Linda Yaccarino prides herself as being a sought-after connector, collaborator, and counselor – an approach which has propelled her career achievements to include serving on President Donald Trump’s Council on Sports Fitness and Nutrition, working closely with both White House officials and Pope Francis on developing coronavirus vaccination campaigns, and more.
However, her work at the World Economic Forum has caused consternation among some right-leaning and anarchist Twitter users who fear she will roll back content moderation initiatives championed by Elon Musk.
NBCU’s Transformational Leader
Linda Yaccarino Wikipedia is one of the industry’s foremost media executives, known for driving transformational change. As Chairperson of Global Advertising and Partnerships at Yahoo Video, she oversees an expansive video ecosystem worth $70 billion that connects both established brands to millions of viewers while driving economic impact across industries.
At NBCUniversal, she has been an outspoken champion for the advertising industry. As the first ad chief to launch an integrated technology-enabled trading system and unify network teams under a monetization strategy that has since become standard practice, she was an early innovator.
Since 2011, she has led innovation-based commercial solutions at NBCU with data-driven commercial solutions and partnerships with major players such as Apple News, Buzzfeed, ReachTV, Holler, Snapchat and Twitter while diversifying the revenue streams for NBCU. Most recently she was instrumental in the launch of Peacock: an ad-supported streaming service featuring Saturday Night Live, The Olympics and NBC News programming.
Leading with Empathy
Empathy in leadership is central to creating a safe work environment that inspires creativity, innovation, and engagement. Empathetic leaders across C-suite or frontline settings put team members’ wellbeing first and make them feel that their success is tied directly to that of their leader’s success. According to Catalyst research findings, employees who perceive their leaders as empathic are less likely to burnout or leave the organization; producing better results at once.
Empathetic leaders take the time to listen and comprehend their teams’ challenges, show genuine care about their wellbeing, and don’t shy away from discussing sensitive subjects such as family matters or health concerns.
Empathy should not be confused with compassion. Compassion involves taking direct steps to ease someone’s suffering; empathy involves nonjudgmental listening. Furthermore, understanding when it is appropriate to identify with another’s emotions without becoming consumed by them is also essential part of emotional intelligence and hallmark of great leadership.
Putting People First
How companies treat their employees is a direct reflection of their people-focused culture. While a company might claim it’s people-friendly, if long-time employees are passed over for promotions or there are no new career opportunities then this shows they don’t put people first.
On the other hand, when businesses hire people based on skills rather than connections alone, it shows both current and potential employees that the business puts people first. Being honest about reality means being transparent with employees about changes such as changing benefits plans or discontinuing popular products that might occur due to business realities.
Yaccarino will face an uphill battle convincing advertisers that Twitter is safe place for them to invest their marketing dollars, yet she enters this position fully aware of what needs to be done to rebuild advertiser trust.
Leading with Data
Linda Yaccarino was the former Head of Global Advertising at NBCUniversal and understands the significance of data analysis within fast-paced businesses. Additionally, she knows how to use data as a transformative force – here she offers advice on creating an analytics culture within teams and inspiring team members.
Yaccarino has come under scrutiny over her handling of Twitter after its new owner, Elon Musk, made headlines for his harsh criticism of women and non-binary people. When Yaccarino met up with Musk at a marketing conference in Miami Beach she made sure he answered her queries on this matter. She even pressured him about it during a panel session.
She asked whether Elon Musk plans to reinstate his company’s Influence Council – an advisory group comprised of marketers that he used to consult on regular basis. She further requested he do more to reduce advertisers’ risks by adding content controls that protect brands from appearing next to inappropriate material.