Leslie Kerner on Making the Senior Manager to Executive Job Transition

In Chapter 21 of 21 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, education software company executive Leslie Kerner answers "What Leadership Skills are Becoming More Relevant As Your Career Progresses?" As she transitions from senior management into executive leadership at her company, Kerner works on vision casting and future planning skills. Working with two executive coaches helps her develop these skills. She also taps into her network, including her Aspen Institute NewSchools Fellowship cohorts, to get peer advice on setting vision for an organization.

Leslie Kerner is Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Professional Services group at Amplify, a software and services company innovating K-12 education. She is responsible for building and managing training, professional development and consulting services for schools. Previously, Kerner worked as a management consultant at Deloitte & Touche. Kerner earned an MBA from the Duke University and a BA from Northwestern University.

Randall Metting on How Blogging Renews Passion for Writing Restaurant Reviews

In Chapter 2 of 10 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, brand marketer Randall Metting answers "How Has Blogging Reconnected You With Your Passions for Journalism and Writing?" Going through the College of Journalism at the University of Florida, Metting gets experience writing reviews on the local scene. Years later he renews his passion for writing by starting his blog and shares an example of how he approaches covering and reporting on a new restaurant opening. 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.

Jon Kolko on How a Supportive Family Can Open Doors in Your Education and Career

In Chapter 1 of his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and designer Jon Kolko answers "Where Has Your Family Been Most Supportive in Your Career Development?" Kolko shares how his wife has helped him achieve work goals by making sacrifices so he could grow into new phases of his career. Moreover, Kolko shares how his parents always supported his education and rarely challenged his choices. As an educator, Kolko sees how students make higher education and career choices and challenges the status quo and the need for a college degree. Jon Kolko is VP of Design at MyEdu and the Founder and Director of Austin Center for Design (AC4D). He has authored three books on design and previously has worked in design roles at Austin, Texas venture accelerator Thinktiv and global innovation firm frog design. He was a professor of Interaction and Industrial Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and earned his Masters in Human Computer Interaction (MHI) and BFA in Design from Carnegie Mellon University.

Jon Kolko on Aspiring to Achieve a Creative Flow State

In Chapter 5 of 16 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and designer Jon Kolko answers "How Are Your Aspirations Changing as Your Experience Grows?" Kolko talks to the importance of achieving a flow state of mastery in his work and teaching. To Kolko, aspirations have less to do with fame or money or legacy and more about finding a flow state of productivity and mastery alone and around others. Jon Kolko is VP of Design at MyEdu and the Founder and Director of Austin Center for Design (AC4D). He has authored three books on design and previously has worked in design roles at Austin, Texas venture accelerator Thinktiv and global innovation firm frog design. He was a professor of Interaction and Industrial Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and earned his Masters in Human Computer Interaction (MHI) and BFA in Design from Carnegie Mellon University.

Jon Kolko on Finding Purpose Working at an Edtech Startup

In Chapter 7 of 16 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and designer Jon Kolko answers "Why Did You Decide to Take a Position Working at an Online Jobs Platform Helping to Employ Students?" Kolko shares why he decided to join a venture capital-backed career services startup, MyEdu. Kolko finds purpose joining the education technology or edtech startup team to help create a more scalable and relevant way for college students to market themselves and find jobs after graduation. In the process, Kolko finds a boss who challenges him to learn new skills and develop as a business manager. Jon Kolko is VP of Design at MyEdu and the Founder and Director of Austin Center for Design (AC4D). He has authored three books on design and previously has worked in design roles at Austin, Texas venture accelerator Thinktiv and global innovation firm frog design. He was a professor of Interaction and Industrial Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and earned his Masters in Human Computer Interaction (MHI) and BFA in Design from Carnegie Mellon University.

Jon Kolko on How Student Learning Elevates Student Teaching

In Chapter 14 of 16 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and designer Jon Kolko answers "How Has Your Own College Experience Informed Your Work Innovating Higher Education?" Kolko shares how his student experience at Carnegie Mellon studying industrial design and human computer interaction or HCI has informed his ambition building the Austin Center for Design (AC4D). He embraces the best in class elements of his own education and works with his team to evolve them for modern design student needs. Jon Kolko is VP of Design at MyEdu and the Founder and Director of Austin Center for Design (AC4D). He has authored three books on design and previously has worked in design roles at Austin, Texas venture accelerator Thinktiv and global innovation firm frog design. He was a professor of Interaction and Industrial Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and earned his Masters in Human Computer Interaction (MHI) and BFA in Design from Carnegie Mellon University.

