Torod B. Neptune has led communications at some of the world’s 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.

Here are excerpts from the full video interview:

Let’s start with a question we like to ask a lot of our guests. Who are three leaders, inside or outside PR, who have personally inspired you the most?

I’d start with Winston Churchill for his resilience and his command of language in a crisis. Nelson Mandela for his unwavering vision and staying true to what he believed in. And then someone closer to home, Pam Edstrom, who was a mentor to me. She was a great leader for a number of reasons, brilliant, strategic, and incredibly authentic. I still quote her often when I’m mentoring others.

Your career has included leadership roles in agencies, corporations, and now you’re teaching at the college level. In what ways is leading in each of those places a little different?

I actually think leadership is the same across different contexts. What changes is how you express it. I lead differently today as an academic than I did in corporate or in agencies, but the traits I consider foundational to leadership have been consistent.

And what would those foundational traits be?

Leadership at its core shares several universal qualities: vision and direction, communication, influence, inspiration, and adaptability. Those traits are foundational regardless of where you practice the discipline.

Why is adaptability so critical in 2025?

It’s always been important, but it’s even more critical today when you think about the complexity of the world we live in. The challenge of unifying publics, which is central to what we do in communications, is harder than ever. Leaders have to adapt so they can provide wise, steady counsel in the midst of nonstop disruption. That capability has allowed our function to shine in recent years.

Let’s go a little deeper on leadership in communications. Why must leaders be highly skilled communicators, even if they’re not in PR, comms, CTO, or CMO? Why do they need to be strong communicators to be truly effective?

I’ve always believed communication is a leadership competency, separate from the craft we think of as communications. I tell leaders consistently that their first job is a communications job.

To be truly effective, leaders have to communicate well because it’s the bridge between vision and execution. Those dots can’t be connected without strong communication lines, especially in a world that’s more complex, more interconnected, and moving faster every day. Communication is how you inspire, motivate, and unify people.

Now let’s flip it a bit. For those in communications, PR, and related industries — what do they need to do today to really step up in their leadership and be more effective leaders?

I think we’re increasingly lacking courage in leadership. There was a time when communicators saw themselves as the conscience of their organizations. I don’t hear that as much today.

As our discipline has tried to help leaders adapt, I think we’ve yielded that position to pragmatism. No one wants to be the tallest blade of grass or the sharp point in the room. But that creates risk because this is exactly when organizations need courageous leadership, leaders who are willing to hold up the mirror and provide direction in uncertain times.

What can a leader in higher ed, PR, or corporate communications do to tap their courage?

I don’t know that there’s a perfect answer. But I think courage starts with having a foundational vision, a North Star for where you’re trying to take an organization or yourself.

Being grounded in a global aperture is part of it too. Recognizing that we’re more human and more similar than we are distinct. The ability to speak to our collective humanity is critical, and I think it’s more of the secret sauce of leadership than we often appreciate.

As times change, certain leadership skills rise in importance, and courage is one of the skills that sits at the top today.

Coaching and leadership are closely connected. If you agree, why must leaders be great coaches?

Great leaders are, by the nature of the role, good coaches. Leaders who aren’t good coaches can’t be good leaders. Leadership requires developing people, helping them grow to the next level and the next opportunity, and that requires coaching and mentoring.

Not everyone is cut out for leadership, and that’s okay. But for those who lead, coaching is essential. Too often we’ve promoted people into leadership roles because it seemed like the next step, not because they had the skills. That’s diminished the importance of coaching as a real leadership skill.

What’s something about Torod Neptune that we wouldn’t know from your LinkedIn profile, and that might surprise us?

Something that isn’t obvious from my LinkedIn is that I’ve learned more from my failures than from my triumphs. Some of the risks I’ve taken that didn’t work out taught me far more than the ones that did.

I’ve learned to embrace those moments, the missteps, the risks that didn’t result in victories, because they made me the leader I am today more than the high points did.

Since you’ve raised it, would you be willing to share one of those “failures,” and what you learned from it?

Midway through my career, I took a risk by taking a lateral role to fill what I thought was a gap in my experience. On paper, it made complete sense. But the environment wasn’t aligned with what I believe about values, humanity, and being a good person.

So while I filled the gap on the résumé, it was a horrible experience. But I learned a lot about myself, about where I invest my time and energy and the people I choose to surround myself with. It made me far more thoughtful about alignment in my career choices.

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Ken Jacobs, PCC, CPC, ELI-MP, is a sought-after executive coach helping PR and communications leaders, agency owners, and senior executives lead with confidence, inspire their teams, and drive lasting business growth. As principal of Jacobs Consulting & Executive Coaching, he draws on more than 25 years in agency leadership. To the leaders who shape the PR world, Ken is a trusted partner in unlocking their full leadership potential. Connect with him at www.jacobscomm.com, [email protected], on LinkedIn, or on Instagram.