Ken Jacobs
Asbury Park
Experienced, Certified Leadership Coach To PR, Corporate Communications, Marketing Executives; Consultant, Trainer To Communications, PR, Marketing, Agencies
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Articles by Ken Jacobs
The Biggest Crisis Communication Mistake Leaders Make
Communications leaders today are navigating a far more volatile environment than even a decade ago. Social media outrage, political polarization, AI-driven information ecosystems, and increasing stakeholder pressure have made leadership decisions more visible and more consequential than ever.
How Corporate DEI Executives Should Be Advising C-Suite Leaders
In recognition of AANHPI Heritage Month, in this episode of Taking the Lead, Soon Mee Kim, Board Chair of Diversity Action Alliance and newly appointed CMO of Zero RFI, shares how DEI executives should be advising C-Suite Leaders in polarizing times. In her conversation with leadership coach Ken Jacobs, she also shares how leaders can navigate complexity with clarity, conviction, and caring.
Leading When Your Agency Is Acquired
Cortney Stapleton, Chief Strategy & Business Officer at Highwire PR and former CEO of The Bliss Group, joins Taking the Lead to share the leadership philosophies that have shaped her career. From mentorship and defining leadership tenets to navigating doubt and leading through her agencys acquisition, Stapleton offers a candid look at what it takes to lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose. Here are excerpts from the full interview: Who are the three leaders whove most influenced you, and why?
Courage Can Hit Differently For Leaders Of Color
John G. Clemons, M.S., APR, ABC, SCMP, IABC, has spent decades leading in corporate communications, higher education and the broader communications profession. In our conversation on the Taking the Lead podcast, Clemons reflects on how trust must be earned, how credibility is constantly tested, and why courage can carry a different weight for Black and Brown leaders.
General Mills CCO Jano Cabrera on Building a Career With Purpose
Jano Cabrera has built his communications career at the intersection of global brands, high-stakes moments and deeply personal leadership lessons.
Enduring Leadership and Career Longevity
Ron Culp has led communications at some of the most recognizable organizations, from global agencies to Fortune 500 companies. Today, as Professional in Residence in DePaul Universitys PR and Advertising program and principal of Culp & Company, he brings a rare, cross-generational perspective on leadership, mentorship, and career longevity.
The Decrease of Courage in Leadership
Torod B. Neptune has led communications at some of the worlds most influential organizations, including Medtronic, Lenovo, and Verizon. Today, he serves as Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication and Reputation Management at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. With experience spanning agencies, global corporations, and academia, Neptune brings a multidimensional view of leadership to Taking the Lead.
Why Leaders Need A Funny Bone
Tony DAngelo has experienced leadership from every side of communications: corporate, agency, nonprofit, academia, and PRSA. Now as Department Chair at Syracuse Universitys Newhouse School, hes shaping the next generation of communicators. In this episode of Taking the Lead, he shares lessons on trust, collaboration, and developing true leaders, not just top performers.
The Kind of Leaders Who'll Shape PR's Future
Tina McCorkindale, Ph.D., APR, President & CEO of the Institute for Public Relations, sees PRs future shaped by leaders who stand with conviction on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, embrace AI responsibly, and combat misinformation. In this episode of Taking the Lead, she shares how leaders can guide PR forward by staying grounded in trust and research. Her insights are timely and timeless, valuable for anyone navigating todays communications landscape.
Treating Mental Health As A Business Imperative
As SVP and Director of Talent Acquisition at Rubenstein, Christina Stokes has seen firsthand what helps organizations attract and keep top talent. She sees her job not just as filling roles but about creating environments where people can thrive.
ConAgra's Jon Harris on Unexpected Connections
Jon Harris, Chief Communications and Networking Officer at Conagra Brands, has led communications at some of the worlds most recognized companies, including PepsiCo, Sara Lee, and Hillshire. Ask Jon what defines great leadership, and hell point to something deep: trust, generosity, and the responsibility to elevate others.
