In this ‘Greatest Hits’ episode of Getting to Aha!, host Darshan Mehta is joined by Steve Krull, CEO and co-founder of Be Found Online, a strategy-driven, people-focused digital marketing agency that connects brands and humans in innovative ways. Join them as they explore Steve’s journey to starting Be Found Online, why hiring should be based on cultural fit and emotional intelligence, and why Steve's people-focused business strives to build relationships with clients rather than just having a checklist digital marketing approach. This is a fascinating conversation about leadership, the current state of digital marketing, and strategies for workplace success, so don’t miss out!

Previously, Steve was the VP of Strategy and Sales at Huble Digital and excelled in what he calls “unleadership”. He believes in collaboration and leading by example; remaining vulnerable and open to new ideas, accepting feedback…and doing good things.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

👉Steve defines “unleadership” in business as more of a philosophy than a methodology. It all comes down to being a good person and trusting the people and your team around you, and once you do that, your leadership characteristics will shine through.

👉People learn from their experiences and their mistakes. As a leader of a team or an organization, you have to let people make mistakes and hit walls, otherwise they won’t learn what you want them to. Some leaders may see this as a frivolous exercise, but Steve believes it’s necessary. It affords them the opportunity to grow.

👉As a leader, you must decide what to focus on. Steve talks about how communication strategies are something that all leaders should think about. How are you having conversations? How are you presenting facts to people? The way you deliver a message to someone else is so important, and exactly the same can be said for an organization's brand and marketing.

👉Steve’s wife was diagnosed with cancer at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he describes her as an inspiration. Although there were some tough times, and it can be easy to bury your head in the sand and avoid everything, it's all about how you get back up and keep moving forward. At some point, you have to face everything rather than running away. The same idea applies to business - if you’re losing customers, face it, figure out the reasoning, and learn.

👉The customer experience should always equal the business’ performance. If you were to go to a restaurant and the food was good, but the service was bad, you might give it another shot just to see, and the same if the roles were swapped. However, if both are bad, then no amount of marketing or advertising will fix that. You have to make sure your customer experience is always the best it can be.

👉As a result of COVID-19, more money and effort have gone into digital marketing. Although it seems like this was the direction it was going in anyway, it was only accelerated by the pandemic; there have been massive changes in analytics and privacy. People expect more from businesses than they did before, resulting in them carrying a heavier weight of responsibility.

Listen now!
bCast - https://bit.ly/3ACsRBz
Apple - https://apple.co/3gsuA31
Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3B0lVy6
RSS -  https://bit.ly/3AFrUs6

Episode Resources
Steve Krull on  Linkedin
Steve Krull on Instagram
Steve Krull on Twitter
Be Found Online Website