Chris LoCurto

Finding The Life & Business You Really Want

Leadership ·

The Leadership Spotlight continues this week with Kraig McNutt. Kraig has 16 years of experience in eMarketing. He started his own internet consulting group, led Humana’s internet marketing strategy and then joined Dave’s team in 2000.

CLo: What is your role in leadership?

KM : I am VP of eBusiness for Dave Ramsey and have been a leader here for over 10 years now. Our team oversees the MyTotalMoneyMakeover web site and the forthcoming Dave Ramsey Show mobile app(s).

CLo: What is the best advice you’ve ever received about leadership?

KM : The best advice I’ve ever received about leadership was from people who walked their talk.  I’ve read tons of books on leadership principles. Among the best are the books by Stephen Covey.  But the leadership lessons that had the most impact on me personally – both good and bad – have come from meeting, watching and following other leaders.  The leaders who really walk their own talk, like Dave Ramsey, are inspiring.  So if I had to distill it into a simple phrase I’d say, “Watch your life and practice.”

CLo: What is the biggest challenge facing leaders today?

KM : I’m not sure it’s THE biggest but it’s up there, and that is leading with clarity. This post-modern world we live in is filled with complexities, oxymorons, disjunctive realities and gray moral issues.  A leader cannot afford to be unclear in our present world.  People we lead deserve moral clarity and courage from us as leaders.

CLo: How do you continue to improve yourself as a leader?

KM : I continuously read, averaging 2–4 books a month especially good biographies. I seek personal development opportunities, especially challenges that stretch me out of my comfort zone.  Lastly, I try to place myself in positions where I can be regularly mentored by other great leaders, like my pastor George Grant.

CLo: How do you invest in others?

KM : Nothing can replace the importance of time we spend with others. You can’t mentor from a distance.  Next, I look for the giftings and strengths of others and try to encourage them to excel in their own gifts.  Lastly, it’s important to give people you lead the opportunity to gain big wins. We get inspired if the reward is big.  No one gets excited about dinky wins that have no meaning.

CLo: What was the last book you read?

KM : The last business book I read was The Art of Profitability, Adrian Slywotzky. The last non-business book I read was The Grand Design: Strategy and the U.S. Civil War.

Check out my guest post on Michael Hyatt’s blog today!

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