Audrey French on Why to Have Advocates and Sponsors in Your Life

In Chapter 13 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, new mother Audrey Parker French answers "What Role Have Advocate and Sponsor Relationships Played in Your Development?" French shares how sposors and advocates - people who not only give advice but provide support to help put that advice to work - have been instrumental in both her personal and professional growth. Professionally, CLEAResult president Glenn Garland, who advocates for her as she learns through failure. Personally, French's best friend advocates for French as she becomes a new wife and a mother.

Audrey Parker French is a new mother living with her husband and son in Austin, Texas. Before leaving work to focus on family, French co-founded CLEAResult, an energy management consulting firm she helped grow to #144 on the 2010 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies and then sell to General Catalyst Partners. She graduated from Wake Forest University. 

Audrey French on How to Receive Feedback and Put It to Good Use

In Chapter 16 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, new mother Audrey Parker French answers "What Type of Feedback Do You Respond to Best?" French finds she responds to constructive, positive feedback best. When feedback is angled toward making her feel bad or worse or else make her feel like she is wrong, French finds she closes down. When feedback is build on how to make something better and feels like it is coming from a sincere place of trying to help, French responds much better.

Audrey Parker French is a new mother living with her husband and son in Austin, Texas. Before leaving work to focus on family, French co-founded CLEAResult, an energy management consulting firm she helped grow to #144 on the 2010 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies and then sell to General Catalyst Partners. She graduated from Wake Forest University. 

Courtney Spence on How to Give More Thoughtful Feedback

In Chapter 9 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, nonprofit CEO Courtney Spence answers "What Type of Feedback Do You Respond to Best?" Spence finds feedback is best - thoughtful, purposeful, actionable - when it does not come with an agenda or a bias not specific to the situation. She finds people love to give advice but that often translates into them talking about their experiences. Spence finds effective feedback is more about the recipient and than the person giving feedback.

Courtney Spence is founder and CEO of Students of the World, a nonprofit empowering a diverse network of student and emerging filmmakers to apply storytelling skills in purposeful work. She is also the Founder and CEO of CSpence group, a creative agency building millennial-focused content and programs for brands. Spence earned a BA from Duke University. 

Courtney Spence on How to Train Young People to Do Creative Jobs

In Chapter 15 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, nonprofit CEO Courtney Spence answers "How Are You Advancing the Ways You Train and Support Creative Talent?" Spence shares what she has learned over 15 years working with and managing teams of twentysomething creative professionals. She finds training millennials is less about teaching technology and more about teaching accountability and how to work on a project for someone else. These client project skills teach young creatives a structure of how to be professional and meet employer expectations.

Courtney Spence is founder and CEO of Students of the World, a nonprofit empowering a diverse network of student and emerging filmmakers to apply storytelling skills in purposeful work. She is also the Founder and CEO of CSpence group, a creative agency building millennial-focused content and programs for brands. Spence earned a BA from Duke University. 

Randall Metting on How Role Model Father Inspires Marketing Career

In Chapter 2 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Randall Metting answers "What Childhood Experiences Have Been Most Fundamental in Shaping Who You Are Today?" Metting shares how his father Roger Metting exposed him to the world of music and hooked him on live performance, including an early Bruce Springsteen show in 1978. From there, Randall's father supports his interests in branding and promotion and, as the music industry changes, pushes Randall to pursue a career in agency and event management companies.

Randall Metting is a brand development and marketing manager at Dulce Vida Spirits in Austin, Texas. Over 17 years, he has built brands in spirits, luxury real estate and lifestyle, music, and sports industries. He has been a radio personality at KGSR Radio and a marketer at a hyperlocal startup acquired by NBC Universal. Metting earned a BA in Advertising from the University of Florida and started his career at The Coca-Cola Company. 

Randall Metting on Job Search Advice for Recent College Grads

In Chapter 15 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Randall Metting answers "How Are You Becoming a Better Teacher?" Metting shares how he provided career coaching for a recent college graduate looking to find a new job. He advises the young graduate to write down ideal qualities for a job and then to start networking to meet people and find related job openings.

Randall Metting is a brand development and marketing manager at Dulce Vida Spirits in Austin, Texas. Over 17 years, he has built brands in spirits, luxury real estate and lifestyle, music, and sports industries. He has been a radio personality at KGSR Radio and a marketer at a hyperlocal startup acquired by NBC Universal. Metting earned a BA in Advertising from the University of Florida and started his career at The Coca-Cola Company. 

