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Ken Jacobs, PCC, CPC, an experienced consultant and certified coach, is the principal of Jacobs Consulting & Executive Coaching, which serves agencies, companies, senior leaders, executives and managers in the corporate communications, public relations, advertising and marketing space.

He has helped agencies grow and manage business, improve client service and relationships, and enhance staff performance, communications, and leadership skills, and has empowered communications CEOs, presidents, executive vice presidents and senior vice presidents to achieve and surpass their goals since 2007.



Jacobs holds Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credentials from the International Coach Federation (ICF), and is accredited as a Certified Professional Coach (CPC) and Energy Leadership Index (ELI) Master Practitioner by the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC).

Testimonials

  • "I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for your coaching services. You are a great coach! I was truly impressed when your coaching helped to reshift one of my team member's way of thinking and leading. It was incredible to witness the positive transformation that occurred as a result of your guidance. Your methodical and thoughtful approach truly made a difference. Having used several types of coaching in the past, I genuinely appreciate your patience and graceful approach. It is evident that you have a deep understanding of your craft and a genuine passion for helping others succeed. Thank you once again for your excellent coaching. It has been an absolute pleasure working with you. I look forward to our continued collaboration in the future."
    Kristelle Siarza, MBA, APRKristelle Siarza, MBA, APROwner and CEO, Siarza
  • "Ken is the ultimate trainer for PR people. Not only has he walked the walk through client service and business development trenches, he also has realistic, practical and actionable recommendations that help teams up their game. During a recent training that Ken developed/led for our Global Marketing team he adeptly picked up on our corporate culture, established real-time rapport with the participants and created a "safe space" for sharing concerns. When weighed against deadline demands and shifting priorities, Ken's trainings are truly time well spent."
    Sandra SokoloffSandra SokoloffSenior Director of Global Public Relations and Corporate Communications, Alvarez & Marsal
  • "I had the good fortune to attend Ken’s “How to Evolve Your Leadership” presentation live in Scottsdale this spring. The room was packed, and for good reason. Ken’s style is easygoing but serious, and focused on practical steps leaders can take to improve their performance. His program was thought-provoking and strategic, and I left motivated to implement several new ideas when I returned to the office. Ken will inspire and encourage even the most seasoned leaders. All this, AND he’s the nicest man. Highly recommend."
    Sarah Erkmann Ward, APRSarah Erkmann Ward, APRStrategic communicator, advocacy expert, public affairs specialist
  • "Ken Jacobs is the development coach you need if you’re looking for a partner to help you grow your business. Ken’s business development and leadership sessions at the Counselors Academy PRSA Conference — designed for business owners like me - led me to hire him as my business development coach. And it’s been the best decision I made since launching Chasing the Sun.

    Ken’s experience as a PR executive -- coupled with his coaching accreditations - gives him the empathic qualities needed to help business owners on their journey. His approach to planning and prospecting helps you focus on what’s essential and identify practical solutions for growth.