Jon Kolko on Ways to Measure the Quality of Design Education

In Chapter 15 of 16 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and designer Jon Kolko answers "How Do You Measure the Quality of Education Your Institution Provides Its Students?" Kolko shares how his school has developed assessment methods to measure design student creative learning. He shares how he teaches students to critique work and how the process develops student confidence, drive and passion. Jon Kolko is VP of Design at MyEdu and the Founder and Director of Austin Center for Design (AC4D). He has authored three books on design and previously has worked in design roles at Austin, Texas venture accelerator Thinktiv and global innovation firm frog design. He was a professor of Interaction and Industrial Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and earned his Masters in Human Computer Interaction (MHI) and BFA in Design from Carnegie Mellon University.

Jon Kolko on How to Lower Higher Ed Tuition and Enhance Curriculum

In Chapter 16 of 16 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and designer Jon Kolko answers "What Was Your Approach to Determining Whether or Not You Wanted to Pursue Accreditation for Your School and What Did You Decide?" Kolko and his team choose not to pursue accreditation. Without it, he is able to more quickly adapt curriculum to meet changing student needs, hire non-PhD graduates to teach, and keep operational costs and hence student tuition low. Jon Kolko is VP of Design at MyEdu and the Founder and Director of Austin Center for Design (AC4D). He has authored three books on design and previously has worked in design roles at Austin, Texas venture accelerator Thinktiv and global innovation firm frog design. He was a professor of Interaction and Industrial Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and earned his Masters in Human Computer Interaction (MHI) and BFA in Design from Carnegie Mellon University.

Courtney Spence on Fatherly Advice on Why to Work Every Day Doing What You Love

In Chapter 2 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "Where Has Your Family Been Most Supportive in Your Career Development?" From an early age, Spence is encouraged by her father to "find a way to make a living doing what you love." He encourages his daughter, saying "I don't want you to have a job but I want you to work every day of your life." This guides Spence from college into her social entrepreneurship nonprofit work. All the while her parents find moments and space to support their daughter's development.

Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: Where has your family been most supportive in your career development?

Courtney Spence: Wow. They have been supportive throughout my entire career development. From the beginning, it was find a way to make a living, doing what you love to do, and my dad always said I don’t want you to have a job but I want you to work every day of your life. And it’s that different philosophy of I don’t go to my job that I have to, I go work hard because I want to. And, you know, it doesn’t mean that you enjoy what you do every day, all day, or even all month, but, you know, as long as you find your passion and are able to follow it, it just lifts you up and lifts those people around you. And so, I think that kind of started me off on that path when I was, you know, 16, 17, 18 through my early 20s, thinking about what I wanted to do.

Most recently, this has been a really wonderful year, but a year of a lot of challenges, a lot of ups and downs, a lot of new situations that I have not faced before as a leader in our organization, and some really hard times. And I think that, you know, it’s when the going gets tough, I get on the phone or I go to my parents’ backyard, and I’m lucky to have two really wonderful parents who are mentors and that who really are equally as passionate about my passion as I am. And so, I would say that while I would give them credit for putting me on the right path to following your passion, I think that knowing that I can turn to them in times of doubt, or crisis, or questioning what we’re doing, and being able to have that as like a sounding board, and a family is pretty amazing, actually, so.

How to Help Young Working Women Prepare for 20s to 30s Changes

In Chapter 16 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "How Are You Learning to Be a Better Mentor to Young Women Professionals?" Spence, now in her mid-30s, shares how connecting with her sisterhood of friends in the past year has given her greater context for where she can be most helpful to young women professionals in their 20s. She learns to appreciate the difficult decisions that make a woman's professional life more complex and the realistic professional trade offs that women make in their 30s to achieve personal goals. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

What a Nonprofit Learns About Building University Partnerships

In Chapter 19 of 20 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, social entrepreneur Courtney Spence answers "How Has Your Nonprofit Built Relationships With Universities and How is This Changing?" Experience teaches Spence to appreciate every university is different - from students to culture to community. When looking at a college campus partnership opportunity, Spence and her team focus on students first, then administration, then alumni as they scale university relationships. Social entrepreneur and storyteller Courtney Spence founded 501c3 nonprofit Students of the World (SOW) to shine a light on progress and celebrate the world's problem solvers. She is building a movement of next-generation storytellers and creative activists through the SOW program The Creative Activist Network. Spence is a graduate of Duke University.

