How Student Government Influences Political Career Choice - Ken Biberaj

In Chapter 4 of 21 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, New York City Council candidate and public relations executive Ken Biberaj answers "How Did Your Student Government College Experience Shape Your Career Ambition?"  Biberaj shares his experience attending American University in Washington D.C. and his decision to run for student body president at the end of his sophomore year.  He talks about the election and running the campaign and what the student government experience taught him about politics.  Ken Biberaj is currently a 2013 Candidate for New York City Council for the West Side of Manhattan.  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 he was Florida Research Director for the Kerry-Edwards for President Campaign. He 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. 

Harvard Kennedy School Impact on Public Service Career - Ken Biberaj

In Chapter 5 of 21 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, New York City Council candidate and public relations executive Ken Biberaj answers "How Did Your Harvard Kennedy School of Government Education Open New Possibilities in Your Public Service Career?"  Biberaj shares why his Harvard experience was so fulfilling.  He contrasts the political focus of his American University undergraduate experience with the public service focus, specifically on tri-sector competence.  He also shares how he was able to make the most of experiences inside and outside the classroom.  Ken Biberaj is currently a 2013 Candidate for New York City Council for the West Side of Manhattan.  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 he was Florida Research Director for the Kerry-Edwards for President Campaign. He 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. 

How Law School Education Propels Real Estate Career - Ken Biberaj

In Chapter 13 of 21 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, New York City Council candidate and public relations executive Ken Biberaj answers "How Have You Applied Your Law School Education in Your Real Estate Career?"  After arriving in New York City in 2005, Biberaj takes night school courses at New York Law School to learn the law associated with real estate.  The experience helps him learn real estate while working a full time job.  Ken Biberaj is currently a 2013 Candidate for New York City Council for the West Side of Manhattan.  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 he was Florida Research Director for the Kerry-Edwards for President Campaign. He 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. 

How to Overcome and Learn From Disappointment - James McCormick

In Chapter 9 of 18 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, legal career advisor James McCormick answers "What Role Has Failure Played in Your Career Development?"  McCormick shares how short term failures - typically those that happen in an instance - become longer term positives when reflected upon over time.  He discusses this in context of job search and recruiting as well as in terms of his own college choice, specifically not getting into Northwestern and coming to terms with embracing an alternative, The University of Michigan.  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. 

Transcription: 

Erik Michielsen:  What role has failure played in your career development?

James McCormick:  Well, it’s interesting because of – because of what I do, so much of the success or failure, and I almost lifted my hands to put them in quotes, but it is really a multi-dimensional project, it involves a lot of individuals playing different roles at different points in time. So it’s not simply helping one individual get a job. Something I’ve learned a lot about in this role has been really experiencing the successes and failures of not only the individuals that we represent but also the clients that come to us for assistance and helping them fill roles. And failures can be seen on one day as just that -- a failure, a failure to get a job, a failure to find the right individual, a failure to execute on an interview, a failure to meet the demands of a particular candidate, and then what’s fascinating is on day 365 or day, you know, whatever, down the road, a failure may be viewed in a very different light. I had a conversation this evening with an individual right before I came to this interview about a role that just about a year and a half ago, he did not get.  And at the time was utterly deflated that he didn’t get it.  And a year and a half later, the way things played out, I think he found himself saying, pretty glad that I didn’t get that job. So failure on day 1 may look very different than failure, you know, a year, a year and a half, two years later.

Erik Michielsen:  And reflecting back on your career and education, you know, what experiences have you had that are – that have taught you lessons?

James McCormick:  That’s a very good question. I would tell you that the first I go to is that when I chose to go to University of Michigan that was not my first choice. It was far from it. I wanted to go to Northwestern more than anything else and I did not get in, and I was crushed, it was really viewed from my perspective as an 18-year-old or 17-year-old, or however old I was at the time, as a complete failure. And in hindsight, boy, I couldn’t have been farther from the mark. My life would be, you know, nowhere near where it is now, you and I wouldn’t be sitting in this chair or at least highly unlikely that we would be and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. And I think the fact that I had to go through the experience of failing as I viewed it then, and be mindful of how it resulted is a good example.

