This ongoing Q&A series profiles a few of the speakers we're looking forward to seeing at this year's Net Impact Conference. Mark is co-founder and CEO of MovingWorlds.org. He'll be speaking at the Using Lean Startup Principles to Find (and Get) Your Dream Job workshop at this year's conference.

Describe the work you do in one or two sentences.
We help people volunteer their skills around the world, on their own, or through corporate-sponsored programs. We call it Experteering. In the process, we give them the connections, resources, and training to grow as a leader while making a positive impact.

What was your personal “Game On!” moment?
Six years ago, I applied for an Acumen Fund Fellowship. I made it to interviews, but didn’t make the final list. When I got my (nicely written) rejection letter, I thought to myself… “If they aren’t going to accept me, I’m going to create my own fellowship.” I then quit my job two months later and spent a year traveling and volunteering my skills around the world. That rejection letter was my “Game On!” moment.

What skills or characteristics do you think are most important for your job or industry?
One of the exciting things about our work is that we interact with a wide variety of people, from leadership development professionals in Fortune 50 companies to young entrepreneurs just getting started. No matter the experience level and scope of responsibility, we see that humility and grit are the most important skills that anyone can have – as an employee or as an Experteer.

The challenging thing about both of these skills is that they are almost impossible to teach. The only way people can develop these is by expanding their worldview, doing a lot of self-reflection, and being very open to feedback and coaching. I assembled a TED Talk MBA that talks about a lot of these skills, and how to develop them.

What’s an unexpected quality that makes a great leader?
Sharing failure! We support some really exciting leadership development programs that use skills-based service as a learning platform. In our training, we talk specifically about how to recognize failed efforts, how to learn quickly from them, and how to tell others about them so that they can learn from your mistakes, too.

Leaders are going to be wrong more than they are right on day-to-day decisions. As leaders we need to be OK with that, and we also need to recognize that every failure is a great learning experience for us, and for our teams, if we provide the time and space for it.

There’s a story about IBM’s founder Tom Watson:

A young man working for IBM made a decision that most warned would be unwise. However, he was convinced that he knew best and went along with his plans.
That mistake cost the company 10 million dollars. The young man was immediately called to the office of IBM founder Tom Watson Sr. Upon entering Mr Watson’s office the young man looked down and said, “Well I suppose you want my resignation.”
“You can’t be serious!” Mr Watson exclaimed, “We just spent 10 million dollars educating you! You’re not going anywhere!”

I spend time everyday reflecting on the mistakes I made, and how I can improve. I encourage my team to do the same. If they’re failing, it means they’re pushing their and our limits as an organization, and if we’re trying to build a better world, leaders need to reward that kind of behavior.

If you’re in the position of hiring people, what question do you most like to ask?
I don’t have a go-to question, but I do have a go-to process. I start at the bottom of your resume with your education and activities, and then move up through work experience, finishing with your most recent experience. At every line item on the resume, I ask, “Why did you choose that _________ (volunteer position, degree, job, etc.).” Then I ask, “What was the highpoint and low point of your experience there.” Lastly, I’ll also ask, “Why did you move on from that position.”
I want to find people who work hard to solve problems, create their own future, and take responsibility for their work and careers, and this process is an incredible way to see if people are positive, motivated, and inquisitive.

Going through that process helps me see if you have your own why/purpose and if you have the grit and personality to succeed on my team.

If you were given an extra hour every day, what would you do with it?

I’d take 20 minutes of it first-thing in the morning to do a little yoga and meditation. I’d then take 30 minutes around dinner time with my wife to have more one-on-one time, and I’d save the final 10 minutes for some time right before bed to journal my thoughts and reflect on everything I’m grateful for.

About the Conference  

We're excited to bring the 23rd Net Impact Conference to Seattle, where student and professional leaders will come together to tackle the world’s toughest social and environmental problems. The challenges we face are complex, and it’s time to come together and create innovative solutions. It’s time to suit up, push your limits, and leave it all on the field. This year's theme is Game On! Want to find out more?