Leadership means lead by example. A lot of people try to say, “You should do x, y, and z.” That’s not the right approach. The right approach is to first and foremost lead by example — whatever it is you want for your society or organization- then people will start to take notice. They may say, “hey, I like what he/she is doing. I want to mimic what they are doing.” Leadership takes a lot of hard work and time.
As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Yoel Israel.
Yoel Israel is an Israeli-American tech entrepreneur who has been at the forefront of the Israeli marketing ecosystem. He founded WadiDigital, Israel’s leading technology marketing agency, and Cyfluencer, a cybersecurity influencer & distribution platform as well as Israel Unfiltered a social platform that highlights the culture and the people of Israel, to the English-speaking world.. Yoel’s extensive background in marketing and technology is matched only by his passion for innovation and entrepreneurship. He has been able to establish himself as a leader in the industry, both through building WadiDigital and founding Cyfluencer. Yoel lives in Pardes Chana with his wife and two daughters.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
In 2009, while I was getting my MBA at Bar Ilan University, a man by the name of Hillel Fuld reached out to me and invited me up for a cup of coffee in Beit Shemesh, Israel. There he said that I have to get on Twitter for marketing. I got on Twitter, and I got my business school at Bar Ilan on Twitter, and they even found some new international students through it. They actually gave me a scholarship because of it, and this spurred me to lean in on digital marketing.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
I wouldn’t say it’s a story, but a phenomenon is that since starting my company and posting regularly on LinkedIn, I have tech marketers and people stopping me on the street in Tel Aviv or anywhere in Israel, telling me they’ve seen me and my content on LinkedIn and asking to get a selfie with me.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
The funniest mistake I made when I was first starting as an immigrant to Israel- with my first employee, I didn’t know there were certain traditions, such as gifting employees on major holidays, such as Rosh Hashana, Passover, etc. It only took a few months for my employee to confront me and be like, “Dude, you’re not doing the basic culturally expected stuff you’re meant to do as an employer.” I had no idea. I don’t know if it’s a funny story, but a lesson I definitely learned is that you think you know a culture, but you really don’t. Always ask around and get feedback and advice from people that have been in places you haven’t. This is a challenge I think many other immigrant entrepreneurs share.
Can you describe how you or your organization is making a significant social impact?
Customer service. I’m obsessed with customer service, and I think we have a deficit in customer service in B2B tech marketing. We lead by example. By being able to help people in customer service be proactive and speak vocally about it, has now made other agencies and other people demand customer service in their professional and personal life.
Additionally, we’ve gone fully remote since COVID, and we intend to keep it this way. Remote working makes it easier for young mothers, fathers, and people with disabilities, to get easier employment because they don’t have to deal with commuting — also significant to people who aren’t as wealthy and live in poorer areas or people who’d rather live in rural and affordable places to live.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
I’ve been able to help mothers in particular. I love that mothers feel totally comfortable being able to stay home with their young children and, be present parents, breastfeed their babies while they’re working. It’s totally acceptable and encouraged for people to be hands-on parents and also be hands-on in their career and work life.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
Regarding customer service, the first thing that people can do is to start to demand it. If they’re not getting good customer service, people need to tell their service providers or even the store with a cashier who isn’t nice, say — I’m going to take my business elsewhere because I can get better service elsewhere. Giving proper and polite feedback is imperative; it is even more important to reward people and let them know that they provided excellent service. It’s important to let people know that proper customer service is something we value as individuals, businesses, and as a society or culture.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
Leadership means lead by example. A lot of people try to say, “You should do x, y, and z.” That’s not the right approach. The right approach is to first and foremost lead by example — whatever it is you want for your society or organization- then people will start to take notice. They may say, “hey, I like what he/she is doing. I want to mimic what they are doing.” Leadership takes a lot of hard work and time.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- This is something I was told and then forgot, and then remembered later once I messed up. Make sure you hire someone who has some career experience. Therefore, they already know the ins and outs of what’s expected culturally in the workplace, and they already have work ethic. Let them learn that from a different employer.
- There’s no such thing as paying too much money for quality talent. The best talent is by far the most important thing, in particular in the services industry. Making sure you are paying well in order to get the best talent is going to give you a much better ROI than hiring someone for less money and maybe with less experience.
- I was very anti-remote work. I’ve come to learn that digital marketing should absolutely be done remotely. I think forcing people to come to an office against their will is immoral. I wish someone had told me that trying to build a company remotely is totally feasible and doable. You just need to shift your priorities in your hiring and focus on exceptional managers.
- I wish someone told me that hiring young parents is an absolute win. The reason why is because they are hungry to make a living, they have energy and ambition, and they are busy with kids. As the saying goes, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.” What I’ve learned is that parents are more attentive, more alert, and they know how to respond to client requests faster because, as a parent, you need to be able to respond to your kids as quickly as you can in order to be an attentive parent.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Personal responsibility. Personal responsibility is probably the most important thing. Understanding that only you can make yourself happy. Only by looking inwards. No one else is responsible for your happiness, or for you making a living, or to give you love. The only way that you can make sure that you live a happy life and that you are a good person to others, is if, first and foremost, be responsible for yourself. Look after yourself and lead by example. Become reliable and responsible. That is the best thing you can do, and know that no person, no government, no organization is there to make your life better. That is 100% your responsibility.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my ax.” Abraham Lincoln.
The reason why this is relevant to me is because sometimes I just want to get into something and jump in with both feet. But sometimes you gotta stop, sharpen your skills, and make sure you get organized before you actually get to work at chopping down a tree. I apply this to a lot of things — every day before I start to work, I make sure that my desk is clear, my mind is clear, and everything is clear before I start working. It leads to more effective and efficient work.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
That would probably be Kanye West. I would like to get into his creative mind and how he pivots so much, even with all the family and mental challenges in his life. I think hes one of the creative people of our generation and I want to better understand how he thinks and operates.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Twitter: @YoelTIsrael
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoeltisrael/
Website: https://wadidigital.com/
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Yoel Israel of Israel Unfilitered Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.