Jennifer Jensen

Jennifer Jensen is a leadership expert and author dedicated to developing authentic leaders who can thrive in today’s complex business world. She works with emerging managers and directors through one-on-one advisory, leadership programs, and psychometric tools, equipping them with the confidence, influence, and presence required to break through the middle-management barrier.

Her book, Developing Authentic Leaders, captures her lived experience of leading high-accountability teams without formal authority and provides practical strategies for creating measurable, transformational growth. With an engaging and evidence-based approach, Jennifer helps high-performers move from task-focused contributors to visible, influential leaders who inspire trust and collaboration.

By bridging the leadership gap, Jennifer empowers next-generation leaders to step into their full potential—balancing performance with well-being, cultivating authentic influence, and fast-tracking their path to senior leadership.

Have you ever wondered why some high performers remain stuck in middle management while others seem to rise effortlessly to senior leadership?

The truth is, hard work alone isn’t enough. Many emerging leaders remain unseen by executives because they haven’t cultivated executive presence, visibility, or influence. In this episode of Talking with the Experts, leadership advisor and author Jennifer Jensen shares how to break free from this plateau by embracing authenticity as your leadership superpower.

Jennifer explains how today’s leadership crisis—where few encounter exceptional leaders—creates both challenges and opportunities for ambitious managers. Drawing from her lived experience leading high-accountability teams without formal authority, she offers practical strategies to help high-performers step into influence, elevate their presence, and build resilience along the way.

Listeners will learn how to shift from task-focused excellence to mastering decision-making, relationship-building, and authentic communication. Jennifer also provides essential tools to avoid burnout through effective delegation and time management—ensuring leaders can grow sustainably.

Key Takeaways:

• Develop executive presence to stand out to senior leadership
• Learn how to influence others without a formal title
• Protect your well-being with burnout-prevention strategies

If you’re ready to transform from an invisible manager into an authentic, impactful leader prepared for senior roles, this episode is packed with insights to accelerate your journey.

Jennifer Jensen’s Background and Motivation

• Jennifer chose her pathway of developing authentic leaders because she identified a significant gap in organizational support for middle managers during her years as a project manager and mentor
• Organizations fail to recognize the daily challenges that middle managers face, particularly the transition from being subject matter experts to leadership roles
• Her book “Developing Authentic Leaders” and company Authentic Leader were created to address this overlooked segment of the workforce

The Middle Management Challenge

• Middle managers often become forgotten within organizational hierarchies, receiving less recognition and support compared to junior staff, shop floor workers, and senior executives
• These individuals must shift their mindset from being subject matter experts to taking on broader leadership responsibilities
• Organizations frequently fail to provide adequate leadership training or support during this critical transition period

Developing Executive Presence

• High performers need to cultivate confidence, strategic communication, and visibility to advance beyond middle management roles
• Mindset transformation represents one of the most challenging aspects, requiring individuals to see themselves as business architects who understand interconnections across all organizational functions
• Leaders must become comfortable with ambiguity and develop skills in navigating uncertain situations while building deeper understanding of their stakeholders

Self-Awareness as Leadership Foundation

• Self-awareness serves as the foundational element for effective leadership, enabling individuals to understand their own responses and behaviors
• Understanding personal motivations and reactions allows leaders to become more effective and better understand their team members
• Jennifer uses psychometric tools including Lumina Learning, which differs from traditional tools like DISC by making no assumptions about individuals and avoiding prescriptive approaches

Lumina Learning Assessment Tool

• Lumina Learning provides assumption-free assessments that allow individuals to be both extroverted and introverted simultaneously without forcing binary choices
• The tool examines 24 qualities across different contexts including home comfort, workplace behavior, everyday presentation, and overextended states
• Participants consistently rate the accuracy of Lumina assessments at approximately 90 percent effectiveness
• Various programs are available including Lumina Spark, Lumina Leadership, 360 assessments, and Lumina Motion

Mastering Influence Without Authority

• Active listening and presence represent critical skills for influencing others without formal authority over them
• Jennifer’s project management approach involved bringing subject matter experts together to establish their own timelines rather than dictating requirements
• This method creates accountability because team members commit to their own proposed deadlines and deliverables
• Strategic thinking and big picture perspective help middle managers influence senior leadership by demonstrating value through mission, vision, and values alignment