Prove It With Action
As CEO of Page Society, Rochelle L. Ford, Ph.D., APR leads one of the world’s foremost organizations for senior communications executives. A seasoned educator and former university president, she joins Taking the Lead to discuss why authenticity, stakeholder engagement, and community-building aren’t just leadership ideals, but business imperatives.
From Intern to CEO: Leading with Curiosity, Consistency, and Courage
Maeve Hagen, CEO and Managing Partner of Taylor, shares the leadership mindset behind her 19-year journey—from curiosity and people-first values to bold DEI action. She reflects on how staying grounded, embracing outside perspectives, and empowering others have shaped her success on our Taking the Lead podcast. Here are excerpts from the full video interview: You were recently appointed CEO of Taylor, after nearly two decades with the agency.
The Power of Accountability, Vulnerability, and Empowering Others
What does it take to go from manager to leader? Kristelle Siarza Moon, MBA, APR, CEO of Siarza, built a thriving agency but didn’t see herself as a leader until she stepped away and it kept running. She shares how accountability, tough decisions, and public vulnerability shaped her leadership on our Taking the Lead podcast.
Heart First Leadership
David Grossman, CEO of The Grossman Group, reflects on 25 years of leading a successful communications consultancy, sharing what it takes to navigate uncertainty, build resilient teams, and stay true to one's mission, on latest Taking the Lead podcast. Here are excerpts from the full video interview: You started your career in PR, working for such organizations as Golin/Harris (now Golin) and one of its historic clients, McDonald's.
Leading with Purpose in Anti-Racism, DEI, and PRís Toughest Challenges
Malika Klingler, managing principal of PRR, shares her vision for leadership, commitment to anti-racism, and insights into driving meaningful DEI progress while navigating the complexities of leading an employee-owned agency, on Taking the Lead podcast. Here are excerpts from the full video interview: You lead an organization which has an anti-racist vision you strive towards every day. Please explain that, where you get it wrong, and PRR’s journey towards being anti-racist.
Ditching the Corner Office and Fostering Leadership That Lasts
In the newest Taking The Lead video podcast, Tom Coyne, Founder & CEO of Coyne PR, shares his insights drawn from his 33 years of leadership experience and building one of the U.S.’s most awarded PR agencies. Here are excerpts from the full video interview: One of my favorite Tom Coynisms is, “When you get credit as a leader, respond with a tennis racquet, not a baseball mitt.” That’s a lesson a number of leaders need to learn. How has that approach benefited you and the agency?
Leading Kindly To Empower Your Teams
Doug Simon, CEO of D S Simon Media—an award-winning influencer marketing firm that creates and distributes video to help turn organizations’ experts into influencers—discusses his distinctive take on leadership on the latest Taking the Lead podcast with Ken Jacobs. Here are excerpts from the full video interview: You think work life balance is a B.S. concept, please explain that point of view and what you recommend professionals should strive for instead.
Unlocking Success Through Curious and Empathetic Leadership
Michael Kempner, founder and CEO of MikeWorldWide, explores the impact of kind leadership, curiosity, and empathy on employee well-being and effective decision-making. Our conversation will help you discover how to cultivate a vibrant and dynamic work culture that inspires your team to excel daily, and to eventually make the jump to leadership. Here are excerpts from the full video interview: What are you doing at MikeWorldWide to build an inclusive and empathetic workplace?
VW CCO Cameron Batten on Leading Through Uncertainty
Cameron Batten has been Volkswagen Group of America’s chief communications officer since the summer of 2021. In this role, he oversees storytelling efforts across corporate, internal, product and government affairs in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Batten, who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, previously led communications for Samsung Electronics of America.
'Kind' vs 'Nice' Leadership
Megan Driscoll, Founder and CEO of EvolveMKD, discusses the importance of using “kind,” rather than “nice” leadership techniques to build a robust work culture, and integrating mental health advocacy into her core leadership strategy. Here are excerpts from the full video interview: What are currently your most significant leadership challenges? I would say that my most significant leadership challenge has been pretty consistent the whole ten years of Evolve.
