03.29.21 — Michael Kurt Interview Reflection

Interview with Michael Kurt — CFO, Hinge

How did you get to this point in your career? What did some of the steps along the way look like? How did you make big decisions at each of these points in your life?

Michael graduated from Texas A&M University in 2009 with a degree in Accounting. Rather than getting his CPA and continuing down that path, he drove in a van down to Central America where he served at an orphanage for young girls called Casa Hogar, then attended the London School of Economics the other half of the summer. In fact, most of Michael’s life has been anything but a clear-cut path. Following his time in school, he worked for a number of years with Disney. From Disney, to Paramount Pictures. From Paramount Pictures, to the Laundry Service ad agency (to be acquired by Wasserman). From Wasserman, to Hinge, a dating app “designed to be deleted”, where he currently resides today. During his career, he has been in Orlando, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, and now Dallas. To say the least, Michael’s life to this point has been characterized by more major life-decisions than some people will have in their entire life. As someone who struggles with being faced with decisions of any magnitude, I was eager to learn about what guided him through this process.

Michael started by telling me that his goal was to continue to make himself marketable at each stepping stone in his career. By “marketable”, he meant “hirable”. “It is so important to be conscious of the decisions you are making in your jobs and professional aspirations,” he told me. Michael is constantly thinking 2, 3, or 4 steps down the line when he makes a choice. He asked me to think about what this opportunity means for future opportunities. Every step of his career gave him a diversified experience to expand upon his knowledge.

At this point, I began to think about the old saying, “jack of all trades, master of none.” What happened to maximizing and investing in certain strengths? Isn’t digging deep where I am planted better than spreading myself thin? My concern was that while I was testing many different waters in my career, people around me would be significantly developing in the one area faster than I ever could. As if reading my mind, Michael hit on this subject exactly. “Yes, it is important to develop depth,” Michael said. “But breadth must grow as well!” He told me that experience, especially on the front end of your career, is invaluable to helping you find what you want to do in life. “The first decade out of your undergrad is so formative for your career.”

In terms of identifying a personal vocation, Michael encouraged me to reflect on some questions:

· What am I really good at?

· What do I really enjoy doing? What am I passionate about?

· Is there a need in the world? Where?

He told me to start thinking about these questions now because “getting clarity early on in life before [my] first career decision is so critically important.” It’s ok to not find a great deal of excitement in every step of the journey, so long as you know that you are on the correct trajectory. “Never underestimate things that don’t directly align with your passion but could add value,” Michael said. Just make sure you find clarity in every step you take and always ask the “why”. He ended by warning me that the longer I go down a path that I don’t enjoy or find meaning in, the harder it is to pivot. Opportunity cost increases over time. For this reason, it is important to worry about your first job/first ten years of life because it’s harder to take a bigger risk down the line.

How well have you balanced the demands of work, family, and faith? What were some of the sacrifices you had to make to be where you are today?

This was a challenging question because I knew that it was very similar to asking about any regrets he had in where he chose to invest his time over his life. Michael started by telling me that it’s ok and normal to have regrets in life, the important thing is to be constantly learning and adapting along the way. I’m glad he told me this because I constantly have to remind myself that I can’t skip through the learning in life to get to the understanding/wisdom. There will be moments that I fall short, and sometimes that’s what it will take to grow.

Michael started by explaining to me his relationship with his wife. They dated for four years so that they could check if they were compatible spiritually (Michael is Catholic, Alisha was Presbyterian). He explained this time as a “hard, but beautiful time” in which he learned a lot about the priority that his relationship with God needed to have in his life. He asked me “where do you connect to God best? Find it and DO IT.” This was the foundation that Michael operated on that informed every decision when he was trying to best balance the demands of life.

Michael’s face lit up when he talked about his wife, Alisha. To him, she was the definition of sacrificial service. They had been through a lot together. They moved to four different states, she sacrificed on the front end a lot of her career opportunities, and she constantly supported him in his endeavors. “The level of sacrifice I had to make was a fraction of what she did for me,” he said. One of the sacrifices that they made together was the amount of time they spent with their family and friends. Missing out on memories with family was the hardest thing for him. They also struggled to establish themselves deeply in community since they were constantly jumping from location to location in the pursuit of new opportunities. Another tough sacrifice that they had to make was their involvement in a faith-based community. They weren’t ever able to serve at a church because of their busy lives and traveling. But with every sacrifice and every move, good also came. Michael and Alisha’s eyes were opened up to so many new perspectives from the different people they met on the way throughout their journey.

How do you currently define success? How has your definition of success changed over time?

To Michael, success consisted of three things: being a man of God and living it out, being a faithful husband, and being a loving father. I was grateful to hear that a man who has reached so much professional success in his life valued these responsibilities more than everything else. Professionally, he said that he really needs to care about what he’s doing. Some of his criteria for his work included being able to tangibly see his contribution pay off, continue seeing meaning, have ample opportunities to grow, and to be challenged. Michael challenged me to ask myself if I am “doing something I find meaningful and fulfilling. Am I able to drive that purpose?”

He also warned me to never pursue worldly success first. “Worldly success is ancillary to finding your intrinsic motivation and values.” The world will give you what you give it back. Even if it’s in a different way than you anticipated. He encouraged me to never lose sight of the importance of constantly giving to others. Service to those around you will always come back to you through encouragement and meaning you derive from it.

A personal note to Michael

Michael, I cannot begin to express how much your words have impacted me. When I see you, I see a man who realizes his brokenness and shortcomings, and allows God to move through him to bring His kingdom to earth. You have inspired me to place a higher value on the relationships I have in my life, for those will transcend time while professional accolades can be fleeting. Thank you for sacrificing your time to speak with me. I can’t wait to continue on in this new relationship with you over the coming years. God bless you and your family!