm shares how as infants, the little babies are about the basics - feeding, changing, sleeping. As his two children grow into toddlers, Hamm finds nearly every moment becomes a teaching moment and learns to make time to have these conversations with his kids.

Geoff Hamm is a business development executive and VP Strategic Alliances at mobile marketing platform start-up Applovin in San Francisco, CA. Previous to Applovin, Hamm held senior sales management positions at Tapjoy, Scribd, Electronic Arts, Yahoo!, Orbitz, IAC and Excite where he built deep relationships with advertisers and brands. Hamm graduated from the University of Illinois.

Preston Smith on What It Means to Be a Leader

In Chapter 13 of 22 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, elementary charter school network CEO Preston Smith answers "What Does It Mean to Be a Leader in What You Do?" As CEO, Smith finds leading means putting people in places where they an do their best work. Leading means staying above the politics and not being divisive in his thinking. Leading means framing things in a positive way and avoiding an us versus them mentality. Finally, leading means embracing the responsibility that as a leader he will often be the one needing to make the tough decisions that often will be unpopular.

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. 

Preston Smith on When to Be a Hands-Off Team Leader

In Chapter 15 of 22 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, elementary charter school network CEO Preston Smith answers "When Are You At Your Best?" As a CEO, Smith learns when not to be a hands-on leader and focus his energy on empowering employee teams in a hands-off way. He finds he can be at his best by putting people in a position to succeed and learning when to insert himself and provide support.

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 Doing What You Love With Those You Love

In Chapter 1 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Louise Langheier answers "When Are You At Your Best?" Langheier finds she achieves her best when she is doing something she loves around those she loves or admires. Finding this place allows Langheier to give more and also get the most out of the experience. She notes family influences and experiences that informed her perspective.

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.

Conrad Doucette on Turning 40 and Becoming a Dad

In Chapter 1 of 17 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, musician and digital strategist Conrad Doucette answers "What is on Your Mind as You Turn 40 This Year?" As a husband and a new father he notes the biggest change is that is his life priority has become his family. He shares the joy that comes with making that transition and how a milestone birthday such as 40 has made it all the more apparent. Conrad Doucette is a Brooklyn musician and the drummer for the band Takka Takka. 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.