PR Leaders Must Adopt a Human-to-Human Ethos
Trenesa Stanford-Danuser, Chief Communications Officer at Hudson’s Bay Company, and Global Head of Branding, Communications, and Community Outreach for Streetworks Development, shares her insights on the need for effective leadership, and how challenges can lead to profound growth amongst your teams and on your leadership journey on latest Taking the Lead podcast. Below are edited excerpts from the full video interview: Why is effective leadership critical for PR and Communications in 2024?
Effectively Incorporating AI Into Your Organizations
Aaron Kwittken, Founder and CEO at PRophet, and CEO, Comms Tech Unit, Stagwell Marketing Cloud, shares his approach for how communications pros can apply AI in the evolving PR world, how it can be used for leadership coaching, and best practices to use it effectively and ethically. Below are edited excerpts from the full video interview: How can those in leadership development and coaching effectively use AI? We can talk about the lizard brain and the monkey brain.
Deep Cuts with Trailblazing Filmmaker Ken Jacobs
On the occasion of MoMA’s recent acquisition of more than 200 works by Ken Jacobs, and the presentation of three of his films in Gallery 411: Ken Jacobs: Deep Cuts, we sat down with one of cinema’s living treasures, joined by his artist son Azazel, to talk about sources of NYC inspiration, from the streets of Brooklyn to the galleries of MoMA to the work of Joan Mitchell. Ken Jacobs: This is Ken Jacobs. And I’ve made hundreds, if not thousands, of films not realizing I was doing it.
Overcoming Analysis By Paralysis
Fiona Hutton, founder and CEO at Fiona Hutton & Associates, shares her insights as a female entrepreneur on how to overcome analysis by paralysis and how "Type A" executives can be effective leaders on the most recent Taking The Lead video podcast. Here are excerpts from the full video interview: What do you see as both the challenge and the opportunity of entrepreneurship? Being an entrepreneur is certainly a different experience.
Leading Your Teams, Even Virtual Ones, To Success
David Barkoe, founder and CEO of Carve Communications, says it’s possible to effectively lead teams, even virtual ones, through any challenge. From our discussion, you’ll take away critical insights on maximizing your leadership when times are seemingly tough or merely uncertain. Here are excerpts from the full video interview: What's your advice on how to successfully lead a team during times that seem to be better, but might still be somewhat uncertain?
DEI Is Price of Doing Business in '24
Executing DEI is not just a nice to do for agencies today, but a critical need for their business success. So says Ben Finzel, president of RENEWPR and founding partner at the Change Agencies, a national network of public relations firms focused on communications to multicultural and LGBTQ communities.
Leading On a Global Scale
Leading on a global scale can be a difficult challenge, but collaborating is an essential tool when doing so. In this Taking The Lead segment, Dan Nestle, who’s been leading communications globally for nearly a decade, invites viewers to think about approaching leadership at a universal level. He also shares insights into company structure, communication style, time management, and leadership styles across cultures.
How Leaders Can Approach Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence has taken the world by storm, especially in the communications space. Despite its many benefits, some leaders have shared concerns about how it might affect their roles as leaders. In this special fourth anniversary episode of Taking the Lead, Curtis Sparrer, Founder of Bospar PR, who appears frequently on these pages, turned the tables by interviewing me about AI’s role in leadership, and several other critical leadership topics. My key points?
Want to Be a Great Leader? Start by Building Trust and Respect
For what seems like since time immemorial, I’ve been telling leaders and leaders-in-training that leadership is a two-part choice. First, your conscious decision not just to be a PR, marketing, or communications practitioner or manager but to lead people: human beings, with all the baggage that comes with it. The most challenging job in the world. And the most fulfilling. And yes, you have a choice if you want to jump from manager to leader.