Fabian Pfortmüller on Learning to Work With Coaches and Mentors

In Chapter 9 of 15 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, community builder and entrepreneur Fabian Pfortmüller answers "At This Moment in Life, Where Are You Seeking Advice and Coaching?"  Pfortmüller is learning to take advice and coaching more seriously after realizing, as an entrepreneur, he has been learning by doing when, in fact, learning from others may often be more effective.  He details how he engages his mentor and peer support networks to make the respective relationships more valuable.  Pfortmüller is co-founder of the young leader accelerator, Sandbox Network, and HOLSTEE, an apparel and design firm that sells meaningful products to mindful shoppers.  Pfortmüller graduated from Columbia University and its school of General Studies. 

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: At this moment in life, where are you seeking advice and coaching?

Fabian Pfortmüller: Where I stand right now, I realize that advice and coaching actually is more and more important and I start to take it more seriously and I start to more proactively look for it. I realized over the last year that I as an entrepreneur have been very often learning by doing and very often there is no need to do it the first time yourself because so many people have done it before and I think looking to other people to learn from them, also to books or existing sources of learning has been a big change in my life.

I look for mentors on two levels, on the one hand more senior people. I've been fortunate to have a few very senior people supporting me for several years now. I usually try to interact with them and talk with them in a very informal setting. So, we meet over breakfast or we meet for dinner where I think the more open I can be the more valuable that relationship is. Also the more I can show what is not going well, the more valuable it is for me.

The other group of people that is really supportive and has been extremely helpful is a peer community like Sandbox where people are my age or even younger than I am but they are going through the same things and the more and more I start to really take advantage of that peer group. It’s working with mentors and working with coaches for me has a lot to do with being able to show weaknesses, being able to formulate what you’re not good at and being able to formulate your challenges and that’s something that I have to learn. It’s not something that I can just do by nature.

Finding Personal Best by Interacting With Others - Michael Margolis

In Chapter 2 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "When Are You At Your Best?"  Margolis finds his personal best when teaching, interacting with an audience helping them learn through story.  He shares how interaction, specifically a dialog editing process, also plays a role in his creative writing process.  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. 

Michael Margolis on How Vulnerability Creates Trusting Relationships

In Chapter 6 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "How Do You Establish Trust When Building Relationships?"  Margolis uses vulnerability, which he cites as the most overlooked part of storytelling.  He notes how truth gets attention, empathy establishes connection, and vulnerability reminds people of shared values and similar interests. 

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.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: How do you establish trust when building relationships?

Michael Margolis: So, it’s something that I called the V-factor and it’s actually the most overlooked element of storytelling, it’s vulnerability. So, you have to have truth. Truth is what gets people’s ears to go [make sounds], right? It’s like Scooby Doo time, oh, there’s something over here. I better pay attention. Or, wow, this looks interesting. So, truth gets people’s attention. 

Then you have to establish empathy, which lets people know that you really care about them. You care about their world and what they’re going through, right? You really give a crap and you understand what your audience is facing or struggling or challenged with and it all comes home though. 

The third principle is vulnerability. So, vulnerability is reminding people that, “you know what, I may be an expert or I may have a solution for you but we’re more similar to each other than different. Here’s what we share in common”, I have my own foibles you know, it’s why -- you know as we sat down I talked to you about, “Geez, the last six months my health has kicked my ass”, right. Very humbling process. When I'm teaching or coaching students, you know, in my programs online, I'm very open about sharing my own personal journey because this is a fallacy – This I think really, in a way it captures the paradigm shift of what we’re all going through in the world of business. It used to be we lived in this world of objective reality. Of being the brand that spoke with the voice of God, “I have all the answers for you. I am the guru”. And instead we’re now shifting into this place where it’s peer-to-peer learning, right. Where we’re all co-learners together. Part of it is things are so challenging and so complex. None of us have like all the answers. 

