Hattie Elliot on What It Means to Be a Leader Running a Small Business

In Chapter 14 of 15 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Hattie Elliot answers "What Does It Mean to Be a Leader in What You Do?" Elliot shares how being an entrepreneurial leader running a small business starts with waking up each day and making the most of it. It means fighting through adversity and challenge, staying honest with others, being optimistic about reality, and never playing the role of a victim.

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.

Hattie Elliot on Making New Year Plans to Grow a Small Business

In Chapter 15 of 15 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Hattie Elliot answers "What Has You Most Excited About the Year Ahead?" "Elliot shares how the New Year has given her opportunity to put new investor financing to work growing her business. From expanding corporate business partnerships to scaling the size and scope of destination events such as a Telluride Ski House and Hamptons House, Elliot looks to build her relationship business and improve her member experiences.

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.

Matt Ruby on Why to Work Hard to Be the Best at What You Do

In Chapter 1 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian and Vooza founder Matt Ruby answers "Where Did You Learn Your Work Ethic?" Ruby shares that his comedy work has taught him to work hard so you can be proud of your work. Working hard gives you a chance to be the best you can be and also avoid embarrassment by being the worst. He learns to be mindful of where to apply this approach in his life and to set priorities accordingly.

Matt Ruby is a standup comedian based in New York City. He also founded Vooza, on online comic strip web series that makes fun of tech startup culture. As an actor, director, writer and producer, Ruby leads the creative direction for the team. Before his comedy career, Matt was employee #1 at 37Signals. He graduated from Northwestern University. 

Matt Ruby on How Filming a Web Series Advances Comedy Career

In Chapter 3 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian and Vooza founder Matt Ruby answers "How Has Building the Vooza Web Series Opened New Possibilities in Your Comedy Career?" Creating nearly 100 webisodes for the Vooza online series teaches Ruby new skills, from screenwriting and acting to filmmaking and producing. Working on Vooza gives him skills and a growing confidence he can use to continue his work as well as to work on a pilot for a new comedy series.

Matt Ruby is a standup comedian based in New York City. He also founded Vooza, on online comic strip web series that makes fun of tech startup culture. As an actor, director, writer and producer, Ruby leads the creative direction for the team. Before his comedy career, Matt was employee #1 at 37Signals. He graduated from Northwestern University. 

Matt Ruby on How Repetition Improves Creative Team Dynamics

In Chapter 13 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian and Vooza founder Matt Ruby answers "How Are Your Team Dynamics Changing as Your Company Completes More Creative Projects?" Ruby shares how going through the process of learning how to plan, shoot and produce a web series has incrementally built team confidence. Over time, the creative film team develops a rhythm working through nearly 100 episodes.

Matt Ruby is a standup comedian based in New York City. He also founded Vooza, on online comic strip web series that makes fun of tech startup culture. As an actor, director, writer and producer, Ruby leads the creative direction for the team. Before his comedy career, Matt was employee #1 at 37Signals. He graduated from Northwestern University. 

Michael Olsen on Job Skills You Learn Studying Public Health

In Chapter 8 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, management consultant Michael Olsen answers "What Skills Did You Learn Studying Public Health That You Hope to Use in Your Career?" Studying in a dual degree business and public health masters program, Olsen shares how public health studies taught him to understand scientific evidence and use structure to improve problem solving. Additionally, he finds studying public health helps him better understand how he can make a difference in the world, in particular in developing regions. He sees firsthand how global health disease states such as child mortality, HIV and malaria are dropping and it inspires him to be part of that movement as a global health professional.

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. 

Rachel Lehmann-Haupt on What Gets Easier and What Gets Harder

In Chapter 4 of 17 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and small business owner Rachel Lehmann-Haupt answers "What is Getting Easier and What is Getting Harder in Your Life?" As a professional storyteller, Lehmann-Haupt finds life gets easier as you gain work experience and build confidence in your job skills. As she gains experience and confidence, she finds it harder to find the right job because she has become more selective with prospective clients and projects.

