Jean Marie Speaks - The Renaissance Leader

Jean Marie Speaks - The Renaissance Leader We help leaders untap hidden talent and unlock new ideas among your teams using the 5 Core Renaissance Leadership Principles.

We deliver 3 & 6 month Leadership Programs, Executive Coaching and Team Effectiveness Sessions.

What are the questions we forget to ask ourselves when life and leadership get busy?At the end of this month, I’ll be re...
05/30/2026

What are the questions we forget to ask ourselves when life and leadership get busy?

At the end of this month, I’ll be releasing my next BONUS TOOL for Renaissance Leadership subscribers: “10 Questions We Forget to Ask Ourselves”

A simple reflection tool designed to help leaders pause, look inward with curiosity, and deepen self-awareness, alignment, trust, and peace both personally and professionally.

As I shared in this month’s "Lead with Curiosity" newsletter, self-awareness begins when curiosity turns inward, a practice that distinguishes Renaissance Leaders in the Age of AI.

If you’d like access to these 10 questions and the other practical leadership tools I share throughout the year, join the Renaissance Leadership Insider community here:
https://zurl.co/fx49Y

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🎯 Follow me for tools and insights to lead with curiosity and become a Renaissance Leader in the Age of AI.

What is the greatest skill we can cultivate that transcends any learning machine? The skill of Curiosity.As AI reshapes ...
05/28/2026

What is the greatest skill we can cultivate that transcends any learning machine?

The skill of Curiosity.

As AI reshapes how we work, communicate, and lead, knowledge alone is no longer enough.

The leaders who will thrive in this next era are those who know how to:
🎯 ask better questions
🎯 cultivate psychological safety
🎯 honor diverse perspectives
🎯 connect ideas others don’t think to connect
🎯 lead with accountability and humanity
🎯 amplify innovation and impact

What sits at the core of each of these leadership qualities?

The ability to lead with curiosity.
Curiosity is the #1 skill Renaissance Leaders cultivate.

And, the 5 Principles of Renaissance Leadership™ are what helps leaders move beyond siloed thinking and cultivate more curious, collaborative, and human-centered cultures.

Today, these principles are more relevant than ever.

Curious to learn more? Check out my new keynote speaker reel for a glimpse into how I bring Renaissance Leadership™ to audiences around the globe.
https://zurl.co/wJ3qe

Which principle resonates most with you right now?

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🎯 Want to bring a more human-centered, curiosity-driven approach to leadership inside your organization? Let’s connect.

Why do so many difficult conversations escalate instead of create clarity?👉 A team member pushes back in a meeting and y...
05/26/2026

Why do so many difficult conversations escalate instead of create clarity?

👉 A team member pushes back in a meeting and you become defensive.
👉 A peer asks a challenging question and the conversation shifts to proving who’s right.
👉 Your manager brings up a concern and you rush to explain, justify, or shut it down.

Most difficult conversations escalate the moment we stop trying to understand and start trying to protect themselves.

It’s not easy to stay present, especially when we get triggered.

Here’s something to try instead:

Before entering a difficult conversation, pause and ask yourself:
“Am I trying to understand…or trying to win?”

Be honest with yourself. If you're going in trying to win, then ask yourself:

“What would I need to let go of to stay curious in this conversation?”

That one question can completely change the energy of the conversation…and the outcome.

Because clarity and understanding rarely come from defensiveness.
They come from curiosity.

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🎯 Follow me here for more tips and check out my Linkedin Learning Course on "Powerful Questions to Build Team Trust, Engagement & Psychological Safety" in the Library or the link below.

A lot of leaders say they value diverse perspectives...until someone communicates differently than they do.The employee ...
05/23/2026

A lot of leaders say they value diverse perspectives...until someone communicates differently than they do.

The employee who questions everything gets labeled negative.The outspoken colleague becomes “too aggressive.”The person who keeps pushing back is seen as “difficult.”

But a lot of what we call “difficult behavior” is actually misunderstood commitment.

➡️ That employee who challenges everything?They may care deeply about excellence.
➡️ That colleague who won’t let things go?They may simply want to feel heard.

In my Renaissance Leadership programs, I challenge leaders to look beneath the reaction instead of immediately reacting to it.

👉 Before labeling someone as difficult, pause and ask yourself:
“What might this person be trying to protect, express, or fight for underneath this?”

That one question can completely shift the energy of a conversation.

Because the moment people feel seen for the deeper commitment driving them, defensiveness often softens.

And sometimes the person we dismiss too quickly is actually the person trying hardest to protect the team, raise the standard, or say what no one else is willing to say.

Curiosity changes conversations.
And conversations change cultures.

How often have you labelled someone as “difficult”… before getting curious about what may be underneath their behavior?

♻️ Reshare if this sparked a new perspective for you.
🎯 Follow me for tools and insights to lead with curiosity and become a Renaissance Leader in the age of AI.