How to Be a More Effective Leader Right Now
I recently returned from PRSA’s ICON 2023 in Nashville, Tenn. — the first time I’d ever attended this global gathering of PR professionals. In addition to presenting at the Leadership Rally on Oct. 13, I presented a workshop titled “11 Things You Must Start Doing NOW to Be a More Effective Leader.” Here are six of them: I believe this is the most important leadership action for you to take: Without trust, you don’t really have a relationship with your team. No relationship, no followers.
From Imposter Syndrome to Inspiring Leadership
Valarie De La Garza, CEO of communications agency Fenton, believes that embracing discomfort and taking on fear has made her a more effective leader. On Taking the Lead video podcast, she openly discusses how she battled imposter syndrome and societal expectations during a 100-day interim CEO role, ultimately gaining the confidence to thrive in the job.
From Imposter Syndrome to Inspiring Leadership
Valarie De La Garza, CEO of communications agency Fenton, believes that embracing discomfort and taking on fear has made her a more effective leader. On Taking the Lead video podcast, she openly discusses how she battled imposter syndrome and societal expectations during a 100-day interim CEO role, ultimately gaining the confidence to thrive in the job. Here are excerpts from the full video interview: Whats your Leadership North Star?
Laughter Drives Effective Leadership
Peppercomm founder & CEO Steve Cody, stand-up comic and chief comedy officer Clayton Fletcher, co-authors of "The ROI of LOL," say that humor and laughter are essential in the workplace and can drive effective leadership. In our latest installment of the Taking the Lead video podcast, they discussed the need to infuse workplaces with laughter and humor, while sharing related leadership insights. Not surprisingly, we had many laughs while recording it.
Leaders Err, That's How They Learn
Effective leaders possess the ability to acknowledge their own errors and extract valuable lessons from them. That was certainly true for Anne Green, the CEO-Elect of G&S Business Communications. On the newest Taking the Lead video podcast, she openly discusses a mistake she made during CooperKatz’s acquisition by G&S Business Communications in 2018. Plus, she shares additional valuable leadership insights.
When Your Father's a Preacher and Your Last Name Is Pray
The first two quarters of 2023 have been challenging for many in PR agency leadership, and that includes Praytell founder and CEO Andy Pray. In this episode of Taking the Lead, Pray shares how his innate optimism, and the leadership tenets he learned from his father, a pastor, helped him power through. Here are excerpts from the full video interview: When you look at the three key leadership tenets that have driven your career, your “North Star,” what were those three things?
7 Steps for Leading Through Uncertain Times
“These are the times that try men’s souls.” So said Thomas Paine in December 1776 (you know, back when Gini Dietrich was in kindergarten!). And while we’re not facing what our forebears faced that winter, I think it’s safe to say that all of us, whether we’re entrepreneurs, in the agency business, on the corporate side, or in just about any business, are experiencing uncertain times. What will happen in Ukraine?
Leap of Faith Into PR
Unexpected career pivots can raise some eyebrows, but Jonathan Rosen, Principal and Co-Founder of BerlinRosen, has proven that taking a leap of faith can lead to remarkable success. Only two years after graduating from law school, Rosen made the bold decision to launch a PR firm. In this episode of Taking the Lead, Rosen shares his learnings from this experience and more leadership insights.
Maher Advises Women to 'Lean In'
In this episode of Taking the Lead, Maher offers her advice to women who want to elevate their leadership and imparts a wealth of valuable insights. Here are excerpts from the full video interview: You started Marina Maher Communications on your dining room table in 1983. What do you know now that you wish you knew then? Hindsight is a wonderful thing to have. Driving with the rearview mirror. One thing I wish I knew is that at the end of the day, it all works out.
Google’s Corey duBrowa on the Importance of Listening
Corey duBrowa is the vice president of global communications and public affairs for Google/Alphabet. Several PR trade publications have named him as one of the most important and influential in-house communicators worldwide. In the past 20-plus years, his résumé includes serving as CCO of Salesforce, SVP of global communications at Starbucks and president at Waggener Edstrom. He joined Google in April 2018.
