Every human is fundamentally analog, yet we’re operating in an increasingly digital world that demands instantaneous response. This tension creates perhaps the most dangerous leadership environment we’ve ever faced — one where thoughtfulness is sacrificed on the altar of immediacy.
My conversation with Tamara Jackson on The Wisdom Of… Show uncovered a profound truth: the most consequential leadership element missing in today’s environment isn’t strategy, intelligence, or innovation — it’s pause.
As the founder of Beaconship, Tamara has built a sanctuary where faith and business intertwine to create leadership that serves as a lighthouse for others. But her insights extend far beyond faith-based leadership into universal principles that every leader needs to hear.
The Myth of Compartmentalization
“For a long time, the belief was that these are two separate worlds. Like the values that I live out in my personal life and what I do with my business, I need to compartmentalize those,” Tamara observed during our conversation.
This compartmentalization — the “leave your personal life at home” philosophy — creates a dangerous fissure in authentic leadership. As I challenged during our dialogue, no leader with a significant medical condition would say, “I bundle that into a compartment, I leave that at home, and when I get to work, I don’t deal with that.”
Why? Because a person is a whole. Yet when it comes to belief systems and values, leaders often attempt this impossible compartmentalization.
The cost? Authenticity itself.
The Four Guiding Values That Transform Leadership
What struck me most about Tamara’s approach was her four guiding principles that have shaped her journey as a lighthouse for others:
Faith — Not just religious belief, but recognition that “I don’t know everything,” creating space for guidance beyond oneself
Significance — Moving beyond success to ask “what difference am I truly making?” and “what will speak for me when I’m no longer here?”
Excellence — The discipline to pursue quality without the paralysis of perfectionism
Classiness — Perhaps the most unexpected value, representing a higher standard that elevates everything it touches
As Tamara explained, “Classiness evokes an unquestionable level of ‘that’s someone I’d want to hang around with.’ It’s making a choice for people to see the absolute highest version of yourself.“
The Power of Pause in a Hyperconnected World
“Because we are so conditioned for speed, we feel as though even if the person has not said it, we have to jump in with a quick response,” Tamara noted.
This conditioning creates a leadership environment where thought is sacrificed for action, where the urgent consistently defeats the important, and where snap judgments replace wisdom.
The most thought-provoking challenge Tamara offered was this: “We’re making those decisions quickly, but many times we have to go back. We’ve got to reverse those decisions… I challenge people to say, is it really costing you more time to pause?“
The evidence suggests not. The best decision, made with appropriate pause, saves time, stress, frustration, rework, and often significant financial resources. The companies making people redundant in challenging economic times, only to rehire similar numbers months later after paying out redundancy packages, demonstrate perfectly what happens when pause is removed from leadership.
Leadership That Transcends the Technological Revolution
Our conversation naturally extended to technology’s impact, particularly artificial intelligence, on leadership.
“Anything, regardless of what we’re talking about, is a tool,” Tamara wisely observed. “Tools can be used for good, and they can be used for bad.“
The truly profound leadership insight emerged: technology doesn’t displace the need for wisdom; it elevates it. As technologies like AI handle increasingly routine tasks, the premium placed on wisdom, ethical judgment, and meaningful pause only grows.
As I reflected during our conversation, technological advance is unstoppable because of human inventiveness itself. What separates wise leadership isn’t opposition to technology but asking: “What would be the most significant use of this technology?“
The Path Forward
The deepest discoveries in leadership are made in slowing down, not speeding up. Historical breakthroughs, life-saving innovations, and transformative insights have consistently come from moments of pause, not acceleration.
What I believe most leaders fail to recognize is that pause isn’t absence of action—it’s the most powerful action possible in a world racing toward automated response.
To lead with significance in today’s environment requires the courage to pause, the wisdom to listen deeply, and the authenticity to bring your whole self—including your values—into every conversation.
As Tamara so eloquently put it: “What I have found, in talking with these leaders and on my own journey, is the more that you step into who you really are and what you believe, you may lose on one end…but you’re going to gain people that do appreciate the stance that you’ve taken.“
This is leadership that truly matters. This is leadership worth following.
Watch my full conversation with Tamara Jackson on The Wisdom Of… Show.
