Interview Question
1. Where did you attend college? Did you enjoy it?
2. What makes you come to work every day?
3.What is the most difficult part of your day? How do you overcome it?
Michael’s Response
So I attended a school called Mount Vernon Nazarene University it’s a
sisters school in Point loma Nazarene University. There was actually
eight Nazarene University throughout the states. So that's in Ohio
where I grew up. I absolutely loved it. It was amazing. I would probably
go back and do it again.
Well I’ve always been kind of a self starter. So usually regardless of
what I’m doing, I would like peel myself out of bed and do stuff. A lot of
this works out with my dad and my mom who modeled it for me. But
specifically why I do this I just think young people matter. And I think
young people need guides and I think families need help. And so I feel
like there's something I can do about that. So you know I’m just always
believing in young people. I’ve alway kind of been like a coach at heart.
So a lot of what I do is not a lot different than coaching a team and I
grew up an athlete. I’ve always had a passion for teaching mentoring,
and all that kind of stuff. So all that kind of factors into what I do.
Most difficult part of my day. I think someone's getting caught up in
meetings that I don't need to be in can be draining at times. I think
trying to balance your energy level between work and home. So yeah
probably it’s not specifically a certain time of day but the biggest
challenge is learning how to have live in the tension of like making sure
your family and yourself ahs time for yourself. And then putting healthy
boundaries around your work. Because my personality is like I could
work all day every day. I’m kind of built like that. There's always stuff to
do. So I have to learn how to put boundaries along my time, and my
energy, and my space, and my relationships and make sure that you
know that I’m not burning myself out. So I would probably say that’s the
most challenging part of my job.
4.What do you like to do outside of work? I love hanging out with people who a lot of time is I just go to hang out
with my family and my friends. Those are meaningful things to me. I like
traveling, anytime I get a chance to go to even if it’s like you know like
have a day off and I wanna go travel to a different part of the city. I
wanna experience that. I wanna experience new things, try new foods,
learning new things. I’m a constant learner. So like I love watching
documentaries on Netflix or education on YouTube. I like reading. I like
experiencing nature. It’s kind of like my travel bug too so hiking, and
doing stuff outdoors, and relaxing on the beach. Yep those are all new
experiences, new foodos, traveling, relaxing, reading, learning. And I
like to play to. I was an athlete and I still play you know basketball once
a week you know I work out take care of myself.

(Mick) Definitely. I feel like it kind of all leads back to just experiencing
new things and just yeah.

(Mookie) Experiencing new things I feel like if you're not learning you're
not growing. And I think everybody for your entire life should always be
growing. There's never a point in our life where we get to and we stop
learning or we stop growing. You know like we always have that
capacity. I think it’s most of the time we decide if we want to do that.
And I think if we do that we experience the fullness of life. But when we
stop learning we stop growing that's when we start to turn to things that
are unhealthy and start to drop us down. I think that's why we get into
like drugs and you know unhealthy behaviors. We think we have arrived
and we know everything and we don’t have anything to learn. A lot of
times learning and growing is hearing the things that you don’t want to
hear. So I think the people that grow and are always experiencing the
fullness of live the never know how to handle constructive criticism. And
then do something with that.

