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Internal Memorandum
Coyle Communications Practices, Inc.
To: Department directors; Managers reporting to the marketing coordinator
From: Amanda Coyle
Subject: Strong Leadership: Managing yourself, leading others
Date: April 2, 2015

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Executive Summary
In the field of reputation management, there are key phrases that get tossed around all the
time. Two of these words are heard more often than any others: manage and lead. However,
what is often overlooked are the ways that these two terms are different from each other. It is
tempting to lump them in together for many reasons; they are both strong sounding and give off
the impression of capability. In reality, looking at the differences between these two words and
the way they are used can be much more valuable in terms of becoming both a better leader and
manager. Managing is an important part of day to day operations; keeping established standards
high, minimizing risk and ensuring that practices are running and will continue to run smoothly.
Leadership, on the other hand, is achieved at the same time as forward movement. Complacency,
whether it be from the leader in question or their employees and peers, is what happens when
management is made the priority and leadership is allowed to be placed on the back burner. True
leadership is achieved through the refusal to become complacent, and through the knowledge
that there is always more than can be done.
So much of the field of reputation management is spend focusing on others: how can
clients be protected, molded and kept happy? How can employees and account coordinators be
pushed to the best of their abilities and inspired to step up and seize leadership of their own?
However, instead of looking externally, development of good and effective leadership
capabilities can also be found by looking internally. Development of ones personal brand is
critical for growing and being taken seriously as an established leader. Leadership can be infused
into the forefront of thought every day, and it has one core element that must be kept in mind:
leadership begins with nobody other than the leader. There are several ways that the

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development of leadership skills can be achieved and, in turn, passed along to those who will
take the helm next.
These leadership development and improvement tasks include:

Personal brand development (and identification of leadership style)

Avoiding complacency (stepping up and inspiring others to do the same)

Living as an example (being a leader at all times, even while off the clock)
Defining a Leader

In his 1974 Handbook of Leadership, Stogdill pointed out that there are almost as many different
definitions of leadership as there are people who have tried to define it. For the purpose of
argument, we will use the definition put together by Northouse (2004): leadership is a process
whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. Leadership is
also defined by him as a process, meaning:

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Leadership is not a trait or characteristic within the leader; rather, it is a
transaction between the leader and their followers (Northouse, 2004, p. 5).

Leadership is a process, which means that they affect their followers and are, in
turn, affected by them as well (Northouse, 2004, p. 5).

Leadership is not restricted to the formally designated leader of the group. It

can be practiced (and should be practiced) by everyone at some point
(Northouse, 2004, p. 5).

Leadership includes attention to common goals (Northouse, 2004, p. 5).

Without influence, leadership can not exist (Northouse, 2004, p. 5).

These points can be better seen by looking at a chart adapted from Northouses book,
Leadership: Theory and Practice. By examining it, it becomes clear that leadership, when
defined as a process and not just a collection as traits, becomes a form of two-way
communication (which has been proved to work best in the world of public relations, where
communication is key for mutual understanding) as well as attainable for anybody in the

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organization, not just formally designated leaders. It is the belief of Northouse, as well of as this
organization, that leaders can be created, trained and maintained not just born. Every member
of this organization has the capability to become a leader, and those who are already leaders have
the potential to improve themselves, their coworkers, and the organization as a whole.

Personal Brand Development and Maintenance

According to Llopis, founder of the Center for Hispanic Leadership, in his 2014 Forbes
article, Every Leader Must Be A Change Agent Or Face Extinction: a strong reputation makes it
easier to earn respect from your peers and to advance your career goals. However, he also
cautions that what takes years to build can be lost in a moments notice.
A personal brand, for these purposes, will be defined as the way a leader defines both
themselves and what they stand for, regardless of circumstances. As a leader, this set of values
should not only e communicated through ones work and his or her personal relationship with
others in the workplace, but in their every day life as well. This can help eliminate hypocrisy and
ensure that a leader is able to achieve a certain level of transparency; others will want to follow
and assist them more when the leaders intentions are clear and a certain level of trust can be
built between the leader and a) their peers, b) their superiors and c) their clients and contacts
outside of their own organization.

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This personal brand can be easily developed and maintained by keeping two simple
goals in mind:

Know what you stand for as a leader, and make these values transparent to
others

Live by the values you have established; do not make yourself into a hypocrite
for the ease of convenience

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Avoiding Complacency
Leadership is achieved at the same time as forward movement is, for both the leader in
question and the organization as a whole. Complacency, whether it be from the leader in question
or their employees and peers, is what happens when management is made the priority and
leadership is allowed to be placed on the back burner. True leadership is achieved through the
refusal to become complacent, and through the knowledge that there is always more than can be
done. Leaders are meant to have an affect on those they are surrounded by, and to in turn be
affected by them as well. They are meant to inspire those within the organization to achieve
common goals, and to do so in the most effective way possible. If leaders are simply managing
day to day operations instead of ensuring forward movement for company projects and the
trajectory of their fellow coworkers, they arent leading; they are simple managing (a term used
here in ways that could be called akin to just coasting by).
The best way to be an effective leader is to manage oneself, and lead others. When
oneself is being managed, they can be counted on to be reliable, dependable, and upfront about
their intentions. They become a source of trust for others, and therefore are more likely to be
followed. However, while it is important to manage oneself, an extra step must be taken where
others are involved. It is not enough to just manage. Leaders must do as their name suggests and
lead. This includes:

Inspiring others to take action toward achieving common goals

Inspiring others to step up and become leaders themselves

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Convincing others that innovation can be positive and that some risks are worth
taking; remaining in ones comfort zone is not the way to accomplish new
things.

Living As An Example
Neither clients nor coworkers will put their trust in a leader they feel doesnt truly believe
in the messages they are trying to inspire others to follow. They will not follow a hypocrite, nor
will they step up to the plate to help someone whom they feel is being dishonest about their
actions or intentions. Transparency is one of the most important factors of the public relations
world, and individuals are not exempt from that rule. Once one has established their personal
values and made them known, it is paramount that those values are then followed up on. Much
like the mission statement of a company must be followed by all employees, the best leadership
will come from a leader who knows what they stand for and makes every endeavor to follow
through on those projects and core beliefs that they have claimed of being important.

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Key Points

Leadership is not trait or characteristic within the leader; rather, it is a transaction

between the leader and their followers (Northouse, 2004, p. 5).

Leadership comes from the outside in; know what you stand for and then follow through
on those beliefs.

Clients and coworkers alike are more likely to trust someone whom they feel is being
transparent with them. Be upfront about your intentions and make your core values
known.

Leadership is defined by affecting others to take action. Do not become complacent, and
do not allow those around you to become complacent.

Developing and maintaining ones personal brand is paramount for being seen and
taken seriously as a leader.

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References
Drucker, Peter F. The Practice of Management. New York: Harper & Row, 1954. Print.
Llopis, Glenn. "Every Leader Must Be A Change Agent Or Face Extinction." Forbes. Forbes
Magazine, 14 Apr. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2015.Hu, Y., Wood, J. F., Smith, V., & Westbrook,
Northouse, Peter Guy. Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2004. Print.
Stogdill, Ralph M. Handbook of Leadership: A Survey of Theory and Research. New York: Free,
1974. Print.