At LeanSEM, the team, the culture and the clients allow you to grow and make an impact from day one.
Meet Gligor, the lead of the Paid Social and Creative team at LeanSEM. He tells us his story of how he became an Account Director and opens up about his new challenges.
- Choose three words to describe yourself?
Just three words? (and now I’m out of words) ?
Ugh, ok, if you insist. PseudoPerfectionistWithMildOCD, MusicFanatic, cool. (I just came up with that last one).
- What’s your current position at the company?
Paid Social Account Director and Creative Team Spirit Lifter. ? Basically, my job is to build the best Paid Social and Creative team ever and give maximum value to clients.
- Was your previous work experience marketing related? How did you find out about LeanSEM, and what made you apply for your work position?
Several of my previous experiences were related to marketing promotion, mostly copywriting and social media. I found out about LeanSEM through an FB ad, but I did not initially apply for a job; instead, I applied for the Google Crash Course.
To be honest, I didn’t think I was ready to work at this level with brands like these, so my first goal was to just learn something more. I did not have any particular expectations, but as soon as I started the course, I realized that these are badass kings who truly know what they are doing. Long story short, after the course, I got a job offer – first in the Google team, and then I transferred to Paid Social.
- What does it mean for you to be part of such an agency and such a team?
It is of big, huge, enormous, mega, extra 3000 importance. I’m lucky enough to work with people who selflessly share their knowledge, and second, I feel fortunate to have my potential and work recognized and 100% appreciated.
These two things are imperative for how a team should look and function, and more importantly, very important for the development of new people who are ready to give their best, want to make an impact with their work, and want to get to the next level.
- What did your career path at LeanSEM look like? What milestones have you reached, and what has changed since the beginning?
After I graduated from college, I became more interested in advertising, not specifically digital, but rather related to copywriting, design, etc. Most importantly, I learned everything on my own ( college did not help me much, even though I was studying Marketing).
So, after a few internships and different positions, I finally ended up as a Social Media Specialist. At LeanSEM, I had the opportunity to learn a lot more than ever before in a much shorter amount of time. And, of course, I’m still learning, and I’m glad I’m at the right place for that.
What has changed is that I now see a lot more things than before, both in the digital world and around me. It is an advantage that comes with working with great people in your field.
- What is the biggest challenge you face now?
I reached the first milestone when I realized what was going on around me and what my role was here. One key point that I have to admit was that I needed more time to “jump” from Specialist to Manager, and the next milestone was definitely getting into the Senior role. It’s a role that tests both my mentoring and leadership skills. It opened up a whole other world I had not thought about before this, but it also helped me understand teamwork and its value even more.
It turns out that I really have a great team, whose members quickly progressed to the next level, and so did I. I have been in the role of Account Director for quite some time, so this is the third level of my LeanSEM career path. It’s still “fresh,” but I’m ready for the upcoming challenges, of course (meaning, I have no idea what I am doing, but I’ll get there ?).
On the other hand, there’s the Creative team which I’m also building, and whose work is becoming more important day by day. These are the people who will move the digital world (if they are not already) if you ask me. Growing this team and it’s members is another milestone that is crucial to my role here.
- What is your strongest suit that allowed you to get where you are right now?
Well, I don’t know if it is the strongest, but I think many people are dissatisfied with where they are at the moment (or they feel like they can do so much more). On the other hand, there is the persistence and the actual hard work that you have to put in.
- What does “success” mean to you? Do you feel like you are on your way to reaching it; have you perhaps already reached it, or is it just an idea that a person strives for for the rest of his life?
Everyone has a different perception of “success”. For some, it is “financial stability”; for others, it is “soul stability”. Also, my “success” has a different meaning for me and for someone else. I wouldn’t say that I am successful yet, or that I am working towards success because I can not yet define what success is.
I would like to think that it is something individual where everyone is either reconciled to what they are or just tries to be a better person, whatever that means.
- What made you leave your previous job and join LeanSEM? What didn’t you like about it, and what did you get here in return?
I wanted to learn more, and I thought I could do more. At LeanSEM, this is not even a point of discussion. The team, the company culture, and the customers give you room to progress and change from day one.
- Some say the LeanSEM’s employment criteria are frighteningly high and strict. Do you agree?
Of course, what should they be like? ? Joke aside, it depends on what you are comparing them to. There are people in LeanSEM without any marketing experience who are now amazing in what they do. There were also experienced people who’ve applied here, but they were just not the right people for us.
I’d also like to add that this type of work is not for everyone. And it should not be. Many people expect that someone would grab them by the hand and tell them what to do. On the contrary, we want to see how one thinks and what value one can give.
So yes, for all those who are afraid or hesitant to apply but truly want to do this – do it!
- What is the mistake you learned the most from?
Well, I would like to single out a few things. I realized that I was responsible for a lot of what was happening. You can’t just hope for something to happen. On the other hand, I have learned to be patient with some things. For example, waiting for a Facebook ad to get approved, haha!
Very kitsch, right? ?
- What is your biggest fear, and what is your biggest challenge?
The biggest fear – that one day, Štark’s smoki (it’s a type of flips popular here in MK) will no longer be produced. And my biggest challenge would be to live in a world where Štark’s smoki are no longer produced.
I’m also afraid of pufferfish.
- Which of your achievements within LeanSEM are you most proud of?
Many things, but I am most proud of the fact that I was part of the mentoring and building of the Paid Social team and that now I have the opportunity to develop the Creative team with mega kings and queens by my side.
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