Cathy Erway on Resisting Temptation When Asked for Advice

In Chapter 17 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "How Have You Learned to Give Better Advice When People Ask You for Help?" Erway shares how it is important to resist temptation to give advice on topics where you may have a personal agenda. Instead, she finds it better to be patient and try to filter away personal or selfish bias to focus on the person asking for advice.

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

Phil McKenzie on Why Accountability is a Two-Step Process

In Chapter 8 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Phil McKenzie answers "What Approaches Do You Use to Hold Others Accountable For Their Actions?" McKenzie shares how he has learned from experience that accountability is a two-step process. First, it is his responsibility to clearly define project objectives and communicate this to his team. The second step is to provide space and structure to measure performance against those goals within a given timeframe. This helps keep his team on track as they work on a project and helps McKenzie provide coaching and support to make changes if things do not go as planned.

Philip L. McKenzie is the Founder of Influencer Conference, a global content platform that brings together tastemakers in the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology to discuss influencer culture. Previously, he led an influencer marketing agency and was an equities trader at Goldman, Sachs & Co. He earned an MBA from Duke University and a BBA from Howard University.

Phil McKenzie on Asking for and Receiving Critical Feedback

In Chapter 17 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Phil McKenzie answers "What Type of Feedback Do You Respond to Best?" McKenzie shares why he prefers constructive or critical feedback over positive feedback and reinforcement and how he seeks it out and uses it. He finds getting pushback criticism is especially helpful when you are very passionate about something and may not be able to see faults in an approach.

Philip L. McKenzie is the Founder of Influencer Conference, a global content platform that brings together tastemakers in the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology to discuss influencer culture. Previously, he led an influencer marketing agency and was an equities trader at Goldman, Sachs & Co. He earned an MBA from Duke University and a BBA from Howard University.

Phil McKenzie on How to Give Better Advice When Asked for Help

In Chapter 18 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Phil McKenzie answers "How Have You Learned to Give Better Advice When People Ask You For Help?" McKenzie prefaces his willingness to give advice with the fact that knowledge he shares is based on his own circumstances or experience. This brings context to the conversation and prevents him from coming across as judgmental or biased.

Philip L. McKenzie is the Founder of Influencer Conference, a global content platform that brings together tastemakers in the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology to discuss influencer culture. Previously, he led an influencer marketing agency and was an equities trader at Goldman, Sachs & Co. He earned an MBA from Duke University and a BBA from Howard University.

Mike Germano on Asking for Advice Before Your First Baby is Born

In Chapter 2 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "How Did You Go About Seeking Advice as You Prepared for Parenthood?" Germano shares what he has learned by seeking new parent advice from his parents, in-laws and even old professors. As an entrepreneur, he gets insight on ways to carve out time with a newborn amidst a busy work travel schedule. He also benefits from a role model father who sets an example he can follow on his own parenting journey.

Mike Germano is Chief Digital Officer at VICE Media, a global youth media company based in Brooklyn, New York. Germano joined VICE Media via its 2013 acquisition of Carrot Creative, a social media agency he co-founded and led as CEO. 

Mike Germano on Getting Better at Teaching Others What You Know

In Chapter 19 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "How Are You Becoming a Better Teacher?" Germano shares how transparency helps him relate his experiences to mentees and staff in need of guidance. By making this connection, he can also find the right fit for students, putting them in a place where they will succeed, while sharing small lessons that over time add up to something larger and more profound.

Mike Germano is Chief Digital Officer at VICE Media, a global youth media company based in Brooklyn, New York. Germano joined VICE Media via its 2013 acquisition of Carrot Creative, a social media agency he co-founded and led as CEO. 

Mike Germano on How to Give Better Advice When Asked for Help

In Chapter 20 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "How Have You Learned to Give Better Advice When People Ask You For Help?" Germano shares how advice requests can often be asks for other things, including asking for money. He also learns to know when not to give advice - including unsolicited advice - and instead help others make their own decisions.

Mike Germano is Chief Digital Officer at VICE Media, a global youth media company based in Brooklyn, New York. Germano joined VICE Media via its 2013 acquisition of Carrot Creative, a social media agency he co-founded and led as CEO. 

Jullien Gordon on Investing in Coaches to Improve Life and Career

In Chapter 8 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business coach and public speaker Jullien Gordon answers "At This Moment in Your Life, Where Are You Seeking Advice and Coaching?" Gordon shares how investing in coaches has helped him personally and professionally. Professionally, Gordon hires a marketing coach to get clear on his audience and better understand their needs. Personally, Gordon and his wife invest in a relationship coach to help them identify, set and achieve goals and priorities as a married couple.