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 Refine Journalist Storytelling Job Skills

In Chapter 12 of 17 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and small business owner Rachel Lehmann-Haupt answers "How Are You Applying Your Passions in New Ways?" A passionate storyteller and trained journalist, Lehmann-Haupt creates new opportunities in her career by getting new people and organizations to tell their story. Lehmann-Haupt refines her storytelling skills, from asking interview questions to producing video, to gain confidence and perform at a higher level.

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 Gain Confidence by Facing Failure and Fear

In Chapter 16 of 17 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and small business owner Rachel Lehmann-Haupt answers "What Role Does Confidence Play in the Work That You Do?" Lehmann-Haupt finds that confidence is everything. She defines authentic confidence as what you develop after facing fear, feeling scared, being insecure and having moments of failure. Through these hard times she gains confidence in her ability to pick herself up, work through the creative process, and make changes necessary to be successful.

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. 

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. 

Geoff Hamm on What Gets Easier and What Gets Harder

In Chapter 1 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, mobile business executive Geoff Hamm answers "What is Getting Easier and What is Getting Harder in Your Life?" Hamm shares that managing his time as husband, father, and employee is getting harder with two children under four years old and two working parents. As he turns 40, Hamm reflects on his 17 years working in digital media and how he has grown more comfortable and confident in his skills.

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 Selling With Confidence Not Cockiness

In Chapter 6 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, mobile business executive Geoff Hamm answers "What Role Does Confidence Play in the Work That You Do?" Hamm notes confidence is everything working in sales. Without confidence in what you sell it is very difficult to succeed in sales. Sales experience teaches Hamm the nuances between confidence and cockiness and why being confident does not mean you need to have a big ego.

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.

Louise Langheier on Teaching Teens Confidence and Self-Worth

In Chapter 15 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Louise Langheier answers "What Role Does Confidence Play in the Work That You Do?" Langheier notes why teaching high school students to be confident is fundamental to her mission to empower young adults to make healthier decisions. Teaching teens about confidence and self-worth gives them valuable awareness skills to understand what matters to them and then make decisions aligned to those priorities.

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 Finding His Passion Playing Music in High School

In Chapter 9 of 17 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, musician and digital strategist Conrad Doucette answers "What Childhood Experiences Have Been Most Fundamental to Shaping Who You Are Today?" Doucette shares how high school music experiences - from playing in bands to singing in choirs to being a marching band drummer - helped him find his passion and and hone his talent for music. He finds playing music, not sports, allows him to build confidence that helps him relax and learn outside the classroom.

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. 

Conrad Doucette on the Career Benefits of a Liberal Arts Education

In Chapter 10 of 17 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, musician and digital strategist Conrad Doucette answers "Where Has Your Liberal Arts Education Been Most Valuable in Your Career?" Doucette finds not specializing at college (e.g., engineering, business) gives him a broad palette of tools to apply in a range of team-based environments. He is able to translate the openness he receives studying at the University of Michigan into confidence he uses working on creative project teams in music and at Internet startups.

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. 

Simon Sinek on Building Trusting Teams in the US Marine Corps

In Chapter 7 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, author and public speaker Simon Sinek answers "What Has the United States Marine Corps Taught You About How a Circle of Safety Motivates Staff?" Sinek shares what Marine Corps basic training has taught him about leading teams more effectively. The United States Marine Corps breaks down the individual and trains them to be interdependent on their fellow Marines. This creates a circle of safety bond of trust that allows Marines to increase team performance in the most difficult situations. 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 Managing by Turning Followers into Leaders

In Chapter 13 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, author and public speaker Simon Sinek answers "How Are You Learning to Better Manage and Motivate Teams?" Sinek shares what he has learned about management from retired Navy submarine captain David Marquet, author of "Turn the Ship Around." Sinek learns the importance of turning followers into leaders by supporting them, trusting them, and encouraging them to make decisions and take ownership. Sinek notes how the approach is more parenting than managing and results in greater employee engagement. 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.