So, we have to be more in relationship with each other. So, it’s really important this vulnerability piece is what makes you human. And here’s the kicker on vulnerability, is if you establish vulnerability with people in an authentic way, you really share a part of yourself and where your edge or your struggle is, do you know what happens? People become more forgiving of the hiccups and the bumps in the road. It’s a really important principle for any brand especially if you're in startup mode, you have a new product, a new service, you’re doing something that’s different. If you wanna build that halo around your brand where people feel emotionally connected, vulnerability is key. 

A great case and point is look at Netflix in the last year, they’ve got an awesome product, okay, so they raised their prices from what was it $8.99 to $11.99 and everybody had a shit storm. I think the way that people reacted was actually the way that Netflix talked about it. They talked about the price increase like they were doing us a favor as a consumer and then once sort of the crisis hit they were still -- sort of they came off in a very arrogant fashion, which I think ultimately really hurt their brand. Now, are they bouncing back, are they here to stay? I think so, because ultimately they have a product that many of us want and reflects sort of the new way that we’re consuming media but that’s a really great example to keep in mind the power of the V-factor or vulnerability. And if you can build that halo of having more disclosure, of letting people in sort of behind the curtain, the places where you’re struggling -- not in a poor pity me or [make sounds], okay but in a way that’s relevant, in a way that’s relatable. 

Again, by building a brand halo that includes vulnerability, people become so much more forgiving about the bumps in the road. It’s just like being in a relationship with a significant other and let’s say your partner has certain places that are kind of their tough spots, their edge, their place of growth. You’re far more forgiving if you have a partner that’s like, “Yeah, honey you know what? That’s what I'm working on” versus if you have a partner that’s like, “What are you talking about? That’s not my problem, that’s your problem,” right. That same dynamic that shows up in relationships, same thing shows up with brands or, you know, in our own individual relationships with each other and that’s the power of vulnerability when it comes to storytelling.

Why the Bio is the New Resume - Michael Margolis

In Chapter 15 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "Why Do You Believe the Bio is the New Resume?"  Margolis goes into depth about the fundamental principles that make your bio or story - a narrative construction of self - more important to job matchmaking than a resume.  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. 

How to Be a Better Storytelling Teacher - Michael Margolis

In Chapter 16 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "How Are Your Becoming a Better Storytelling Teacher?"  He notes how we teach what we need to learn most and how this continues to shape his continuing education in how he teaches storytelling.  He notes a progressive comfort with his approach and knowledge and how it translates into improved presence, lesson planning, and listening.  Margolis also shares what he has learned about game dynamics' influence from Jane McGonigal and her book "Reality is Broken".  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. 

How to Sell Your Vision More Effectively - Michael Margolis

In Chapter 17 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "How Are You Getting Better at Selling Your Vision?"  Margolis finds it happens by translating his vision into concrete content, events, and programs including classes, seminars, webinars, blogs and social media.  He discusses the important of creating building blocks in an online experience to progressively socialize your vision or truth into a shareable reality.  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. 

How to Handle Rejection - Jason Anello

In Chapter 16 of 20 in his 2012 interview, creative director Jason Anello answers "How Do You Deal With Rejection?" Anello shares how he has learned to be creative when facing adversity and rejection.  He uses an example from his college experience and shares how what he learned in that experience has been useful managing rejection in his career.  Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at marketing services agency Manifold Partners.  He is also the co-founder of the Forking Tasty Brooklyn supper club.  Previously, Anello held creative leadership roles at Yahoo! and Ogilvy & Mather.  He graduated from the University at Albany.