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

Jullien Gordon on Setting Business Goals in a Fast-Changing World

In Chapter 9 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business coach and public speaker Jullien Gordon answers "As a Business Owner, How Do You Decide What Time Horizon to Focus on in Your Work?" Gordon notes the challenge of planning goals in a fast-changing world where the target moves constantly. He chooses to focus his small business planning on one-year increments. Within a one-year framework, he then works on making a series of good decisions to create better outcomes.

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

Jullien Gordon on How to Give Better Advice When Asked for Help

In Chapter 14 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business coach and public speaker Jullien Gordon answers "How Have You Learned to Give Better Advice When People Ask You For Help?" When asked for advice, Gordon finds it helpful to start by asking questions and not giving answers. This helps him shift his model for personal development from a "let me teach it to you" approach to providing others space to come up with their own answers.

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

Jullien Gordon: How to Cultivate an Entrepreneurial Mindset

In Chapter 18 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business coach and public speaker Jullien Gordon answers "How Are You Helping Others Cultivate an Entrepreneurial Mindset?" Gordon rethinks what it means to have an MBA and repurposes a Masters of Business Administration into a Masters of Value Creation to teach entrepreneurial thinking. He creates a program, Side Hustle, to teach professionals entrepreneurship by starting businesses outside of work. He trains employees to think entrepreneurially about how they can be job creators and push outside of a job description.

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

Jullien Gordon on Identifying Sources of Strength and Struggle

In Chapter 19 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business coach and public speaker Jullien Gordon answers "At This Moment in Time, What Are the Sources of Strength and Struggle in Your Life?" As an expecting father, Gordon shares how his wife is a source of strength for both business and family. Gordon struggles with the isolation and loneliness of entrepreneurship. He looks to how thought leaders such as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Jay-Z have benefitted from the power of two. He turns his attention to finding a business partner who can provide accountability and motivation to raise his game and bring out his best.

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

Hammans Stallings on Finding Better Ways to Help Others Learn

In Chapter 5 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, strategist and management consultant Hammans Stallings answers "How Are You Finding Better Ways to Help Others Learn?" Teaching a class for the first time makes Stallings realize the hard work that goes into and the opporunity that comes out of designing an original class syllabus. He learns that there are ways to "chunk" the course material to make a learning connection across different types of students.

Hammans Stallings is a Principal Strategist at frog design. Previously Stallings worked in strategy at Dell and investment banking at Stephens. He earned an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, a MS in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas and a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Matt Curtis on How to Use Positivity to Give More Helpful Feedback

In Chapter 16 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Matt Curtis answers "What Type of Feedback Do You Respond to Best?" Curtis finds he responds best to feedback that acknowledges his work, is frequently given and is done in a positive tone. Whether it is about something he could do better or something he has done well, Curtis finds these three feedback elements motivate him best at work.

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

Bijoy Goswami on Helping Others Be More Accountable to Themselves

In Chapter 4 of 17 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, community leader Bijoy Goswami answers "What Role Does Living Up to the Expectations of Others Play into How You Live?" Goswami finds his challenge is about ensuring the people he works with on self-reflection coaching exercises remove expectations from him and shift them to accountability for themselves. As a teacher employing a self-interrogation model with others, Goswami works to create a space where these people can more clearly realize the expectations on him are to be a reflective mirror back to those he helps.

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 How to Empower a Stewardship Ethic in Others

In Chapter 6 of 17 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, community leader Bijoy Goswami answers "How Are You Learning to Empower Others to Be Community Stewards?" Goswami shares how he first has one-on-one coaching conversations with others. He then employs models of experience to visualize the journey stewards might take and how that compares with something like community service. This then allows him to refine what it means to steward and how that energy will express itself.

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 How to Receive Feedback by Communicating Better

In Chapter 15 of 17 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, community leader Bijoy Goswami answers "What Type of Feedback Do You Respond to Best?" Goswami finds he can receive feedback best when others clearly understand what he is trying to do. This requires him to put a greater emphasis on communicating clearly and effectively to be understood so the feedback can be relevant and targeted.

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. 

Audrey French on The Best Advice to Prepare Yourself for Parenthood

In Chapter 2 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, new mother Audrey Parker French answers "How Did You Go About Seeking Advice as You Prepared for Parenthood?" French shares how after doing a lot of research she finds the best advice simply observing her best friend and how she raises her three children.

Audrey Parker French is a new mother living with her husband and son in Austin, Texas. Before leaving work to focus on family, French 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 graduated from Wake Forest University.