Team Accountability Strategies

• Teams often experience surprise when held accountable to commitments they made during collaborative planning sessions
• Food incentives can motivate teams to achieve challenging deadlines, as demonstrated when Jennifer offered pizza rewards for accelerated project completion
• Small gestures like providing candy or treats create a sense of belonging and organizational care that impacts team morale

Avoiding Middle Management Burnout

• Awareness of personal responses at home, including anger levels and fatigue, can indicate work-related stress and burnout
• Setting boundaries becomes essential, including establishing specific times to disconnect from technology and work communications
• Conversations with senior leaders about unsustainable work pace may be necessary to address systemic issues
• Self-care practices, including brief breathing exercises and technology breaks, help maintain effectiveness and prevent exhaustion

Work-Life Balance and Remote Work

• The hybrid work model that emerged during recent years allowed many people to be more productive due to reduced interruptions and increased flexibility
• Current trends show organizations demanding return to full-time office presence, though some jurisdictions have legislated rights to work from home
• Organizations need to establish clear processes and requirements for remote work rather than implementing invasive monitoring systems
• Trust between leadership and team members becomes essential for successful remote work arrangements

Building Trust in Remote Teams

• Camera usage during virtual meetings helps maintain connection and facilitate meaningful conversations between team members
• Keystroke monitoring and excessive surveillance indicate deeper organizational trust issues rather than productivity solutions
• Flexibility for personal emergencies and life situations demonstrates organizational understanding and maintains team loyalty
• Micromanagement approaches typically result in teams that lack loyalty, trust, and genuine care for organizational success

Book Overview and Structure

• “Developing Authentic Leaders Practical Guide” uses bullet point format rather than traditional paragraphs to enhance readability and practical application
• The book contains 52 topics designed for weekly implementation, allowing readers to work with accountability partners or develop their teams systematically
• Content sections cover self-understanding, authentic leader characteristics, communication strategies, team influence, team building, and common leadership pitfalls
• Mission, vision, and values development represents one of the critical elements that many leaders overlook in their development journey

Next Steps

• Readers should explore Jennifer’s resources through her website AuthenticLeader.ca and consider purchasing her book “Developing Authentic Leaders Practical Guide” available on Amazon in both print and Kindle formats
• Middle managers can begin implementing the discussed strategies for developing executive presence, building self-awareness, and creating influence without formal authority to advance their leadership capabilities

• Jennifer Jensen identified a significant gap in organizational support for middle managers who struggle to transition from subject matter experts to strategic leaders without adequate training.
• Middle managers are often overlooked within organizations despite handling delegation and core operational work, receiving less recognition compared to junior staff, shop floor workers, and senior executives.
• Developing executive presence requires changing mindset from subject matter expert to business architect who sees interconnections across all functions and becomes comfortable navigating ambiguity.
• Self-awareness serves as the foundation for effective leadership transition, enabling managers to understand their own responses and build stronger teams through better understanding of team members.
• Lumina Learning psychometric tools provide assumption-free personality assessment across 24 qualities in different contexts including home, work, everyday, and overextended states, achieving approximately 90% accuracy according to session feedback.
• Influencing without authority involves active listening and collaborative approach where team members provide their own timelines and commitments, creating accountability through their own input rather than top-down directives.
• Strategic visibility can be achieved by aligning team mission, vision, and values with organizational goals while taking on strategic projects to demonstrate value as a hidden gem within the company.
• Food incentives and small gestures like providing candy create team motivation and sense of belonging, as demonstrated by successful project completion when pizza rewards were offered.
• Burnout prevention requires awareness of personal responses at home and work, setting clear boundaries including technology shutdown times, and having honest conversations with leadership about unsustainable pace.
• Organizations should establish clear work-from-home standards and processes rather than monitoring keystrokes, as trust issues indicate deeper team composition problems.
• Camera-on policies during virtual meetings help maintain connection and facilitate meaningful conversations while respecting employee privacy and flexibility needs.

Jennifer’s book “Developing Authentic Leaders Practical Guide” contains 52 topics in bullet-point format covering self-understanding, authentic leadership characteristics, communication, team building, and mission-vision-values development.

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