Learning Cooking Skills Staging in Restaurant Kitchens

In Chapter 5 of 16 in her 2012 interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "How Did You Decide to Stage in California Restaurant Kitchens and What Did the Experience Teach You?"  Erway finds it highly educational immersing herself in kitchens, be they restaurants or supper clubs.  She takes a trip to California, where she stages, or interns, at several restaurant kitchens, including Tartine Bakery and Chez Panisse. 

“I like the idea of being silent and being told what to do and just doing something manually for a long time. I think that’s a good intern at a restaurant—just listen, just zone out and like listen to everything that’s going on. ”

— Cathy Erway

Cathy Erway is an author and food writer living in Brooklyn.  Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  She earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen:  How do you decide to stage in California restaurant kitchens, and what did the experiences teach you?

Cathy Erway:  Oh, man, I love staging, so I just love butting into kitchens, no matter if it's a real restaurant or a supper club production of some sort, or my friend's dinner party. So I was in San Francisco for a month and I really wanted to stage at Tartine Bakery. And they were doing some renovations. They were like, "Yeah, come back tomorrow." "Okay, yeah, I'll come back to tomorrow." I was like, "Shoot."

So I went around town asking to stage other places, and in one case, it was actually like a no-brainer. I was sitting at a bar, having a beer, and then somebody walked in wearing a chef's coat and sat down and like drank a beer in like 5 seconds and then got up and was about to leave to go back to cook. And I was like, "Oh, what restaurant?" He's like, "Oh, this place in SoMa district and," you know, he described it, and I was like, "Can I come cook sometime?" He's like, "Yeah, sure." And it was great. And then I made some friends or I had some friends in the area, who very graciously -- I think that it's a small world or in the food scenes, I don't know, but he knew everybody. So he hooked me up with a stage opportunity at Chez Panisse, which was pretty amazing. Loved it.

Erik Michielsen:  What did you learn?

Cathy Erway:  Well, I feel like I have a good sense of the differences of California cuisine and New York cuisine. They use so many herbs, it's insane. Like going into their walk-in, there's like a whole walk-in just for herbs. And there's like drawers of like every single kind of herb. Chervil? Who uses chervil in New York City? I don't know of too many. But they all have this. And sometimes salads are just like simply a pile of beautifully fluffy fresh herbs. And I mean, they're lucky they can grow it anywhere. It's temperate. They have it all year round, you know, kind of spoiled, right? But, yeah, I mean, that's -- and that's naturally what they cook with, you know, all these--you know, sometimes wild fennel because it grows everywhere, we used that -- and oh, Chez Panisse, there was a great dish where they pounded the wild fennel in this mortar and pestle.

Chez Panisse is really into using archaic instruments too. At one point, we were pounding roasted red peppers with the mortar and pestle and I was like, "Why aren't we using a food processor?" But that's -- you know... It's all about doing things by hand.

Erik Michielsen:  And what questions did you ask?

Cathy Erway:  Aside from "Why don't we use a food processor?"  I don't -- I didn't really want to ask too many questions. I like the idea of being silent and being told what to do and just doing something manually for a long time. I think that's a good intern at a restaurant--just listen, just zone out and like listen to everything that's going on. 

The Rewards of Teaching a Cooking Class

In Chapter 8 of 16 in her 2012 interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Have You Found Most Rewarding About Teaching?  Erway shares how she has embraced a hands-on approach in teaching cooking.  She finds how she learns instructs how she teaches. 

Cathy Erway is an author and food writer living in Brooklyn.  Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  She earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen:  What have you found most rewarding about teaching?

Cathy Erway:  Ooh. I really like teaching because it's kind of like a party where you just hang out, and that's my style of teaching. So, of course, I'm not like a very strict teacher with a... whatever they're holding there, pointer. So, yeah, I recently taught a class, where I had my uncle help out and just like hang out and it was about basic Chinese for foodies, hilarious. I mean, we just had the best time ever.

