As Chairman of Global Advertising and Partnerships, Yaccarino oversees $10B annually while overseeing an industry-leading portfolio of linear networks, digital platforms, distribution partnerships and client relationships. She has championed change within the ad industry by advocating for reduced dependence on Nielsen ratings while creating NBCUniversal’s One Platform.
Twitter will have its hands full with her at Twitter – she is known for her strong negotiating skills and will aim to attract advertisers who fled when Musk took control.
Transformative Leadership
Effective leaders are those who can inspire people to act in ways that will benefit both themselves and their companies. This requires giving employees freedom of action towards company goals instead of simply adhering to instructions from management.
Transformative leadership involves intellectual stimulation, encouraging innovation and creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving to bring change into the workplace. Such actions can help motivate workers and boost morale during times of hardship or setback.
Linda Yaccarino Wikipedia made her mark at NBCUniversal by rebuilding its advertising business for the 21st century, helping launch Peacock ad-supported streaming service and driving discussions about gaps in media data as audiences shift online.
Uncertain is whether her leadership style will translate well to Twitter, where she must refocus the company’s advertising efforts and rebuild employee morale following layoffs and controversial changes brought in under Musk. Either her success or failure will have far reaching ramifications for social media.
Leading With Empathy
Leading with empathy is key to building trust and creating a secure working environment. Employees who feel their leaders care for them as individuals become more invested and dedicated to contributing towards the success of the company.
Employees who feel supported and valued by their managers create an empowering teamwork dynamic reminiscent of family. Furthermore, empathic communication allows employees to voice their opinions without fear of judgment or condemnation.
Empathetic leaders understand that their team members are individuals with complex personal lives that they must balance alongside professional obligations. Therefore, these leaders make a point to maintain open lines of communication and encourage transparency, showing compassion when an employee discloses an unfortunate loss while offering support and taking steps to provide relief. These compassionate leaders allow their teams to speak up, be creative with ideas and work together towards greater unity and productivity which benefits all organizations involved.
Putting People First
Yaccarino leads NBCUniversal’s $70 billion premium video ecosystem and helped develop the first ever combined advertising and sponsorship program for the LA 2028 Olympic Games, unifying ad products and capabilities across Comcast NBCUniversal and Sky, fostering #WhyTrustMatters campaigns, and opening an advanced Center of Excellence that makes insights, training and tools available to marketers.
She has long been an advocate for empowering women, including as Chair of the Ad Council Women’s Leadership Committee. Additionally, during the Covid-19 pandemic she worked alongside government agencies and the White House to launch an ambitious vaccination campaign which reached millions.
As CEO of Twitter, she must prove her business acumen can help stabilize it enough for advertisers, though she may find this hard given Musk’s unpredictability and sudden changes to the company.
Inspiring Innovation
Innovation is one of the primary ways that businesses can set themselves apart from competitors, yet innovation cannot occur without strong leadership. Many of today’s most successful businesses – Apple, Amazon and Google included – would not exist if their leaders hadn’t fostered an environment conducive to innovative thinking within their organizations.
Yaccarino serves as advertising chief for NBCUniversal and oversees a team of 2,000 workers that collectively generate more than $100 billion annually in sales. She has extensive experience within the media industry – which she once told Salesforce “became my love affair”. Starting as an intern at Turner Broadcasting before eventually rising through the ranks to executive vice president/COO of advertising sales marketing and acquisitions for Turner.
Last month, Yaccarino appeared with Musk at an advertising conference in Miami Beach to discuss Twitter’s place in culture and its potential value to marketers. She advised him to be more cautious with his tweets due to an increase in hate speech and potentially illegal content since taking control of the company in late 2017. In addition, she encouraged him to expand Periscope partnership ahead of 2024 Olympic games.
