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Ralph Jacobson  

Leadership Coach & Author

Ralph Jacobson knows how to bring businesses to the next level. A nationally recognized change agent, Jacobson has helped organizations establish more effective cultures, build more powerful leadership, respond more easily to external threats, improve their financial performance, lower organization silo walls, and engage employees to more effectively. Recognized consistently as one of the top ten leadership developers in the country by Executive Excellence Magazine, Jacobson defines the rhythm of change and shows leaders how to build organizations that adapt – and even thrive – in uncertain times.

An engaging and powerful author, Jacobson has written extensively in the areas of leadership and organization change. His most recent book, Getting Unstuck: Using Leadership Paradox to Execute with Confidence, not only describes why people are often unable to successfully address the most critical professional, organization, and societal issues, but also shows readers how to effectively tackle them. Another one of his books, Leading for a Change: How to Master the Five Challenges Faced by Every Leader was noted as one of the "Top 30 Business Books" by Mgeneral.com. Founder of The Leadership Toolbox and receiver of the American Express Gold Quality Award for his consulting work, Jacobson has spent his career advising companies on how to develop internal talent so they are equipped to handle difficult challenges.

Energetic, intelligent and funny, this business thought leader provides his audiences with fresh and effective ways to address some of the most critical challenges organizations face. He shows them how to tackle the paradoxical issues that seem to defy solutions, and gives leaders approaches to be more effective in incorporating alternative points of view, overcoming resistance, and getting people to work across organizational boundaries. Research has shown that when organizations employ his methods, they are more able to adapt to change and sustain profitability and success longer than those who don’t. Delivering his passionate message, Jacobson motivates his audiences to push themselves beyond what they thought was previously possible, and lead others to do the same.

Speech Topics


Finding Balance: Three Roles Leaders Play

If you are stressed because you have an overflowing plate of work, this presentation will be of interest. This is not a time management method - that assumes you want to do more of what you currently do. Rather, we believe you already know how to manage your time, but want to have greater influence and impact.

This presentation provides a simple approach to determine whether you are focused on those things that will make a difference to you and others. Are you doing those things which show up or those that really matter? Are you doing your job in a way brings out the best in yourself and in others? What role do you really want to play in your life - and how can you make that happen?

Leading for a Change: Focus on Execution

Although knowledge doubles every two years and organizations face unrelenting and unprecedented competitive threats, most companies struggle to implement new programs, products/services, and strategic relationships. Indeed, eight out of ten new initiatives fail to achieve their objectives.

Based on Ralph Jacobson’s first book, Leading for a Change: How to Master the Five Challenges Faced by Every Leader, he demonstrates that leadership and change management can be viewed as a teachable, improvable, measurable, and institutional process that makes the achievement of strategic goals as simple and effective as possible.

By the end of the session participants understand how to:

• Anticipate and overcome the universal challenges faced by every leader • Overcome the internal challenge of internal silos • Make sure leaders do the right thing at the right time • Develop project plans and initiatives that are likely to succeed

Participants have used Ralph’s Leader’s Map™ to:

• Create new products/services • Reshape organization functions and departments • Build stronger partnerships between organizations • Create higher levels of employee engagement • Develop the talent of high potential leaders to successfully undertake more complex work

By the conclusion of this presentation, participants apply the learning to a real life situation, create and share a story about a change they wish to undertake. They leave the session with greater clarity of what they wish to accomplish and how they intend to make it happen. This session is powerful, practical, and provides an immediate return to the attendees and their sponsoring organizations.

Getting Unstuck: The Power of Paradox to Execute with Confidence

When leaders face unrelenting challenges, they are likely to use the problem solving methods that have brought them success in the past. Yet, leadership coach Ralph Jacobson will demonstrate that the most critical professional and organization issues we face are not problems at all. Instead, they are paradoxes that must be balanced. Audiences are given powerful, practical approaches that can be used to address strategic issues, improve team effectiveness, and reduce internal organization stress. Ralph’s work will breathe life into parts of the organization that are experiencing unnecessary stress and reduced performance.

By the conclusion of this presentation, audiences will:

• Clearly understand the distinction between problems and paradoxes and why this is critical for their success • Explore why their normal approaches will exacerbate the issues and why silo walls are erected • Identify the professional or organization paradoxes that are most important for them to address • Learn the anatomy of a paradox and how when unmanaged, it creates disruption • Develop a plan to address one of their identified paradoxes

The learning from this session can be applied to:

• Strategic and department planning • Communicating change • Addressing cross-functional and team tensions • Individual performance coaching

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