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 Improving Online Info Product Marketing

In Chapter 8 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "At This Moment in Your Life, Where Are You Seeking Advice and Coaching?"  Margolis shares how coaches and advisors have been useful as his business has marketed, launched, and grown his online info product business.  He shares how advisors have helped him grow as a leader to help his business refine its culture and value framework for future growth. 

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: At this moment in your life where are you seeking advice and coaching?

Michael Margolis: There’s a few things I'm really focused on with growing my business right now. One is really the internet marketing playbook for product launches and info product creation and so last year we designed and rolled out a program called The New About Me, teaches people how to reinvent their personal bio into a story. Basically, how do you talk about yourself without sounding like a douche. And, it’s a really fun cool product, people love it, it’s this whole curriculum online and just learning a lot of the fundamentals of not only designing a curriculum or info product but how do you market it and how do you bring in affiliates and joint venture partners and all the various different things for doing a product launch and we’re now taking that to the next level for this Reinvention Summit that we’re doing. 

So, I've got all sorts of coaches and advisors on that that are teaching me about Autoresponder series. We just shot a free video series on storytelling as part of our product launch for this and just seeing all the little devil in the details, which I used to kinda geek out with a little bit and realizing that there’s sort of an exponential curve of where we can take things. So, I'm getting a lot of support there. The second big area is really around editorial. So, we all know the adage content is king. So, in my case, you know, the niche of storytelling is a really unique niche and one that, you could say storytelling is a really hot business trend right now. Everybody’s interested and curious about it especially how it relates to branding and marketing and innovation and social media and culture change. Those are some of the big buckets. Everybody is looking at the storytelling stuff and so I have a lot of opportunities that have come my way for not only creating content but syndicating that content or creating content series and so really getting a lot of support there as well for how we build, get storied into more of both an online destination, right. Sort of an online magazine for the business of storytelling.  And then how we also create sort of key segments or key content series for various different niche audiences whether it’s the self-publishing audience, whether it’s an entrepreneur audience, whether it’s a marketing audience and so on. So, those are the two big buckets from a business perspective. I'm getting lots of coaching and advice from -- on the personal front, it’s really been about sort of a new maturation for the business, which is about growing an organization.  

So, even though there’s an aspect to where we’re at we get story that’s still very much a startup. But now there’s a real team in place. So, I'm really conscious of we’re creating a culture whether we’re consciously thinking about it or not but the decisions that we make are shaping a culture, right? We’re instilling certain set of values. Saying this matters over this. Saying we stand for that. Some of those choices are things that I'm getting a lot of feedback from and inputs so that, you know, I can support as CEO really create the right environment to really empower the development and the performance of all the different people on my team.

Michael Margolis on How to Be a Leader by Taking Care of Others

In Chapter 9 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "What Does It Mean to Be a Leader in What You Do?"  Margolis references the book "The Book of Destiny" and builds upon Mayan leadership lessons to discuss leading in the gift economy. 

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: What does it mean to be a leader in what you do?

Michael Margolis: I read this book that’s actually about the Mayan prophecies, and it was written by a Mayan elder and there was something really remarkable in there that talked about leadership and had a definition of what makes a leader. We often forget to ask that question like, “What makes a leader? What makes you a leader?” We often think about it in the political context or we think about it in the corporate board room and it’s about power and it’s about who’s in charge and all of these things that are often times more about ego and self-appointedness and a whole bunch of other things but this book defined leadership in such a brilliant beautiful way. It’s called the Book of Destiny, by the way. Really cool book. And it said real simply, “You become a leader by taking care of those around you“. It’s that simple? Wait a second, well, if you take care of those around you really well, what happens? Those people naturally turn to you and look at you as somebody who is looking out for their welfare, looking out for the needs of the community, of the tribe, of the village. 

