How to Seek Advice When Preparing for Parenthood - James McCormick

In Chapter 3 of 18 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, legal career advisor James McCormick answers "How Did You Go About Seeking Advice as You Prepared for Parenthood?" McCormick shares who he approached and what he asked them about.  Understanding each parenting experience has its unique moments, McCormick shares where the knowledge gained in the conversations was most useful.  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. 

A Father's Advice for First Time Parents - James McCormick

In Chapter 4 of 18 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, legal career advisor James McCormick answers "What are Three Things You Wish You Knew Before Becoming a Dad?"  McCormick notes that no matter how much preparation or planning you do, the actual experience will surprise you.  Additionally, he discusses how everyone has an opinion about everything and offers suggestions how to manage this as a family.  Lastly, he talks about putting a priority on the little moments, the early moments, after the baby is born and why you should do so.  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.

What Marriage Teaches About Teamwork - James McCormick

In Chapter 5 of 18 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, legal career advisor James McCormick answers "What Has Marriage Taught You About Teamwork?"  McCormick shares the importance of recognizing your respective role in a marriage, that of your partner, and understanding where you can give and receive help and support.  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. 

Why Mutual Respect Matters in a Marriage - James McCormick

In Chapter 6 of 18 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, legal career advisor James McCormick answers "Why is Mutual Respect Important in a Marriage?"  McCormick shares how marriage fails unless there is mutual respect and details reasons why this is the case building a lifelong relationship with a spouse.  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. 

How Having a Child Changes Family Relationships - James McCormick

In Chapter 7 of 18 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, legal career advisor James McCormick answers "How Are Your Family Relationships Changing as You Get Older?"  As a new parent, McCormick shares how his son has influenced his family relationships and created new perspectives and conversations with his parents and brother.  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.

How to Break Out of a Comfort Zone - James McCormick

In Chapter 18 of 18 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, legal career advisor James McCormick answers "Where is Your Comfort Zone and What Do You Do to Break Free of Living in It?"  McCormick shares how routines provide comfort and how they sometimes can be too comfortable.  He shares a perspective on taking initiative to learn and try new things to balance the routines.  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. 

Fabian Pfortmüller on What Makes Work Meaningful

In Chapter 3 of 15 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, community builder and entrepreneur Fabian Pfortmüller answers "What Makes Your Work Meaningful?"  Pfortmüller shares how he finds meaning making product experiences in his HOLSTEE work and also in hiw Sandbox Network work.  He notes why scale matters to him and how it applies differently in products versus experiences.  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: What makes your work meaningful?

Fabian Pfortmüller: I feel that I really have an impact when I see two things: on the one hand, how much scale have the ideas that I work on and on the other hand what is the feedback of people? What is the reaction when they use the product that we’ve made for them? And I’ll give you an example with HOLSTEE, we created the manifesto, we wrote the manifesto and at first we just wrote it for ourselves. It was truly -- there was no impact, it was just for ourselves and the scale that we’ve reached, now we have over 80 million views today of the manifesto and we get feedbacks from people all the time, how they actually changed their lives by reading this.

The combination of those two things really, really gives me a strong feeling that I create something meaningful but it doesn’t need to be a concrete product. I feel also -- In the case of Sandbox, it’s more about the type of relationships that we build. When I know that people that might not have been friends before, now are building something together, that also gives me really a feeling of creating something meaningful and there the scale is not 80 million, there might be just 2 or 3 but I think the scale can be very different. On the one hand it could be a product that spreads a lot but the other hand it can just be a relationship between 2 people. It doesn’t need to be a huge, huge number. It can just be a very deep, deep relationship.

Fabian Pfortmüller on How Family Relationships Change With Age

In Chapter 4 of 15 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, community builder and entrepreneur Fabian Pfortmüller answers "How Are Your Family Relationships Changing as You Get Older?"  Pfortmüller reflects how he sees the relationship with his parents entering a short window of opportunity to enjoy life together.  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: How are your family relationships changing as you get older?

Fabian Pfortmüller: In retrospect, I would say that the last year probably is gonna be shown as a little turning point when it comes to family relationships. I was at Burning Man and I had an awesome time at Burning Man, but I also had this really deep moment of reflection where I realized that family is really becoming important for me and it wasn’t really in the past and I also realized something special about my parents.

We’re really in this interesting window of opportunity right now where they are young enough that I can enjoy them and I am old enough that I can enjoy them, you know, and I think that window of opportunity is relatively short and I really wanna, you know, take the most out of it. And so, I’ve definitely developed a stronger appreciation of -- for my parents, for my family that I did not have before and at the end of the day I also realized how much I am like them. I thought I was not like them at all. I thought like, my parents?

But, you know, at the end of the day I definitely have very strong things that are like my mom I have very strong things that are like my dad. I see how my sister does things and I'm like it’s kind of crazy but I think, you know, it’s not a coincidence, it’s not a coincidence and -- thirdly I strongly believed that the reason I can do what I do today is because of their support. I would not have been able to just go out and try crazy ideas without thinking about money, without being worried about the risk I take, not having such a strong support network at home.

And very often entrepreneurship programs are focused on giving people access to money and training them like about what tools they need to use but actually people should be influencing parents, I believe. People should like start a program where parents encourage their kids to be more entrepreneurial, that it’s okay for their kids to start crazy things. I think that would have a huge impact.

Fabian Pfortmüller on How to Break Out of a Comfort Zone

In Chapter 10 of 15 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, community builder and entrepreneur Fabian Pfortmüller answers "What is Your Comfort Zone and What Do You Do to Break Free of Living in It?"  He shares how he gets into a comfort zone when doing overly repetitive tasks.  He shares how creating a risk-taking program at work has helped him to experience new things and seek out others who think big and challenge his thinking.  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: What is your comfort zone and what do you do to break free of living in it?