Hattie Elliot on How to Give Better Advice When Asked for Help

In Chapter 4 of 15 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Hattie Elliot answers "How Have You Learned to Give Better Advice When People Ask You for Help?" As someone who connects people for a living, Elliot learns the most important part of giving advice is to underpromise and overdeliver. This helps to ensure she is able to meet expectations when making promises. She also learns to refine her willingness to help others to focus on a smaller group of close friends and family.

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 How to Build Workplace Relationship Trust

In Chapter 2 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian and Vooza founder Matt Ruby answers "How Do You Establish Trust When Building Relationships?" Ruby finds building trust in the workplace comes down to communicating honestly and openly with others, from editors to clients, in a way he also would like to be treated. For him that means getting and giving constructive feedback that comes across not as criticism but as a sincere way to help others improve their work.

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 Improving Web Comedy Project Collaboration

In Chapter 11 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian and Vooza founder Matt Ruby answers "What Have You Found to Be the Keys to Creating More Successful Project Collaborations?" To start, Ruby finds it essential to be working with a funny idea and script. If this core is not in place, then no amount of funding or talent will make the comedy program funny. Once the core is in place, Ruby finds building more successful collaborations is about giving creative team members ownership to feel part of creating a good work product.

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. 

Anatole Faykin on How to Work With People Who Do Not Think Like You

In Chapter 4 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Are You Learning to Work More Effectively With Different Personality Types?" Faykin shares how he has learned to listening to and observing others to understand how they perform best. He finds there are many ways to be successful and keeps an open mind to embrace these different approaches on a team.

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 The Privilege and Pleasure of Giving Advice to Friends

In Chapter 5 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Have You Learned to Give Better Advice When People Ask You For Help?" Faykin shares how giving friends' advice is both a privilege and a pleasure. He notes that giving advice is tough, as often a friend is looking to have a listener and to vent rather to actively seek out feedback. Faykin works to discern those who want to vent from those who actually want advice and answers.

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. 

Michael Olsen on Building a Network of Trusted Career Advisors

In Chapter 20 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, management consultant Michael Olsen answers "At This Moment in Your Life, Where Are You Seeking Advice and Coaching?" Olsen shares how he starts with the people he knows best and trusts most, his friends and family.  As an entrepreneur transitioning into a corporate role working at Accenture, Olsen also pushes himself to tap into career advice resources from mentors working at the firm.

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 Seeking Advice From Working Mom Friends

In Chapter 17 of 17 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and small business owner Rachel Lehmann-Haupt answers "At This Moment in Your Life, Where Are You Seeking Advice and Coaching?" Lehmann-Haupt shares how she gathers working mom friends she respects to help her shape next steps in her life as a working mom. She finds her friends understand her needs as someone trying to be a good mom and strike the right work-life balance in an aspiring 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. 

Bryan Law on Building Team Trust Working in Consulting

In Chapter 15 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business strategist Bryan Law answers "How Do You Establish Trust When Building Relationships?" Working abroad in Dubai, Law learns the importance of spending time getting to know your clients and your project team personally and professionally before conducting business. He finds it helps to sit down with new team member and share backgrounds and goals. The time spent creates a personal connection that adds to the professional relationship. Law finds spending time taking an interest in his project team members and clients ultimately helps him to better help them develop and achieve work goal success.

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. 

Getting Advice for Making Big Decisions in Your 30s

In Chapter 23 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business strategist Bryan Law answers "At This Point in Your Life, Where Are You Seeking Advice and Coaching?" Now in his thirties, Law shares how he gets advice from a network of people to make more informed decisions. From teacher mentors from Georgetown to an inspiring Angolan friend to his parents to his spouse, Law finds willing people to support him as he faces key life decisions. He shares how the process of getting advice and coaching is less about being asked provocative questions that help him come to terms with decisions he makes.

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. 

How to Give Better Advice When People Ask You For Help

In Chapter 11 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, product management executive Ramsey Pryor answers "How Have You Learned to Give Better Advice When People Ask You for Help?" With time, Pryor learns to give less prescriptive advice. He learns from his children to give advice is more to be a sounding board and help others make a decision rather than to make a decision for others.

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.  

What Makes Teacher Coaching Meaningful Work

In Chapter 3 of 22 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, education technology entrepreneur Adam Geller answers "What Makes Your Work Meaningful?" Geller finds meaning in his work through seeing how his business is giving teachers tools to develop and improve. Serving many young teachers pursuing certification gives Geller an opportunity to see how his coaching platform can make a difference helping young teachers succeed.

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.