6 Traits Of A Good Agency Leader

February 2, 2016


Great-LeadersThere are many ways to define leadership, a leader is one who influences or leads others. (according to Wikipedia); The person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country: the leader of a protest group a natural leader. (according to Oxford). There were a lot of changes within public relations agencies a over 2015 and we have already seen a few big moves in the first month of 2016 which made us around the office ask the question – What Makes A Good Agency Leader?

  • A good leader will set the tone for their agency every day – A strong agency leader makes it his or her mission to ensure all members of their organization are on the same page, and have the same drive and desire to achieve their goals on a daily basis. A high degree of emotional intelligence is required for leaders to be aware of their own emotions, and how those emotions impact their team.
  • Good leaders know people come first – Without people, you do not have an agency!  Business moves forward with your people that are happy and motivated.  Celebrating your teams accomplishments and success is crucial to ensure they feel good about showing up the next day.   No one wants to put up with a leader who talks crap, is arrogant and stamps his feet.
  • Good leaders give feedback, as well as seek it – Don’t be a cliché and say you have an open door policy, you need to create an environment that allows for honest input and feedback (not matter how painful it is to your ego).  Feedback is necessary from all angles to ensure your agency runs at an optimal level at all times.  Good leaders will constructively explain to employees how they think about things they can improve, great leaders will ask for an employees’ opinion on how they can become better bosses. A 360-degree feedback system can take a while to filter through – but it’s worth it.
  • Good leaders advocate a work-life balance environment within the agency – We have all heard and in some cases worked for agency’s who have won some type of “Best Company to Work For” award.  Work-life balance ultimately means different things to different people, and also to different businesses.  Leaders must recognize the needs of all of its employees, men, women, part time and full time employees.  Some agencies allow for a flex-schedule where staff can work from home on certain days.
  • Good leaders genuinely enjoy what they do – the best agencies are the ones where the staff have fun working for it!  People work harder when they enjoy themselves.  This type of culture stems directly from the top, and if the boss is okay having a laugh in the office, everyone else will be, too.
  • Good leaders roll up their sleeves – Anyone can ask another to do something, but the best agency leaders know how to do their dirty work themselves, and will still lend a hand to help out. These leaders aren’t worried about getting involved and they don’t value their own time above everyone else’s. They simply know that rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck in will gain them respect from their employees.

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Dave Forde


Dave “The Connector” Forde has been involved in the marketing, public relations and technology industry across Canada for over 15 years in various sales and marketing roles, he launched The Connected One network of business sites which connects buyers to the right sellers. Profectio and PR In Canada covers news about the marketing and public relations industry each day helping professionals advance their career and businesses.
He also serves as an advisor to a number of businesses across the country. Find Dave on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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