Tom Hoog, former head of Hill and Knowton/USA, got high marks at the spring meeting of the Counselors Academy May 7-9 for a talk that urged the counselors to practice “values-based leadership.”

Hoog did not have a text but summarized what he said as follows.

Tom HoogTom Hoog

“Having read the speeches of John Hill and having incredible respect and admiration for Harold Burson, I'm reminded that both felt it important that PR professionals be dedicated to truth telling and called upon the profession to completely remove the word spin from its vocabulary.

“It's important to be grounded in personal values and to recognize that the act of leadership is a conscious decision, it is not just a function of title or position. Our every word and actions have an impact on someone and we should aspire that those words and actions are reflective of our values.

Leading Change

“I recommended James O'Toole's excellent book Leading Change, the Argument for Values-Based Leadership as an important read. [O’Toole is professor of business ethics, University of Denver].

I suggested Plato's words that the first and most important victory we must win is the victory over self. It is an admonition about the importance of knowing one’s personal values. Know your values and be loyal to those values in your every undertaking.

Don’t Be Discouraged

“The second point is that there are two kinds of people, those that have had a setback and those who will have a setback. We should be judged by how we handled the setback. We should use a setback to launch a comeback.

“I told the story of my grandson who at age 17 was a gifted athlete but was involved in a jeep accident that rendered him a quadriplegic. But just last week he graduated from the University of North Carolina and has been accepted to the University of Southern California for graduate work in screen writing. He took a setback and launched a comeback and I urged the attendees to always use their setbacks the same way.

“My third point was the importance of thinking about what your legacy will be and reminding yourself that it will not be about what you've gained but rather what you gave. I recommended The Road to Character by David Brooks as an important read to focus one’s attention to a resume of virtues rather than just a resume of accomplishments. I then closed by suggesting the best way to insure a legacy that will endure is to "Carve your initials in the heart of everyone you meet by treating them with Love, Respect, and Tolerance.”

Hoog Was Leader of Counselors Academy

Hoog was on the Counselors board for many years and chaired the board for a term. “Some of the best people and best ideas had their roots in the Counselors and this year in Seattle was no different,” he said. “There were a lot of good people, many in leadership positions, and serious discussions on the challenges and opportunities in the profession.”

He was president and CEO of Hill and Knowlton/USA from 1996-2001, leading the firm during an era of growth through the development of its internal resources and acquisitions. His responsibilities included managing the 13 U.S. offices; leading its acquisition strategy; developing client strategies; overseeing the firm’s profit-and-loss centers; and redefining the U.S. company’s corporate culture.

Previously he was chairman of its Public Affairs practice and general manager, New York and Washington offices. Earlier he had founded Hoog and Associates, a Colorado-based governmental affairs firm with offices in Washington, D.C. and Orange County, Calif.

He served on the executive committee and national finance committee for then-Governor Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign. He was for five years Chief of Staff for U.S. Senator Gary Hart of Colorado. He worked on the presidential campaigns of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Senator George McGovern. He was naval aviator with the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet for six years.