MoMA Announces Major Acquisition Of Moving-Image Works By Ken Jacobs
The Museum of Modern Art has purchased 212 films and videos by the American artist Ken Jacobs (b. 1933). These join 14 titles by Jacobs that were already in the Museum's collection, making MoMA the singular repository of works by one of the great moving-image artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Dream Big, But Be Realistic
"Be impractical about what you can achieve and practical about how you get there," says Olita Mills, president of PR agency LaFORCE. Growing up, Mills learned from her father to dream big, but be realistic about the path. She credits this mantra for her career success. Here are excerpts from the full video interview: You started as a senior AE at LaForce & Stevens and went all the way to President. What were your leadership North Stars that got you there?
Live Your Values as a Leader
To be an authentic leader, you must consistently live your values. Recently on the Taking the Lead video podcast, Greg Mondshein, co-founder and managing partner at communications agency SourceCode, shared his insights on why it's less about what leaders say, and all about what they do, especially when it comes to values. Here are excerpts from the full video interview: I first became aware of you when SourceCode was named as a “Best Places to Work In PR”.
Critical Skills Shared by Great Leaders and PR Professionals
An article published here, “Most Leaders Suck At Communications,” got me thinking about the characteristics shared by great leaders and PR professionals—and some tips for both. A few things to consider… Great Leaders Ask More Than They Tell PR professionals understand the value of asking questions, which leads to insights and communications strategies. Asking questions helps leaders understand what’s going on with their teams. That’s Leadership 101.
PR Pros Must 'Just Say the Hard Thing'
TAKING THE LEAD WITH MELISSA VELA-WILLIAMSON, APR, CDP, I recently sat down with PR agency owner Melissa Vela-Williamson, APR, CDP, author of the recently published Smart Talk: Public Relations Essentials All Pros Should Know. During our conversation, she offered her insights on trust, diversity, mindset, and other critical leadership issues. Here are excerpts from the full video interview: In “Smart Talk” you mention how important it is for PR professionals to build trust.
Omnicom’s Soon Mee Kim on the Future of DE&I
Soon Mee Kim is chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer for the Omnicom Communications Consultancy Network, which includes the Omnicom Public Relations Group and the Omnicom Brand Consulting Group, a position she has held since September 2020. Kim works with the agency’s leaders to develop policies, practices and programs that advance DE&I within the company. She also develops client initiatives for DE&I in the communities where people live and work.
'Don't Make Excuses' in '23
I recently sat down with Scott Baradell, CEO of technology PR and marketing agency Idea Grove. During our conversation, he shared the key takeaways from his new book, Trust Signals: Brand Building in a Post-Truth World. Here are excerpts from the full video interview: What’s your biggest leadership lesson from 2022 that will affect how you lead in 2023?
Look to AI & Big Picture Moments in '23
To celebrate the start of the new year, I recently sat down with two Taking the Lead podcast veterans, Emily Poe and Curtis Sparrer, in a round-table discussion looking back at 2022, and more important, to the year ahead. Poe is group president, integrated communications of Real Chemistry and has led work for such brands as Pfizer, Merck, Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Genentech. Sparrer is co-founder and principal of Bospar, who recently won PR Week’s Most Purposeful Agency Leader.
7 tips for leaders going into 2023
At this time of year many of my executive coaching clients are asking me “How should I lead in the new year?” It’s the right question. It’s an even more pressing question than usual, with less-than-positive economic signals and the possibility of a global recession looming for 2023. [RELATED: Enter your crisis comms efforts by Dec. 9] Here are nine things I tell them: Be alert: Know what’s going on in the marketplace.
Park Ego During Merger
I recently sat down, virtually, with David Kyne, Group President-Communications, Evoke, which describes itself as having “a clear vision to build careers, brands, and organizations, unlocking the potential of today and shaping tomorrow to be better for the patients we serve.” Kyne leads Evoke’s communications division, which includes US and European specialty healthcare agencies like Evoke Canale, Evoke Kyne, Evoke Incisive Health and Evoke Galliard, with a focus on global pharmaceutical,...
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