    Because of this approach, I am on track to double my year-over-year revenue goals heading into 2023. Most of all, Ken is a great guy who is fun to work with, engaging, and genuinely cares about your personal and professional growth. If you’re looking for a partner who truly wants to help you lead with confidence, I cannot recommend Ken enough!"
    Mark Mohammadpour, APR, CHC, CPT, PN1-NCMark Mohammadpour, APR, CHC, CPT, PN1-NCOwner and Chief Well-being Officer, Chasing the Sun
  • "Ken is a phenomenal speaker. I attended a PR conference this summer and had the pleasure of learning from his keynote presentation, “How To Evolve Your Leadership Style.” There were so many excellent takeaways that I immediately began to implement. One of the best tips he shared was to dial up my empathy to enhance work performance. That has been one of the most effective strategies I’ve focused on this year. If you have the opportunity to work with Ken or hear him present, don’t miss it!"
    Joseph AbreuJoseph AbreuCCO at Lee Clerk of Court, PRSA National Treasurer
  • "Dynamic, engaging, entertaining! Three words that describe Ken Jacobs presentation, How to Evolve Your Leadership so that your Teams will Enthusiastically Follow You Through Any Uncertainty. Ken delivered this session on August 9, 2022, at the Florida Public Relations Association Annual Conference. Since Ken's presentation, I have put his takeaways into practice, dialing up my emotional intelligence, giving energy to my team, increasing transparency, being more empathetic, encouraging a higher level of performance, leading with courage and more. The team I lead is young, and my goal is to make them so successful that one day they have the opportunity to be leaders. Ken's presentation certainly bolstered my skill set, and has given me more confidence to advocate on behalf of my team, to make for a more congenial, successful work environment. Thanks, Ken. Your words of wisdom have made a positive impact on my leadership."
    Susan Vernon-DevlinSusan Vernon-DevlinCommunications and Marketing Pro, Exceptional Crisis Communications Manager
  • "Ken Jacobs is personal, engaging, likable and motivating! Earlier this year, he spoke at the Florida Public Relations Association’s 83rd Annual Conference on the topic of leadership. His presentation was informative, thought-provoking and relevant. Thanks to Ken, our conference attendees left FPRA’s Annual Conference inspired to be better leaders."
    Cheray Keyes-Shima, APR, CPRCCheray Keyes-Shima, APR, CPRCPresident of KSC, Inc.
  • "I am so grateful to have Ken as my leadership coach. His coaching approach - focused on energy leadership and the Energy Leadership Index - is powerful and incredibly effective. The results are clear in my life professionally, including a promotion and recognized leadership growth by my leaders. The coaching also has improved my life personally where I find myself reacting to professional and personal situations with more clarity, compassion and confidence. My entire leadership mindset has shifted and there is zero chance that would have happened without Ken. I enthusiastically recommend Ken if you’re interested in quickly increasing leadership, productivity, resilience, confidence, effectiveness and so much more. He’s a game changer for any leader."
    Deirdre Murphy RamseyDeirdre Murphy RamseyExecutive Vice President, Precision Strategies
  • "Our Princeton Strategic Communications team worked with Ken over the course of a year to implement a business development plan that was tailored to our needs. Ken carefully coached us through the planning process and encouraged us to pursue and achieve our stretch goals. Ken gave our process a valuable set of professional eyes to ensure the best results."
    Norris ClarkNorris ClarkManaging Partner at Princeton Strategic Communications
  • "Ken has always been a trusted leadership and executive coach to many of PRGN’s member agencies for several years. A recent global webinar titled ‘How To Lead Leaders in Uncertain Times’ exclusive to our member agencies not only attracted communications pros from dozens of countries with a timely subject in agency life, but yet again proved Ken’s qualities as a leadership coach, leadership speaker and agency consultant. His presentation skills and storytelling style grabbed the audience’s attention throughout the session and feedback from multiple countries and cultures have testified it was effective despite being a virtual occasion. Ken combined thought-provoking points with practical tips that agency leaders in attendance said would surely put into action. While creating a friendly atmosphere, Ken demonstrated a solid knowledge on leadership trends and on all aspects of his subject content.

    Ken’s passion is palpable, both about his subject and for his audience. At the end of the online session, attendees felt inspired to become more effective leaders, using his thoughts and advise. As a host of our global event, I was amazed at the depth of his knowledge and inventory of cases and stories he was able to pull and tell when responding to a wide variety of questions form the audience. Ken is a great partner every host can dream of. Thank you for being with us, Ken, and for sharing some of your vast expertise. I’m sure we'll meet at upcoming virtual or regular member events of PRGN."

