ROBERT “JAKE” JACOBS

Robert “Jake” Jacobs is co-founder and partner of Winds of Change Group -- a consulting firm specializing in fast and lasting change.

Consulting Background

Jake helps executives engage people in developing and implementing strategy, building senior team effectiveness, creating organization design, and managing large-scale, complex change.  He helped pioneer the field of large group interventions, and has regularly worked with groups of 500-1,000 or more to gain alignment and traction in translating strategy into action and values into daily guides to decision making.

Why This Work?

Says Jake, “My first consulting engagement was where I worked tending bar in college. Though we had a lot of fun getting the job done, everyone knew there were better, smarter ways to work.  I thought, ‘Why not figure out together what they were and take action?’  So I interviewed everyone including the owner, we decided what to change and what to keep the same, and my consulting career was born.”

“That got me started and I’ve never considered doing anything else.  Helping people find better ways of working together is what gets me out of bed in the morning.” Since then Jake has worked with some of the largest corporations in the world including American Express, Corning, Ford, The Home Depot, and Shell.  He has also consulted to the City of New York and the United Kingdom’s million member National Health Service.

Writer

Jake's first book, Real Time Strategic Change: How to Involve an Entire Organization in Fast and Far-Reaching Change taught readers the principles and practices of Large Group Engagement, and was named to the Executive Book of the Month Club.  He later co-authored The Change Handbook: Group Methods for Shaping the Future which draws lessons from real-life, high-leverage change efforts.  Jake has recently co-authored You Don’t Have To Do It Alone: How to Involve Others to Get Things Done which teaches the secrets of group productivity to private and public sector readers.  This book was described by The New York Times as “the complete blueprint on involvement” and “the best of the current crop of books on this topic.”

Besides books, Jake has also written extensively about power, group dynamics, and accelerated change for magazines such as Executive Excellence, Strategic HR Review, Consulting to Management and Strategy & Leadership. His views on these subjects have also appeared in Nation's Business, Financial Executive, and the Wall Street Journal.

Speaker

In addition to his consulting, Jake has presented at conferences hosted by the American Society of Training and Development, the Association of Quality and Participation, and the World Future Society.

Teacher

Jake has also served on the faculties of St. Thomas University, Roffey Park Management Institute in England, and Shell of Canada's Management Institute

Life

When he ’s not working, Jake spends time with his family, heads to the dog park and beach  with his faithful friend Theo, works out, reads, cheers on his favorites teams as the sports calendar changes, and supports local arts organizations by both consulting to them and enjoying their performances.