Insights Into Leadership and Identity Verification Across the Globe

Identity verification is a problem that will never be solved because the digital economy is in constant motion, said Trulioo CEO Steve Munford during a recent “Innovation and Leadership” podcast with Jess Larson.

But it’s a challenge Munford relishes because it positions Trulioo to help global organizations keep pace with fraud threats, shifting regulations and changing customer expectations in markets around the world.

“Trulioo is one of the most fascinating companies I’ve run,” he said. “This whole notion of how to do digital identity for 8 billion people in the world is a hard problem. It attracts a phenomenal, passionate group of people because you’re doing good. You’re building this level playing field for global commerce.”

Trulioo is a mission-driven company, Munford said, with a focus on providing critical identity verification services that help organizations establish digital trust.

Relentless Focus on Customers

The keys to accomplishing that mission lie in establishing a deep understanding of product-market fit, delivering the best service and staying relentlessly focused on customers, Munford said.

“What we really look for,” he said, “is the level of engagement we have with our customers, the evidence that they’re using all the functionality of the product and that it’s performing a real strategic part of their business.”

It’s the CEO’s responsibility to uphold that rigor, Munford said. That requires constantly watching for signals of product fit, flagging false positives in terms of market acceptance and gaining deep insight into why people value the services.

“Make sure you’ve got the data and metrics that are signals of success or signals of failures,” he said. “Secondly, understand the parts of the company that really know what the customer does with the product.”

Building a Culture of Constant Improvement

Open communication and honesty are at the core of the Trulioo culture. Munford said it’s critical that people feel comfortable providing feedback and raising questions that fuel the growth of the Trulioo platform and services.

“You’ve got to have a culture where people can challenge the CEO, I can ask questions of people who report to me and people can ask questions of each other,” he said. “It’s not an environment where people say, ‘You submarined me. You killed my idea.’ It’s got to be an environment where people understand it’s because we’re trying to make the right decision.”

When that culture permeates the company, it influences interactions with customers. They understand, Munford said, that Trulioo has a persistent focus on understanding how customers use its services and how it can improve.

Listen to the podcast to gain insights into leadership strategies and the challenges and opportunities in establishing trust in global digital commerce.