    Gabor JelinekGabor JelinekPublic Relations Global Network (PRGN)
  • "I first started following Ken through PRSA and attended a few of his online webinars on coaching and leading. I knew right away he is one to watch! He is confident, personable and practical, and his lessons in leadership can be implemented immediately after stepping away from his class. Sign up for a 1:1 coaching session, and he will help you unpack just about any leader communications dilemma you might be facing, no matter where you are at in your career trajectory. He has a full portfolio and the knowledge and expertise to share. Ken is one of a kind, and I am beyond lucky to have him in my network. Book him!"
    Daniella WiedelDaniella WiedelGlobal Internal Communication Manager at GM Financial
  • "Ken's sage guidance helped us develop our business development plan and execute every element over a six-month period of regular coaching activities. The data says that the time we spent with Ken more than paid for itself!"
    Melanie Wilt, APRMelanie Wilt, APROwner of Shift•ology Communication & Clark County Commissioner
  • "Ken's valuable insight, knowledge and encouragement set us off on the right path with a new sales and marketing plan, right as the world's pandemic was breaking. This instilled us with the much-needed confidence required to continuing growing our business amid a monumental crisis. Our bi-monthly Zoom sessions with Ken were always helpful and encouraging as he is very nonjudgemental but still provides mentorship and suggestions. I never walked away feeling bad, as sometimes you do with coaches who don't understand your other time-constraints. It is also very helpful that Ken has past leadership experience at top PR firms, so we could pick up important advice in other areas, beyond sales and marketing, such as hiring and client management. As leader of a company, it is important to keep people like Ken close, otherwise it can be a lonely job!"
    Amy RosenbergAmy RosenbergPresident and Founder of Veracity
  • "Ken is coach extraordinaire! I had the privilege of working with him over the last few months during a career transition. Ken’s coaching is centered around the Energy Leadership Index (ELI) which has truly helped me refine my leadership style. His approach is customized to each client and geared towards individual goals. He also brings positive energy to every coaching session, which automatically shifts his clients’ energy to a higher, more productive level. I am a better leader from his coaching."
    Dawn Buzynski, APRDawn Buzynski, APRDirector of Strategic Communications
  • "Before working with Ken, my feelings were mostly made up of guilt and anger at work and home. I was unproductive at work and always felt like a failure to my team. It seemed I never had enough time in the day and when I got home, I was a screaming, exhausted mom collapsing on the couch. I'm not exaggerating when I say that all this has completely changed. With the use of the Energy Leadership Index (ELI) as the core of the coaching, I feel I have the tools to make critical decisions for my team during this difficult time of a global pandemic. It's a monumental task to provide effective and empathetic leadership through this. It's incredibly hard and I'm humbled that people are looking to me for answers, even though I don't have them. I feel lost a lot of the time. Luckily, I have Ken to help guide me through."
    Bridget DalyBridget DalyVP, Client Services at Ideas Collide, Marketing Executive, Digital Advertising Director
  • "Ken Jacobs is the best! I worked with Ken for the past year – and it was our best year yet. My company’s income grew by 22% As a PR expert, I was never trained on how to be a business leader. Ken gave me very substantive tips, feedback and advice. He helped me develop a business plan with financial goals, encouraged me to focus on our firm’s strengths, lead my team and grow my business. Due to Ken's coaching, I now feel more like a business leader rather than a PR person. I’m forever grateful to Ken."

    Laura GrossLaura GrossPresident, Scott Circle Communications
  • "Ken has provided excellent value to our executive team in the areas of business development and marketing. He is a pleasure to work with, provides strategic and thoughtful counsel and coaching, and he has helped us to advance many of our business goals. I would recommend him to any agency, and would be happy to speak with anyone about our experience with him."
    Maureen JuniperMaureen JuniperPartner at Praxis
  • “By using the Energy Leadership coaching system and working with Ken, I was able to figure out what really motivates me and how that helps me do my job better - he empowered me to lead my business with courage and strength. Due to Ken's coaching, I now feel more like a business leader rather than a PR person. I’m forever grateful to Ken."

    Laura GrossLaura GrossPresident, Scott Circle Communications
  • "I first approached Ken for coaching around building the right business development mindset as I was settling into a new role/establishing a new office for our agency. After a few weeks working together, I quickly realized how much opportunity was ahead of me. I was able to unpack some previously held beliefs about my skill set and be open to new ways of working. As a result of working together I've not only cultivated the mindset I was initially seeking but have been much more productive, uncovered other areas of growth and am better prepared to not just handle change but thrive during it! It was a great experience."
    Meghan GrossMeghan GrossVice President, Pierpont Communications
  • I engaged him as an executive coach to help me gain awareness of my leadership style and to help sharpen my focus as I grew my firm and increased the size of our team and business. His insights have been invaluable. Ken has helped me harness my energy and focus on my strengths so that I can be more effective. The positive results happened nearly immediately as I started taking actions and realizing efficiencies (read: money-saving!) in my business. I also was able to sort through challenging decisions to get to wonderful outcomes in a way that matched my values. It's wonderful to gain clarity and to focus on what will move my company forward. I'd highly recommend working with Ken!"

    Filomena FanelliFilomena FanelliCEO, Impact PR & Marketing

Articles

PRSA Stragies & Tactics logo

Ken Jacobs on His Own Leadership Values

For our last issue of 2019, Ken Jacobs himself tackles the questions that he has asked countless other PR leaders.

PRSA Stragies & Tactics logo

AnnaMaria DeSalva on Maintaining Your Center

A Q&A with AnnaMaria DeSalva.

PRSA Stragies & Tactics logo

Doug Baxter on Respectful Leadership

A Q&A with Doug Baxter.

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