Audrey French on How Grade Skipping Impacts Child Development

In Chapter 1 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Audrey Parker French answers "What Childhood Experiences Have Been Most Fundamental to Shaping Who You Are Today?" French starts preschool early and then skips 2nd grade. Being the youngest in her class by two years has a profound impact for French as she goes through school.  She shares the challenges of being 11 years old in 8th grade and then starting high school at 12. The experience ultimately helps her succeed as a young entrepreneur doing business with much older people. Audrey Parker French is an entrepreneur who 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 currently volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and teaches children's choir. She graduated from Wake Forest University and lives with her husband in Austin, Texas.

Audrey French on How Parents Get Child Excited to Learn and Motivated to Succeed

In Chapter 3 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Audrey Parker French answers "Where Did You Learn Your Work Ethic?" From an early age, French is stimulated and motivated by learning faster and performing at a higher level than peers. She learns this from a stay-at-home mom and a father who challenge her to explore new concepts and solve problems. This excitement for learning carries through an accelerated education and, ultimately, into entrepreneurship.

Audrey Parker French is an entrepreneur who 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 currently volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and teaches children's choir. She graduated from Wake Forest University and lives with her husband in Austin, Texas.

Audrey French on How to Get Comfortable Living Outside Your Comfort Zone

In Chapter 4 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Audrey Parker French answers "What is Your Comfort Zone and What Do You Do to Break Free of Living in It?" French notes she has lived her life constantly outside her comfort zone, nearly always in environments where she is the outsider. This pushes her to always be moving and developing. As an introvert, she finds solace spending quiet time in those rare moments she is able to slow down.

Audrey Parker French is an entrepreneur who 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 currently volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and teaches children's choir. She graduated from Wake Forest University and lives with her husband in Austin, Texas.

Audrey Parker on When Not to Take Relationship Advice From Friends

In Chapter 8 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Audrey Parker French answers "How Have You Learned to Give Better Advice When People Ask You For Help?" Reflecting back to when she was running a fast-growing business, French notes how she was constantly getting advice on how to solve her life problems, namely relationships. She realizes that there is a time and place for this and that it is okay to give yourself space to not ask for or take advice and instead to address these challenges in due course. Audrey Parker French is an entrepreneur who 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 currently volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and teaches children's choir. She graduated from Wake Forest University and lives with her husband in Austin, Texas.

Audrey French on Making a Business to Teaching Job Transition

In Chapter 17 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Audrey Parker French answers "How Are You Learning to Work More Effectively With Different Personality Types?" French shares her experience going from managing an energy efficiency and utility consulting business to teaching choir to a roomful of 6- and 7-year old children. Interacting with kids is something she finds new and, ultimately, exciting and rewarding. Audrey Parker French is an entrepreneur who 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 currently volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and teaches children's choir. She graduated from Wake Forest University and lives with her husband in Austin, Texas.

Bijoy Goswami on How Boarding School Influences Early Development

In Chapter 1 of 19 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, leadership philosopher Bijoy Goswami answers "What Childhood Experiences Have Been Most Fundamental to Shaping Who You Are Today?" In his childhood, frequent moves teach Goswami to be open-minded about context and not to assume the way he sees things is the way others see things. He highlights his 6th grade Catholic boarding school experience at Montfort in Tamil Nadu, India where he learns routine and structure in a very regimented setting. Bijoy Goswami is a writer, teacher, and community leader based in Austin, Texas. He develops learning models to help individuals, organizations and communities live more meaningfully.  Previously, he co-founded Aviri Software after working at Trilogy Software.  Goswami graduated from Stanford University.

Bijoy Goswami on Learning a Lifelong Lesson in High School

In Chapter 2 of 19 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, leadership philosopher Bijoy Goswami answers "What Do You Find are the Keys to Managing a Busy Schedule and Getting Things Done?"  Goswami shares how as a high school student, he tried to get a B+ final grade changed after the semester completed.  Goswami's teacher, Mr. Earhart, reminds him of the opportunities he had along the process and how he chose not to do them. This teaches him a life lesson to embrace the process, not the result, be it in school, life or career. 

Bijoy Goswami is a writer, teacher, and community leader based in Austin, Texas.  He develops learning models to help individuals, organizations and communities live more meaningfully.  Previously, he co-founded Aviri Software after working at Trilogy Software.  Goswami graduated from Stanford University.