Cathy Erway on Being Confident by Standing Behind What You Write

In Chapter 10 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Role Does Confidence Play in the Work That You Do?" Erway shares how being confident as a writer means publishing your own words and standing behind what you write. As an experienced freelance writer, Erway learns to be confident about writing knowing that once something is published it cannot be taken down like a blog entry.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Jullien Gordon on Lessons Learned Building a Personal Brand

In Chapter 10 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business coach and public speaker Jullien Gordon answers "How Has Building Your Personal Brand Opened New Opportunities in Your Career?" Gordon shares why building a brand is fundamentally based on sharing who you are and being authentic about it. It's not about putting on a show, it's about being yourself. From there, it comes down to work - from writing a blog to self-publishing a book to even a Capture Your Flag video. Each way, on its own, connects with people to build brand awareness and, collectively, tells the personal brand story. 

Jullien Gordon is a business coach and consultant to organizations, individuals and teams who want to increase performance, motivation, engagement and retention. Gordon is also a public speaker on career planning for colleges, conferences, and corporations. He earned a BA from UCLA and MBA and M. Ed degrees from Stanford University. 

Matt Curtis on Living Up to the Expectations You Set For Yourself

In Chapter 9 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Matt Curtis answers "What Role Does Living Up to the Expectations of Others Play into the Way You Live?" Curtis shares how he learns to shed the burden of living up to the expectations of others and shift it to a positive way of living up to the expectations he sets for himself. He finds doing this turns out to make others more happy, too, as their intentions were always for him to be good, honest and true to himself.

Matt Curtis is the director of government relations at HomeAway Inc. Previously he was deputy to Austin mayors Lee Leffingwell and Will Wynn. He has represented the City of Austin at the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities. In 2011, Curtis joined the Harvard Kennedy School Urban Policy Advisory Board to work on national best practices facing American cities. He earned his bachelor's degree in radio, television and film from the University of North Texas. 

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 Being Comfortable Not Getting Asked For Advice

In Chapter 5 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian and Vooza founder Matt Ruby answers "How Have You Learned to Give Better Advice When People Ask You For Help?" Ruby shares how he is not often approached for advice. He finds it may be due to coming across as unapproachable or doing work that is not fully understood by others. While Ruby does not try to avoid people, he shares that not being asked for advice is fine with him and allows him to be left alone.

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 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.

Rachel Lehmann-Haupt on Writing Storytelling Copy for Websites

In Chapter 11 of 17 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and small business owner Rachel Lehmann-Haupt answers "How is the Practice or Trend of Storytelling Changing?" Lehmann-Haupt finds storytelling is becoming more pervasive as company websites become more reliant on showcasing compelling marketing content. She applies her journalism background to turn ideas into stories that improve client digital branding and marketing.

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 Build Trust by Being Real

In Chapter 14 of 17 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and small business owner Rachel Lehmann-Haupt answers "How Do You Establish Trust When Building Relationships?" Lehmann-Haupt finds you build trust by being real. By being transparent with her clients, she is able to then progressively build trust through a discovery process she learned doing interviews as a journalist. The process creates security in the relationship and the resulting safe environment creates trusting bonds between Lehmann-Haupt and her clients.

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. 

Ramsey Pryor on Building Trust by Having the Courage to Be Yourself

In Chapter 10 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, product management executive Ramsey Pryor answers "How Do You Establish Trust When Building Relationships?" Pryor finds to establish trust is to expose yourself as a human. By having the courage to be yourself you build a connection with the person you are meeting first. Pryor finds this especially helpful doing business in Asia when building relationships.

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.  

Geoff Hamm on Building Business Relationship Trust

In Chapter 4 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, mobile business executive Geoff Hamm answers "How Do You Establish Trust When Building Relationships?" For Hamm, it starts with finding mutual connections to establish credibility and transparency. To build trusted business relationships over time, Hamm relies on consistency, accountability, and honesty, especially when a situation does not go as planned.