And that -- I mean, you know, my cooking classes are all hands-on, I would never have it not that way. So everyone has to get dirty, has to lose--you know, their, kind of like come out of their shell a little bit. And everyone gets to know each other, you can bring beer if you want. I got some stuff in the fridge, you can improvise with whatever sauces I have, feel free. So, that's my way of teaching, and that's the way I like to learn, so I figure if that's how I learned to cook, then this is how I teach. 

How Managing and Teaching Build Creative Career Skills - Doug Jaeger

In Chapter 12 of 17 in his 2012 interview, entrepreneur Doug Jaeger answers the question "How is Your Creative Toolbox Changing?"  Jaeger notes how he is empowering others both at work - where he is building film teams - and in the classroom - where he is challenging art students to be more independent.  Doug Jaeger is the co-founder of JaegerSloan, a multimedia design services firm in New York City.  His street front office doubles as the JS55 Gallery. Jaeger is also an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts (SVA).  He graduated from Syracuse University.

Teaching Art Students Creative Career Skills - Doug Jaeger

In Chapter 16 of 17 in his 2012 interview, entrepreneur Doug Jaeger shares "How Are You Teaching Young Creative Professionals How to Survive and Succeed"  Jaeger shares what he is learning teaching at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City.  He provides his students both introductions to senior creative professionals as well as putting students on real world project teams to strengthen academic skills while learning real life skills.  Doug Jaeger is the co-founder of JaegerSloan, a multimedia design services firm in New York City.  His street front office doubles as the JS55 Gallery. Jaeger is also an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts (SVA).  He graduated from Syracuse University.

How Art Projects Become Creative Careers - Doug Jaeger

In Chapter 17 of 17 in his 2012 interview, entrepreneur Doug Jaeger answers "How Can Art Projects Lead to Creative Careers?"  By teaching students and running a gallery, Jaeger pushes young creative talent to turn art passion projects into commercial, money making efforts.  He shares how changing tools, from Etsy and Tumblr to Square, are helping lower barriers to entry for young creative talent.  Doug Jaeger is the co-founder of JaegerSloan, a multimedia design services firm in New York City.  His street front office doubles as the JS55 Gallery. Jaeger is also an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts (SVA).  He graduated from Syracuse University.

How Parents Influence Journalism Career Choice - Yoav Gonen

In Chapter 8 of 11 in his 2011 interview, education reporter Yoav Gonen answers "What Role Has Family Played in Shaping Your Career Aspirations?"  Gonen notes how he was a late bloomer and was uncertain where to take his career in the years after college.  Gonen's father sees his passion for writing and suggests Yoav apply to a journalism graduate program.  The rest is history.  Yoav Gonen is the education reporter for the New York Post newspaper in New York City.  He earned a Masters of Journalism degree from New York University and a BA in English from the University of Michigan.

Transcription: 

Erik Michielsen: What role has family played in shaping your career aspirations?

Yoav Gonen: I was a late bloomer. I remember quite vividly when I was on the phone with my - it might have been both my parents, I definitely remember my mom was on the phone, my parents pretty much paid for all of my undergrad college, and I told my mom that I was signing up for a pottery class and she said, "You're gonna be paying for that class, because I'm not." And, you know, they were always - they pressured me a little bit but not too much, I mean, they were trying to help me figure out what to do.

It took me a long time, interestingly, it was my dad who - I don't really know - it seemed kind of out of left field at the time but he's - I was, I think in my mid-20s, and he's like, "Maybe you should go to journalism school." And, you know, I enjoyed writing but I wasn't on my college newspapers staff or anything like that. He kind of threw that out there over dinner one time and it struck me, you know, I don't know why I hadn't considered it but it seemed like a good idea and as soon as I got to journalism school, I knew that was I wanted to do.  

Why to Be an Alumni Volunteer - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 11 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "How Has Alumni Volunteering Helped You Build a Better Network?"  McKenzie notes that alumni volunteering is not just about building a better network, but it is also about providing the support to future generations who face similar challenges and hold similar aspirations as his own generation.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University.