So, how do we become a leader, well it’s this notion of taking care of others, right? Which is why you have to bring that spirit. This is the power of the internet, of the gift economy. The gift economy is something that is actually hard wired into us as human beings. This is my background as a student of anthropology. We think about gift economy, it goes back to the times when we were out hunter-gatherers out on the savannah and you might have a good day, you might have bad day hunting. Well, so if you came back to the village and you had nothing to share but your friend Joe just brought in the wooly mammoth, well gift-economy means you’re gonna share what you got or what Joe got rather.  He’s gonna share with others because Joe knows he’s gonna have a bad day some point down the line. As that evolved over time, the notion of being a leader was the privilege for instance if the village would come together for a big feast. There was no greater privilege and honor than to be the benefactor to feed the village. It was a signal of your power and position but it was also a responsibility. It was a privilege and responsibility. 

So, that notion of gift-economy actually is what fuels the internet, right. It’s why people talk about free. The power of free on the internet. So, the notion of having a gift to be able to start a relationship from that place. It’s like going to a dinner party without a host gift. Dude, don’t be that guy, right. If you’re gonna go over to somebody’s house, you bring something whether it’s a bottle of wine, a fruit basket, some chocolate in my case but you bring something. It sets a tone. It acknowledges, hey we’re entering into a relationship. So, that’s a really powerful way. Simplest way to become a leader: is 1. Take care of others and 2. Think about what are the gifts that you have to share, not just in abstract terms but literally create a gift. Create an e-book. Create an info product. Give something away for free that is of high perceived value. Not some nickel and dime little thing but something that people go, “Holy crap. This thing just changed my life and you just gave that away for free?” If you are able to give that away for free I can’t even begin to imagine how much more you’ve got behind the curtain. What else do you have? Sign me up. What can I buy? I wanna go deeper. So, that’s I think the power of being a leader. Becoming a leader is having some gifts and not being afraid to share them.

How to Cultivate and Mature Your Creative Process - Michael Margolis

In Chapter 11 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "How is Your Creative Toolbox Changing?"  Margolis shares how he is shifting his creative inspiration from outside-in to inside-out.  He details how the stimulation is shifting from external to internal, specifically working with the experience, knowledge and tools gained to create and produce.  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 Online Business Refines Social Media Marketing - Michael Margolis

In Chapter 12 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "How Are You Learning to Use Social Media More Effectively in Your Business Pursuits?"  Margolis shares how social media marketing is fundamental in growing his online info product business.  He notes why his team has been changing its social media approach, in particular with data analytics and conversation marketing, as the company grows.  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. 

The Rewards of Project Collaboration - Michael Margolis

In Chapter 13 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "What Do You Find Most Rewarding About Collaborating With Others on Projects?"  He notes how and when magic happens when collaborating with others, citing David Logan's book, "The Power of Triads" as an example.  Margolis details how chemistry, role, and story each contribute to making a collaborative team effort more powerful.  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. 

What Gets Easier and What Gets Harder - Mike Germano

In Chapter 1 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, social media ad agency CEO Mike Germano answers "What is Getting Easier and What is Getting Harder in Your Life?"  Germano shares why it is getting easier to deal with the hard things.  He finds it progressively challenging managing past and present relationships as your career and company grow, in particular those early relationships that helped get the business off the ground. 

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. 

Transcription: 

Erik Michielsen: What’s getting easier and what’s getting harder in your life?

Mike Germano: What's getting easier and what's getting harder after 7 years in business, I would say that it's getting much easier to deal with the hard things. And knowing that they’re always gonna constantly come up and no matter how much you plan, insanity is always gonna happen, and you can take a deep breath, and you're gonna get through this, and there's gonna be 8 more in the future, so... I always think that that's at least reassuring and something I try share with every fellow entrepreneur. What's getting harder is now making sure I manage relationships correctly and these are -- you know, I'm a very -- I get very connected with people in terms of, one, to see them succeed or having conversations with them and people who’ve helped you succeed, it's now getting harder managing those relationships, and as you grow, and as you -- you know, your company grows, or as your career grows, making sure you're making enough time for the people who helped you get there, but also not spending too much time working on things that might not be beneficial to you and your business, and so it's getting harder managing your time with all the past relationships you've built up.

Erik Michielsen: Yeah, what's an example of that?