5. How do effectively manage employees/students? Well you have to be invested in each one of their lives individually.
Because everybody's different. So what works for person might not
work for another person. So you kind of have to have, there's a term in
the psychology world called emotional intelligence. And so that's a skill
that you either have to naturally have or you have to grow into, and all
that means is basically you kind of have to be in tune to what your
employees or those people you serve or whatever need. And so I was
thanking communication was key with that, like you have to have open
communication, you need to have honesty and trust. So like I can’t help
you if your an employee of mine I can't help you grow or take steps if
your not going to be honest. And if there's not a level of trust that's built
because of that the communication and honesty then it’s hard for
anybody to follow that who they don’t trust. So there's those things.
There's kind of like the heart side of it. But then there's also the realistic
like are you skilled, can you do the tasks that were asking you to do.
And then depending on whats that is, because basically it’s my job as a
leader of a team to set people up to win, so I’m not going ask someone
to do something that their no necessarily gifted at. I try to put people in
places where their gifted and where their passionate about things.
Mookie: That’s not to say that people don’t need to grow in areas that
they are weak in. I think you should like become a more well rounded
individual and work on your weaknesses and all that stuff but I also
want to put you in places that your passionate and gifted in because we
all win when everybody's doing what they're passionate about and
gifted in.
Mick: Good morning Mookie.
Mookie: Good morning McKendrick Lamar
Mick: Oh great. This is gonna be great to transcribe. Okay so I have some questions if you don't mind.
Mookie: Fire away.
Mick: Aright! So my first one is where did you attend college and did you enjoy it?
Mookie: So I attended a school called Mount Vernon Nazarene University it’s a sisters school in Point loma Nazarene University.
Mick: Okay.
Mookie: There was actually eight Nazarene University throughout the states.
Mick: Wow.
Mookie: So that's in Ohio where I grew up. I absolutely loved it. It was amazing. I would probably go back and do it again.
Mick: Aright! What makes you come to work everyday?
Mookie: Well I’ve always been kind of a self starter. So usually regardless of what I’m doing, I would like peel myself out of bed and do stuff. A lot of
this works out with my dad and my mom who modeled it for me. But specifically why I do this I just think young people matter. And I think young
people need guides and I think families need help. And so I feel like there's something I can do about that. So you know I’m just always believing in
young people. I’ve alway kind of been like a coach at heart. So a lot of what I do is not a lot different than coaching a team
Mick:Right
Mookie: and I grew up an athlete. I’ve always had a passion for teaching mentoring, and all that kind of stuff. So all that kind of factors into what I
do.
Mick: Good answer good answer. What's the most. Actually I’ll ask this question first. How do you effectively manage your employees and/or
students?
Mookie: How do I effectively manage my employees or students?
Mick: Mmhmm.
Mookie: Well you have to be invested in each one of their lives individually. Because everybody's different.
Mick: Right.
Mookie: So what works for person might not work for another person. So you kind of have to have, there's a term in the psychology world called
emotional intelligence. And so that's a skill that you either have to naturally have or you have to grow into, and all that means is basically you kind of
have to be in tune to what your employees or those people you serve or whatever need. And so I was thinking communication was key with that,
like you have to have open communication, you need to have honesty and trust. So like I can’t help you if your an employee of mine I can't help you
grow or take steps if your not going to be honest.
Mick: Right.
Mookie: And if there's not a level of trust that's built because of that the communication and honesty then it’s hard for anybody to follow that who
they don’t trust. So there's those things. There's kind of like the heart side of it. But then there's also the realistic like are you skilled, can you do the
tasks that were asking you to do. And then depending on whats that is, because basically it’s my job as a leader of a team to set people up to win,
so I’m not going ask someone to do something that their no necessarily gifted at. I try to put people in places where their gifted and where their
passionate about things.
Mick: Right
Mookie: That’s not to say that people don’t need to grow in areas that they are weak in. I think you should like become a more well rounded
individual and work on your weaknesses and all that stuff but I also want to put you in places that your passionate and gifted in because we all win
when everybody's doing what they're passionate about and gifted in.
Mick: definitely. Aright. What’s the most difficult part of your day and how do you overcome it?
Mookie: Most difficult part of my day. I think someone's getting caught up in meetings that I don't need to be in can be draining at times.
Mick: Right
Mookie: I think trying to balance your energy level between work and home. So yeah probably it’s not specifically a certain time of day but the
biggest challenge is learning how to have live in the tension of like making sure your family and yourself ahs time for yourself. And then putting
healthy boundaries around your work. Because my personality is like I could work all day every day. I’m kind of built like that. There's always stuff to
do. So I have to learn how to put boundaries along my time, and my energy, and my space, and my relationships and make sure that you know that
I’m not burning myself out. So I would probably say that’s the most challenging part of my job.
Mick: Okay Alright. And the last question what do you like to do outside of work?
Mookie: What do I like to do outside of work? Oof. I love hanging out with people who a lot of time is I just go to hang out with my family and my
friends. Those are meaningful things to me. I like traveling, anytime I get a chance to go to even if it’s like you know like have a day off and I wanna
go travel to a different part of the city.
Mick:right
Mookie: I wanna experience that. I wanna experience new things, try new foods, learning new things. I’m a constant learner . So like I love watching
documentaries on Netflix or education on YouTube. I like reading. I like experiencing nature. It’s kind of like my travel bug too so hiking, and doing
stuff outdoors, and relaxing on the beach. Yep those are all new experiences, new foodos, traveling, relaxing, reading, learning. And I like to play to.
I was an athlete and I still play you know basketball once a week you know I work out take care of myself.
Mick: Definitely. I feel like it kind of all leads back to just experiencing new things and just yeah.
Mookie: Experiencing new things I feel like if you're not learning you're not growing. And I think everybody for your entire life should always be
growing. There's never a point in our life where we get to and we stop learning or we stop growing. You know like we always have that capacity. I
think it’s most of the time we decide if we want to do that.
Mick: Right.
Mookie: And I think if we do that we experience the fullness of life. But when we stop learning we stop growing that's when we start to turn to things
that are unhealthy and start to drop us down. I think that's why we get into like drugs and you know unhealthy behaviors.
Mick: Right.
Mookie: We think we have arrived and we know everything
Mick: Yeah
Mookie: and we don’t have anything to learn. A lot of times learning and growing is hearing the things that you don’t want to hear. So I think
Mick: Yeah
Mookie: the people that grow and are always experiencing the fullness of live the never know how to handle constructive criticism.
Mick: Mmhm
Mookie: And then do something with that.
Mick: Right.
Mookie: So.
Mick: Aright thank you so much.
Mookie: Your welcome!