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.

Simon Sinek on Turning 40 and Remaining a Kid at Heart

In Chapter 23 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, author and public speaker Simon Sinek answers "What is on Your Mind As You Turn 40 This Year?" Sinek shares that going into his 40th year he does not feel his age. Living with youthful exuberance, Sinek embraces a life of curiosity and wonder. He wonders if and how his fortieth birthday will change his approach to life. 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.

Yoav Gonen on His Experience Adopting an American Name

In Chapter 1 of 19 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, New York City reporter Yoav Gonen answers "What Childhood Experiences Have Been Most Fundamental to Shaping Who You Are Today?" Gonen shares how moving around as a child - by 25 he had lived in 9 cities - proved challenging with having a foreign name difficult to pronounce. He changes his name during college to something easier to pronounce and later switches back to Yoav and embraces it for its difference. 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. 

Yoav Gonen on How to Establish Trust When Building Relationships

In Chapter 12 of 19 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, New York City reporter Yoav Gonen answers "How Do You Establish Trust When Building Relationships?" A key part of Gonen's newspaper reporting job is building trust working with sources. To earn trust, Gonen tells potential sources that he must be trusting to do his job well. Letting sources down and going back on his word would hurt his reputation for fair reporting and jeopardize his job security and career. 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.

Michael Margolis on Living Better by Deciding What Matters Most to You

In Chapter 13 of 17 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "How Are Your Aspirations Changing as Your Experience Grows?" Margolis shares Lao Tzu wisdom on adding to your life by taking away or subtracting things. Margolis adopts this philosophy in his own life as he learns to say no, to set boundaries, to managing information technology streams and battle the oft competing priorities of serving others while taking care of your self. He shares what it is like to go through a process of finding what matters to you in life and how he is working his way through it. 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.

Slava Rubin on How to Build Startup Teams That Perform Under Pressure

In Chapter 14 of 15 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, Indiegogo CEO Slava Rubin answers "What Does It Mean to Perform Under Pressure in the Work That You Do?" As a CEO of a venture capital-backed startup that has raised over $17 million dollars in financing, Rubin notes that the work environment is intense and the investor expectations are high. As a result, Rubin looks to hire employees who thrive under pressure and meet the company's "FACE" values formula, fearlessness, authenticity, collaboration, and empowerment. 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 does it mean to perform under pressure in the work that you do?

Slava Rubin: Pressure definitely is part of the job. We’re a VC-funded company, with some people like to say that’s like getting on the treadmill and never being allowed to get off. We don’t have the luxury of saying tomorrow, I think maybe I wanna take a break and slow down and maybe not try to build a bigger company ‘cause we already have some significant investors. We took 17 million dollars of VC money. So I think people thrive in the pressure, that’s who we’re looking to hire. We have our values as part of our recruiting process, and one of those values is fearless “face”- fearlessness, authenticity, collaboration, and empowerment. First one, fearless. So we need you to be fearless and do things that you never thought you’d be able to do and know that we need to accomplish things that are just challenges and no one else has done, so pressure is just part of the process.

Randall Metting on How to Start a Blog That Builds Your Personal Brand

In Chapter 1 of 10 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, brand marketer Randall Metting answers "How Did Starting a Blog Help You Build Your Personal Brand?" By channeling his passions for music, food, culture and his dog Shiner into a blog, Metting brands himself "The Unofficial Mayor of Austin".  The blog allows him to cultivate his passions and tell the story of Austin while building meaningful community ties. Randall Metting is a brand marketer working for Dulce Vida Spirits in Austin. Metting has built a career on helping companies and non-profits develop integrated marketing strategy and brand development programs. As "The Unofficial Mayor of Austin, Texas" Metting authors the randallmetting.com community blog. He is also an on-air radio personality for 93.3 KGSR radio in Austin. Metting earned a B.S. in Advertising from the University of Florida.