Mike Germano: An example of that is, you know, one of the first people that you build -- you know, we did our first project for 7 years ago, you know, you -- we learned a lot and they were there, and, you know, our company has grown in 7 years, and now you're getting phone calls from that person, saying, "Hey, you know, I believed in you, and I now want you to build this huge project. We have no money, you know, and I want you to do all this stuff." And you gotta sit back, and you gotta -- you know, you tip your hat 'cause you pay respect 'cause the person, you know, believes in you, first, or when no one else but yet, you don't want to -- you know, you're on a path where your company is going and it -- if it doesn't fit with it, you know, if it was any other client, you would've never even picked up the phone, or said, "Thank you but, no thank you." But, you know, making sure you manage that to be respectful for people who've gotten you there, but also know how that might impact where you're currently going.

What Makes Social Media Work Meaningful - Mike Germano

In Chapter 2 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, social media ad agency CEO Mike Germano answers "What Makes Your Work Meaningful?"  After seven years in business, Germano finds creating engaging social experiences using innovative technology most rewarding.  He shares an example from a Red Bull mobile marketing campaign.  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. 

What It Means to Be a Leader - Mike Germano

In Chapter 8 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, social media ad agency CEO Mike Germano answers "What Does It Mean to Be a Leader in What You Do?"  Germano differentiates between industry leadership and company or community leadership.  He focuses less on self-promotion and more on bringing people together to accomplish goals and produce team-based work.  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. 

Why NYC is a Young Digital Talent Destination - Mike Germano

In Chapter 9 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, social media ad agency CEO Mike Germano answers "How is the New York City Digital Community Changing?"  He notes how progressively more ambitious college graduates are entering digital and tech and how New York City adapted to attract ambitious young talent pool that wants to create digital products and services and is open to not relocating to Silicon Valley.  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 Leadership and Management Roles Differ - Mike Germano

In Chapter 10 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, social media ad agency CEO Mike Germano answers "How Do Leadership and Management Differ in What You Do?"  Germano acknowledges his weaknesses as a manager and what he has done to compensate in a team setting.  He shares what behaviors and experiences have shaped him as a leader and how he has recruited and empowered managers working in digital media.  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. 

Why to Sell Clients on Your Company Culture - Mike Germano

In Chapter 11 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, social media ad agency CEO Mike Germano answers "How Are You Becoming Better at Selling Your Vision?"  As Germano sees his company grow, he shifts his focus from fighting to establish its brand reputation to selling the story of his company culture.  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 to Foster Employee Career Development - Mike Germano

In Chapter 12 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, social media ad agency CEO Mike Germano answers "How are You Creating New Opportunities for Your Employees to Grow Their Careers?"  Germano and his team continually seek to improve ways to strengthen employee career path opportunities including international office expansion and new product development.  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 to Create an Inclusive Company Culture - Mike Germano

In Chapter 13 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, social media ad agency CEO Mike Germano answers "What Steps Have You Taken to Create an Inclusive Company Culture?"  Germano finds culture building the most important thing happening at his company.  Culture building comes with respecting each other and listening to one another.  He finds these often get lost as organizational charts become more tiered and employee levels get clustered.  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.

Why to Seek Advice From Entry Level Hires - Mike Germano

In Chapter 14 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, social media ad agency CEO Mike Germano answers "At This Moment in Your Life, Where are You Seeking Advice and Coaching?"  Germano notes the valuable advice he gets from speaking with entry-level hires, typically recent college graduates, who have worked less than a year at the company.  This helps him stay connected and focus on the little things shaping company culture, mission, and values.  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 Social Media Agency Expands into Middle East - Mike Germano

In Chapter 17 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, social media ad agency CEO Mike Germano answers "How Did You Go About the Decision to Expand Your Business Internationally?"  Germano walks through the process he and his team took to bring his social media agency into the Middle East, specifically the United Arab Emirates (UAE).  With an office in Dubai and a satellite office in Abu Dhabi, Germano believes he can tap into new talent and business opportunities not currently being met by services elsewhere.  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 Maturing CEO Stays Connected as Company Grows - Mike Germano

In Chapter 18 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, social media ad agency CEO Mike Germano answers "How are You Learning to Handle the Growing Responsibility of Managing a Larger Company?"  He shares how company growth is forcing him to be less involved with day to day responsibilities as more and more are handed off to team members.  He recommends keeping a couple little tasks to stay connected to balance the larger executive meetings and company initiatives that take him away from previous responsibilities.   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.