Improving our own business leadership skills
When looking to improve our own skills, we look to fellow business leaders to learn what makes them tick, what sets them apart, and how they got to where they are, in an effort not only to find inspiration, but to discover shortcuts in the form of lessons learned by others. Today, we talk to a leader in the digital industry, Matt Murphy, Founder and CEO of Fusion92, which under Murphy’s leadership, has expanded from its roots in interactive production to become a full-service digital marketing agency and serves as a think tank for innovative ideas for big brands.
Below, you will learn in Murphy’s own words his philosophies on hard work, how he got to where he is today, and yes, there is mention of sharks, so pay attention:
Where were you raised? Where all have you lived?
I was born and raised in Chicago. I’ve lived in Chicago all my life except for college when I spent a few years in Valparaiso, Indiana and a few in Big Rapids Michigan. While I love to travel and could see spending time in other cities like LA, NY or somewhere out west like Wyoming I think Chicago will always be home base.
How did you get into your current career?
I started my company the month I graduated from college. The year prior, I interned for a real estate company and they had asked me to develop an interactive CD to help market one of their properties. So I leveraged a my computer skills from the few years of programming I took early in my college career to develop this marketing tool. I think this experience really opened my eyes to the potential digital marketing possessed.
What is something unique that you do to balance work and life?
I enjoy extreme sports – diving with sharks, heli-skiing in Alaska or anything that goes fast!
What keeps you up at night?
Staying ahead of our competition and clients – complacency is the death of a business.
If you could spend one day in the life of another industry leader, who would it be?
I would have to say it would have been the late Steve Jobs. I really respected his ability to innovate and get his staff to rally behind his vision and then bring that vision to market. There are a lot of people with a lot of great ideas, but very few of them see the light of day – Steve had the rare ability to bring his to life.
At age 15, what did you want to be when you grew up?
That’s a tough question, I probably really wanted to be a pro athlete but I knew that was somewhat unrealistic. So my second choice at that time would have been a trader or a consultant doing M&A work.
What about you would most people not believe unless they knew you?
I’m really a techie at heart. I love all types of technology, gadgets or widgets – no matter their use.
What inspirational quote has stuck with you the longest?
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Thomas Edison
