Leadership with Ken Jacobs [Podcast]

by Amy Rosenberg | Dec 16, 2020 | Podcast, Public Relations, Thought Leadership

So, You Want to Be a Thought Leader? First, Become a Leader.

How to Become a Leader, With Leadership Coach: Ken Jacobs

A lot of our work at Veracity centers around positioning and building thought leaders, especially for our B2B clients. While we are lucky to work with many truly amazing leaders, I am sometimes stumped when giving clients advice on how to become thought leaders because I believe the journey begins well before positioning leaders in content pieces, speaking engagements or press interviews. It starts with becoming a leader.

Being at the beginning stages of my own leadership career, I thought I’d go straight to the source to find out all about leadership: to my leadership and business coach, of course!

This episode features leadership consultant Ken Jacobs, with Jacobs Consulting & Executive Coaching, which helps PR and marketing agencies, along with their leaders, achieve and surpass their goals.

Listen on Spotify

Listen on iTunes

Google Podcasts

Listen on Stitcher

In a wide-ranging conversation in which Ken delves into his top ten characteristics of an effective leader, we’re taken through a journey on how to become a leader, with important clarification on what leadership actually is. Hint: leadership is so much more than just a title!

Ken’s Top Ten Leadership Characteristics

#1: Conscious decision — Leaders first have to make a conscious decision to lead, at which point then they can have followers. It is important to remember that a leader cannot lead without followers.

#2: Vision — Leaders not only have vision, but they must share their vision with their teams.

#3: Values — Leaders effectively communicate their values and standards of quality to their teams.

#4: Trust — This goes both ways. Not only do leaders need to be trusted, they also need to demonstrate trust in their team members.

#5: Respect — A conversation about how to give constructive feedback ensues around the topic of trust.

#6: Courage — Decisive decision making is an example of how to demonstrate courage.

#7: Listen — As many leaders have said, we must listen more than we talk. Remember to listen empathetically.

#8: Celebrate failures — Both leaders and team members can learn and grow from the new paths that failures can bring forth.

#9: Empower, don’t delegate — A very interesting conversation about why delegating is so hard ensues around this topic.

Photo by Jake Hurley on Unsplash

#10: Reverse organizational structure — If a triangle represents traditional organizational structure, with the leader at the top, servant leaders turn this triangle upside down to picture themselves serving all who are above, or traditionally below, them.

As Ken and I dig into each of these ten topics, many interesting side conversations emerge, such as the difference between managing and leading and how emotional intelligence plays an important role in the daily lives of every leader, especially during these trying times. In true leader fashion, Ken uses his past failures to explain his learnings.

If you are interested in embarking on a path towards thought leadership, first listen to this interview to possibly redefine what leadership truly is. If you like what you hear, Ken is offering PR Talk listeners a complimentary hour on the phone to discuss your constantly-evolving leadership path. As a frequent dialoguer with Ken, trust me, this time will be well spent!

Don’t Miss an Episode

You can access more great episodes by subscribing to the PR Talk podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio and Spotify.

About the guest: Ken Jacobs

Ken Jacobs, PCC, CPC, an experienced consultant and certified coach, is the principal of Jacobs Consulting & Executive Coaching. For 10 years, his firm has helped agencies grow and manage business, improve client service and relationships, and enhance staff performance. It does so via consulting and training. In addition, through his executive coaching, he has helped leaders from C-suite executives to managers, achieve and surpass their goals.

Connect and follow Ken on social media:

This episode of PR Talk is brought to you by PRSA Oregon

Throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, PRSA provides members with networking, mentorship, skill building and professional development opportunities – whether you are a new professional fresh out of college or a skilled expert with 20 years in the industry. Check out PRSAoregon.org for more information on how membership can help you grow and connect.

Quiz: What Kind of Leader Are You?

by Connor Laubenstein | Jan 12, 2017 | General, Posts, Thought Leadership

Whether you’re a business owner handing out projects to employees, assigning tasks to your friends in the kitchen or *cough taking the high-chair of one of the world’s leading superpowers, it’s helpful to keep in mind what qualities you’re giving off to team members. Thoughtful, aware leadership can inspire a team to pull off seemingly impossible tasks. On the other hand, poorly-utilized leadership skills can incite resentment and put work at a standstill.

In Primal Leadership, Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee identify six leadership styles, arguing that the most effective leader, regardless of style, is self-aware. All six leadership styles possess innate strengths and weaknesses, but it’s up to the leaders themselves to know how to control their tendencies, given the situation.

Here are descriptions of Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee’s six leadership styles, with an example of each, followed by a quiz to determine where you fit the bill. Before taking the quiz at the end, who do you think you most align with?

Visionary. This leader sets and focuses on long-term goals. Taking into account the strengths and shortcomings of each worker, the visionary leader unites their crew and motivates towards the fulfillment of a greater good. Communicative, charismatic and risk-taking, a visionary leader is typically most successful with less-experienced members of the team, or when big changes are needed to a given structure. Example: Nelson Mandela.

Coaching. A natural delegate, the coaching leader gives power and responsibility to each of their players within a controlled environment. Coaching leaders build strong, one-on-one connections with their team, establishing personal rapport and trust in an effort to identify each member’s unique strengths and weaknesses. Keeping their traits in mind, coaching leaders set long-term developmental goals for each team member, usually manifested in challenging projects and assignments. This leader is more concerned with their employees’ future growth, rather than immediate results. Example: Phil Jackson.

Affiliative. This leader is all about the team, reinforcing their commitment to the group with a bounty of positive feedback. Affiliative leaders show high levels of empathy and are great at building positive relationships. Not as goal-focused as other leaders, affiliates strive towards team harmony and group success, going out of their way to accommodate the needs of the team. While this style of leadership produces a high level of trust and satisfaction, it arguably places the value of task-completion on the lower end of the totem pole. Example: Warren Buffett.

Democratic. This style of leadership functions through group input. The democratic leader listens faithfully to all team members for council before making a decision. While the final decision may ultimately be made by this leader, each team member is made to feel equal, as their opinions and insights are taken into account. Though democratic leadership values the group opinion and can produce the most well-informed action, it can slow down the decision-making process and pit people against one another to have their opinions heard. Example: John F. Kennedy.

Pace-setting. Highly ambitious and goal-oriented, the pace-setter pushes their team to produce a large volume of top-quality work. A leader by example, pace-setting means that the leader themselves are constantly working and monitoring goals. This leader can be incredibly motivational, as team members will want to keep up with the pace-setter, however this high-pressure lifestyle does not work for everyone and can cause burn-out and can stifle creativity. Example: Mark Zuckerberg.

Commanding/Coercive. This describes authoritarian leadership — the issuing of tasks and instructions with no regard for input from the team. Often thought of as being the “my way or the highway” approach, the commanding leader insists on immediate compliance. Highly effective in crisis mode, a commander gives clear directions with confidence and expects tasks to be completed exactly how they have been asked to, with no room for interpretation or creativity. Example: Bill Gates.

As promised, here’s a quiz to discover which of the six leadership styles you most align with. Let us know your results! Comment below or on our LinkedIn or Facebook page with your top leadership style. Remember, none of these styles are inherently better or worse than the other, one leader won’t necessarily align with just one of them. Ideally, good leaders are situational and can access each style accordingly.