"Degree and qualities are both critical, but you must focus on your qualities more"
Meet Will Cannon, the Founder & CEO of UpLead, a data mining company based in the United States.
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Table of Contents
Welcome to your ValiantCEO exclusive interview! Let’s start with a little introduction. Tell us about yourself.
Will Cannon: I am Will Cannon, the Founder & CEO of UpLead.
NO child ever says I want to be a CEO when I grow up. What did you want to be and how did you get to where you are today? Give us some lessons you learned along the way.
Will Cannon: I had a lot of dreams back when I was a kid, but as I grew up, I realized that I wanted to lead and innovate. I thought to myself that I could be whatever I want and from that moment, I knew that creating a company is not easy because you’re not applying for a job; you are making a business.
Tell us about your business, what does the company do? What is unique about the company?
Will Cannon: UpLead aims to help businesses; we are a data mining and lead generation company that wants to make jobs easier for other companies. We prioritize our clients and treat them as part of our family, and we always strive to provide the best for them.
How to become a CEO? Some will focus on qualities, others on degrees, how would you answer that question?
Will Cannon: Degree and qualities are both critical, but you must focus on your qualities more. To become a great CEO, you must know how to value people, how to lead, inspire, and develop them. You should also be innovative and eager to win every challenge that you’ll face.
What are the secrets to becoming a successful CEO? Who inspires you, who are your role models and why? Illustrate your choices.
Will Cannon: The secrets to becoming a successful CEO start with remembering why you’re there; remember your dreams, goals as a child, and vision for the company. You should not only be consistent, but you should also grow consistently.
I have a lot of role models that inspire me to do better every day. Listening to what successful people say will make you realize that you have something in common, and that is the spirit of determination and perseverance,
Many CEOs fall into the trap of being all over the place. What are the top activities a CEO should focus on to be the best leader the company needs? Explain.
Will Cannon: As a CEO, you must focus on the performance, growth, and improvement of your company. It would be best to focus on coaching your people, never let your people feel like they are only working, make them feel that they are in your company because they have potentials, and you are there to help hone their skills.
The Covid-19 Pandemic put the leadership skills of many to the test, what were some of the most difficult challenges that you faced as a CEO/Leader in the past year? Please list and explain in detail.
Will Cannon: Some companies are closing down, and some are limiting their company’s expenses to retain the company. It became challenging for us to connect with companies, but we have to push through to be able to pass the difficulties brought by the pandemic.
What are some of the greatest mistakes you’ve noticed some business leaders made during these unprecedented times? What are the takeaways you gleaned from those mistakes?
Will Cannon: Focusing on the win regardless of whatever happens. I think that focusing on the goal alone doesn’t make you a great leader. To be a great leader, you have to look upon your goal. Lead and help your people regardless of what happens. Never let your soldiers battle alone for your glory.
In your opinion, what changes played the most critical role in enabling your business to survive/remain profitable, or maybe even thrive? What lessons did all this teach you?
Will Cannon: Earning the trust of our clients was hard for us at first. We need to show them that we are honest in our words. The greatest lesson to survive is always to treat your clients like they are your first. Having a first client will make you feel excited and determined to provide excellent service to thank them for trusting you. Even after years pass, you must still show the same joy for the clients you have.
What is the #1 most pressing challenge you’re trying to solve in your business right now?
Will Cannon: We are striving to be the best data mining company to create a huge name even when other competitors arise. Since companies are turning digital, it is both an opportunity and threat for us, yet we both see it as growth for the company,
You already shared a lot of insights with our readers and we thank you for your generosity. Normally, leaders are asked about their most useful qualities but let’s change things up a bit. What is the most useless skill you have learned, at school or during your career?
Will Cannon: The most useless skill that I have learned growing up is preparing myself or spending a lot of time for something so long but will only pass by once.
Thank you so much for your time but before we finish things off, we do have one more question. We will select these answers for our ValiantCEO Award 2021 edition. The best answers will be selected to challenge the award.
Share with us one of the most difficult decisions you had to make, this past year 2021, for your company that benefited your employees or customers. What made this decision so difficult and what were the positive impacts?
Will Cannon: The hardest decision we made in 2021 is to boost the promotion even if companies must hold on to their budget tightly due to the negative impact of the pandemic that’s been affecting many companies. Taking a risk helped our company to connect more with clients who recently started their digital companies.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Will Cannon for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Will Cannon or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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