Raoul Davis is chief executive officer of Ascendant Group, a public relations (PR), branding and marketing firm that helps CEOs “discover and amplify their strengths to humanize their business and grow to new heights through CEO branding.”
Davis has shifted the approach of the firm to a 12- week year model, where it focuses on getting one year’s worth of accomplishments done in 90 days. It’s an aggressive strategy, but it seems to have paid off. “Then we reset each quarter,” Davis said. “This has increased our velocity and focused our activities immensely.”
The company has also expanded its internship program and hired more young talent, recognizing the exceptionalism of Gen Z.
“We have found Gen Z to be an immense resource, the most talented generation in history and real stars for their fast learning and willingness to make adjustments and produce results,” Davis said. “Yes, they like having more boundaries than previous generations; however, they also are able to be more efficient.”
Ascendant Group is a PR News Top 100 Agency, and it was ranked the No. 1 minority-owned PR company in the country two years in a row.
“I have always tried to stay ahead of the latest trend,” Davis said. “We were a fully functioning virtual company before COVID hit, so when the shutdown occurred and others were scrambling to find a new model of operation, operations continued normally for us. We had already gone through the growing pains of working virtually as a team, so we were able to help our clients have confidence that their work wouldn’t have to hit a pause button but could continue going forward while others were regrouping.”
This is the second time Davis has landed on the Titan 100 list. “Being able to have community with other high achievers has been a wonderful learning experience and made the CEO journey more enjoyable,” Davis said.
Davis said the top leaders today are flexible, good listeners and have integrity.
“The best leaders today are ones that are flexible, listen to their employees, lead with integrity and are willing to ask the questions of those who work for them to continually grow themselves,” Davis said.
Top leaders also value teamwork, especially when it comes time to tackle complex problems, he said. “I value the input of my team and constantly work on addressing problems as they come up, not waiting until it has reached a level of emergency that wasn’t necessary,” Davis said.