Fabian Pfortmüller: When I have too often the same task or the same objective on my plate and on my task list, I'm too much in my comfort zone and I feel that if I don’t take enough risk and if I'm not a little bit scared, I must be too much in my comfort zone. We have this tradition at HOLSTEE where we pick one risk a week, where just every week we say let’s just, you know, randomly pick one risk of something we wanna achieve. It’s kind of something we’re scared off, something that we might not do otherwise and it’s so energizing.

It’s so often we get things done like this and we did a little experiment last year where we actually created a whole role about risk taking and we called it Agent99 and Agent99 was an internship that was about 99 risks in 99 days. So, we would pick some risks of things that we thought would be good for our community, would be good for, I don’t know, the world, would have a good impact and would also help us as a brand at HOLSTEE and we then found amazing perfect person who was so willing to take risk and he just went out and achieved it. And I think that’s a great, that’s a great way of doing it.

I think for us really thinking big helps me to get kind of just out of comfort zone and one thing that I believe helps me also is being surrounded by people that really think big. I realize that when I'm surrounded by other entrepreneurs and I kind of get this chilly feeling of like, “Oh, my god, that’s kind of crazy.” That’s what I want for myself as well and that’s what I want for my own idea as well and when I'm missing it, I know something is not good.

It’s good to have a little bit of fear in it because it means you’re really going for a big idea and you’re not just executing something and in the end of the day we’re trying out something new that has not been done before. We’re building something that has not there before and that little bit of like “uh-oh”, in the back of my head is something very healthy.

What Gets Easier and What Gets Harder - Michael Margolis

In Chapter 1 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "What is Getting Easier and What is Getting Harder in Your Life?"  Margolis shares the challenge of battling chronic fatigue fibromyalgia and how it has affected his personal and work life.  He shares how the positive side of this experience - what has gotten easier - has been learning to delegate as he has built his team.  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 Michael Margolis Learns to Live and Work on His Own Terms

In Chapter 4 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "What Do You Enjoy Most About What You Do?"  Michael shares what he enjoys about working on his own terms and building a company out of his New York City apartment.  He shares how advisors, collaborators, and partners have helped him build business momentum and grow his team.  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 Routines Improve Home Office Lifestyle - Michael Margolis

In Chapter 5 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "What Have You Learned About Managing Expectations at Home While Building a Business?"  He shares how routines and rituals have helped him better manage work-life balance, working through an illness, and growing his business.  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.

Michael Margolis on How Family Relationships Change With Age

In Chapter 7 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "How Are Your Family Relationships Changing as You Get Older?"  Margolis notes what has led to an increasing amount of acceptance and reduced conflict levels over time.  He shares experiences from a previous marriage that caused family friction and how things have changed and improved since that time. 

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 are your family relationships changing as you get older?

Michael Margolis: A lot less conflict in my family relationships. I would say it’s interesting, it’s been a much greater sense of acceptance of my parents and my brother and likewise the way that I feel with my parents and brother, you know, accepting me as well. Yeah, it’s become a lot easier as time has gone on. I mean, the last relationship I was married for a few years and during that relationship I was with a partner that took a very antagonistic sort of place with my family. So, that I think is something to be very sensitive to and you don’t even realize it because you're trying to please your partner and all the issues that they have with your family, you sort of take it on and I probably created more drama than necessarily needed to be there. 

So, it’s helped to also have a partner now that is far more -- a far calmer disposition in one that she gets along really well with my family and I get along well with hers. So, it’s just been a place of easiness. You know, I never forget though one of my favorite sayings that somebody taught me in my mid-20’s was, you know “Michael, if you think you're enlightened just go spend a weekend with your family”, right? So, all of those patterns, it doesn’t how old you get, you will always be your parents’ child, right? You’ll always be your, you know, I’ll always be my brother’s younger brother.

So, those dynamics are always there but I think as we grow older there’s just, at least for me it’s been a mellowing and a greater sense of acceptance of each other and being able to just spend time appreciating each other. 

How Schedule Discipline Improves Daily Productivity - Michael Margolis

In Chapter 10 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "How Are You Learning to Be More Disciplined in Your Work?"  Margolis shares his ambitious vision and steps he has taken, decisions he has made, to get clear on purpose and specific steps necessary to achieve goals.  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 Set Measures of Success in Life and Work - Michael Margolis

In Chapter 14 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "How Do You Define and Measure Success in What You Do?"  Margolis separates success measures by business and life.  He talks about progressively increasing leverage and scale to create more revenue via passive online income streams, including core curriculum to teach storytelling to the world.  Personally, he sets success measures around achieving liberation or freedom from constraints and attention to wellbeing.  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. 

Where to Find Inspiration Outside of Work - Mike Germano

In Chapter 4 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, social media ad agency CEO Mike Germano answers "Where Do You Find Inspiration Outside of Work?"  Germano shares the inspiration he gets as a newlywed in his marriage.  He also highlights how underdog stories give him energy and inspiration.  Mike Germano is co-founder and CEO of DUMBO, Brooklyn based social media advertising agency Carrot Creative.  Previously, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut.  He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University.

How Entrepreneur Learns Work and Home Life Balance - Mike Germano

In Chapter 5 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, social media ad agency CEO Mike Germano answers "What Have You Learned About Managing Expectations at Home While Building a Business?"  Germano acknowledges the great challenge pulling himself away from long work hours and better setting and adhering to expectations with his partner.  Mike Germano is co-founder and CEO of DUMBO, Brooklyn based social media advertising agency Carrot Creative.  Previously, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut.  He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University.