Podcast Summary: Activate Your Leadership Superpower with Tamara Jackson

Podcast: Mick Unplugged
Host: Mick Hunt
Guest: Tamara (Tam) Jackson
Episode Date: December 8, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of "Mick Unplugged" explores the concept of activating your leadership superpower by embracing your "Because"—the deeper purpose that fuels impactful leadership. Mick Hunt welcomes Tamara Jackson, acclaimed leadership coach and founder of Beaconship, who shares her perspectives on purpose-driven leadership, character, emotional intelligence, and the importance of intergenerational wisdom transfers. The conversation offers actionable advice for leaders aiming to cultivate teams that are not only high-performing, but high-purpose.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Discovering Your "Because": The Foundation of Purposeful Leadership

• Tamara Jackson's 'Because':

  • Operating with urgency and a desire to ignite others due to the realization that "there is likely less time in front of me than there is behind me" (04:03).
  • Emphasis on impact: "It's about leaving something behind that makes a positive difference in people's lives." (06:04)

• Time as Life:

  • Mick Hunt quoting Les Brown: "Time is life. Because you can run out of money, right? Run out of life and see what happens, right?" (05:06)

Impact & Leadership Character

• Defining Impact:

  • Tamara emphasizes making a difference regardless of formal roles or accolades; "We can all make an impact if we focus on the people that are around us" (06:04).

• Beaconship’s Mission:

  • "It's about being a light in a dark space" (07:07).
  • Focus on passing down hard-won leadership wisdom and particularly developing character in the next generation: "How do we raise up leaders that have great character?" (09:24).

Navigating Generational Change in Leadership

• Wealth & Wisdom Transfer:

  • With many boomer-generation leaders questioning how to pass on their achievements, Tamara underscores the necessity for recipients to have integrity and character (08:49–09:24).

• Modern Employee Priorities:

  • Mick Hunt: "401k and the pension isn't as important as the leader being transparent." (12:12)
  • Transparency, trust, and authenticity are valued over traditional benefits by newer generations.

Vulnerability & Storytelling: Connecting With the Next Generation

• Vulnerability and Receipts:
  • "This next generation of leaders wants receipts. They don't want the fancy speeches...it's about who you are inside" (13:11–13:14).
  • Advice for leaders: Share experiences, including challenges and failures. "Use those examples to inspire the next generation of leaders because they need to know that they're not alone." (17:45)

From High Performance to High Purpose

• People Over Paper:

  • Lesson from Tamara’s mother’s retail experience: "People over paper." (20:03)

• The Sad Face Board Story:

  • Tamara recounts letting frustration show visibly to her team, which became a turning point: "[Stephanie] said, damn, what is this that you have on the board? ...because the team is looking to you for guidance and direction. So if you give up, they will give up." (21:49–22:13)

• Realization:

  • True connection requires understanding each team member's motivations and goals: "I hadn't really gotten to know them as individuals. I was just focused on getting the ball down the field." (22:46)

Emotional Intelligence as a Leadership Superpower

• EQ Over IQ:

  • Mick Hunt: "Your IQ and your skill set probably got you the job. Your EQ is gonna keep it and get you promoted." (27:40)
  • Tamara: "No person is the same. When we're building relationships with people, they are bringing so much with them to that relationship—all the experiences that they've had." (29:00)

• Reflection & Replay:

  • Regular reflection after conversations is key: "Being able to become more emotionally intelligent requires being willing to step back from interactions and reflect and grade yourself." (31:07)

• The Communicator’s Responsibility:

  • "As the communicator, the responsibility is on me... Maybe I need to think about how I'm communicating." (30:25–30:56)

Tools & Resources: The Beacon of Excellence Scorecard

• Purpose:

  • A self-assessment focused on character, helping leaders evaluate their readiness for investment/donation/legacy opportunities (32:47).

• How It Works:

  • "You are going to get a PDF where all of your results are summarized and you will have that action plan not only for yourself, but so that you can share it with those that you lead." (35:13)

• Access:

  • Beaconship Co website (35:13)

Practical Leadership Initiatives and Coaching

• Tamara is currently working with leaders on refining their pitch for investor/donor presentations, teaching the importance of being comfortable with your "ask".
  • "Sometimes we are really great at leading and pouring into others. But what I'm learning... is we also have to be good receivers." (37:43)

Notable Quotes

• On urgency and impact:
  • Tamara Jackson: "Now is all we have. So we have to take advantage of it." (05:02)
• On leadership character:
  • Tamara Jackson’s mom: "I want your character to grow...we can get promoted to places that we are not able to stay in because our character is not right." (10:24–10:44)
• On generational leadership:
  • Tamara Jackson: "Those that were looking to invest or donate had a scorecard that they were using, but the scorecard was often invisible..." (33:36)
• On vulnerability:
  • Tamara Jackson: "Storytelling is so powerful...you sharing your experiences is going to be the thing that really communicates that." (18:14)
• On emotional intelligence:
  • Mick Hunt: "Your EQ is gonna keep [the job] and get you promoted..." (27:40)
  • Tamara Jackson: "Being able to become more emotionally intelligent requires being willing to step back from interactions and reflect and grade yourself." (31:07)

Key Segments with Timestamps

• [04:00] Tamara’s personal "Because": urgency, impact, legacy
• [06:04] Tamara on making a difference—beyond titles
• [07:07] Beaconship's mission: faith-driven leadership & wisdom transfer
• [08:49] The coming great wealth and wisdom transfer among leaders
• [10:24] The importance of character in leadership
• [12:12] What matters most to modern employees
• [13:11] Vulnerability and leadership "receipts"
• [17:45] The power of storytelling for connection
• [20:03] “People over paper”—lesson from Tamara’s mother
• [21:49] The "sad face" board story: leadership vulnerability & recovery
• [27:40] Emotional intelligence as a differentiator in leadership
• [30:25] The communicator’s responsibility in clarity and empathy
• [32:47] The Beacon of Excellence scorecard: assessing leadership character
• [36:24] Current initiatives: pitch coaching and the power of asking
• [40:40] Most underrated leadership trait: "Asking good questions."
• [41:42] One word to define Tamara’s legacy: "Resilience."

Memorable Rapid Fire Moments

• [38:50] Favorite football team: "Dallas Cowboys." (“That's just dirty.” – playful banter)
• [39:42] Go-to hype song: Katy Perry’s "Roar."
• [40:12] Favorite comfort meal: Pot roast with potatoes.
• [40:40] Most underrated leadership trait: "Asking good questions."
• [41:42] Defining legacy in one word: "Resilience."

Where to Find Tamara Jackson

• Website & Scorecard: Beaconship Co
  "You'll see the scorecard right on the homepage." (35:13)
• LinkedIn: Tamara Jackson on LinkedIn
  "Give me a follow, connect there...I’d love for you to be a part of the conversation." (42:21)

Final Thoughts

Mick Hunt’s closing reminder:
"Your because is your superpower. Go unleash it." (43:42)

This episode provides a rich, practical guide to moving from high performance to high purpose, leveraging vulnerability, emotional intelligence, and character to create enduring leadership impact. Tamara Jackson’s stories and actionable advice make it a must-listen for leaders striving to build legacy and inspire others.