**Infographic by Whole Hearted School Counseling

05/21/2026

What if your own expertise is getting in the way of others growth?

How do you know?

One key indicator as a leader is how much you tell verus ask.
How often do you provide solutions versus creating the space for others to contribute?

When I think back as I was moving up the corporate ladder my goals was to became the expert people came to for help. And, when I got there, it felt really good. I loved helping people and sharing my knowledge and wisdom.

But what I didn't realize was how little space I created for them to share their ideas and thoughts.
And how much that impacted their own ability to learn, grow and develop as a leader.

This short video from my Keynote on "How to Become a Renaissance Leader in the Age of AI" highlights the importance of staying curious especially as we become the expert.

Because, in the end, your expertise could be what's halting growth in your team members.

Something to think about on this Thursday.

♻️ Reshare if this sparked a new perspective for you or another leader.
🎯 Follow me for tools and insights to lead with curiosity and become a Renaissance Leader in the age of AI.

What if “good leadership” is no longer enough?My organization has spent years developing leaders who: 🎯 Learn🎯 Ask quest...
05/14/2026

What if “good leadership” is no longer enough?

My organization has spent years developing leaders who:
🎯 Learn
🎯 Ask questions
🎯 Listen
🎯 Collaborate

But in this age of AI we need a deeper way to lead.

We need leaders who are....
- willing to unlearn.
- ask the questions no one is asking.
- listen beyond the words.
- collaborate across differences, not just comfort zones.

They don’t just care about performance…
They care about the whole person.

This is Renaissance Leadership.

This is where real innovation happens.
This is where trust is built.
This is where hidden talent is unlocked.

Because leadership today isn’t about having the answers.
It’s about having the curiosity to discover what’s possible.

So let me ask you:
🤔 Where might you be playing it safe in how you lead?
🤔 How could you think more like a Renaissance Leader?

♻️ Reshare if this sparked a new perspective for you or another leader.
🎯 Follow me for tools and insights to lead with curiosity and become a Renaissance Leader in the age of AI.

Problem-solving is great. But are you solving the right ones?One of the biggest mistakes I see inside organizations is ...
05/12/2026

Problem-solving is great. But are you solving the right ones?

One of the biggest mistakes I see inside organizations is teams moving too quickly into solution mode before they’ve taken the time to fully understand the real issue at hand.

You spend months fixing a process…
only to realize the real issue was communication.

You try to improve performance…
when the real challenge is unclear expectations.

We launch solution after solution…
without ever slowing down long enough to ask better questions.

This is why curiosity matters.

Before rushing to fix, solve, or respond, pause and ask:
“What problem are we really trying to solve?”

That one question can uncover assumptions, misalignment, hidden tensions, and blind spots that would have otherwise remained invisible.

The most effective leaders are not always the fastest to respond.
They are often the ones willing to slow down long enough to truly understand.

Clarity begins with curiosity.
Where in your leadership might you be solving for the symptom instead of the root issue?

♻️ Reshare to support another leader
🎯 Follow me for tools and insights to lead with curiosity and become a Renaissance Leader in the age of AI.

Never judge someone by their past...because they can change.This is something my mother used to remind me when I was you...
05/10/2026

Never judge someone by their past...because they can change.

This is something my mother used to remind me when I was young and it's stuck with me ever since.

She was the tax collector for 16 years for the town of East Lyme, CT where I grew up. I never realized at the time what it took to run in politics every 4 years and have to win the votes of her constituents.

What I knew was how fair she always was. And how she gave everyone a chance no matter their situation. For someone in her role, she had a lot of compassion and listened without judgment.

It's no surprise one of the core skills I have been teaching for decades is to lead with curiosity. It wasn't until this moment as I reflect on Mothers Day the impact my mother had on me in that way.

She embodied so many qualities and characteristics of a great leader:
- She was strong but not aggressive.
- She was confident but not cocky.
- She listened to accept not reject.
- She saw people beyond their circumstances.

On this Mother's Day, I honor my mother and all those who nurture others regardless of whether you are called a "Mother" or not.

Leadership goes beyond titles.
If she were alive today, she would challenge us to see our team members for their potential, not their past.

What would it take to do that next week?

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🎯 Follow me for tools and insights to lead with curiosity and become a Renaissance Leader in the age of AI.

How attached are you to doing things your way? Most leaders walk into conversations, meetings, and decisions with a clea...
05/05/2026

How attached are you to doing things your way?

Most leaders walk into conversations, meetings, and decisions with a clear intention of how things should go.

We have a plan.
An outcome in mind.
A belief about what “success” looks like.

And while intention is important, attachment to that outcome can quietly get in the way.

It can:
➡️ Close us off to new ideas
➡️ Limit collaboration
➡️ Shut down perspectives we didn’t expect

When we’re attached to a specific outcome, we stop listening to understand and start listening to confirm.

Great leaders do something different.

They hold a clear intention…
but they stay open to how the outcome unfolds.

They ask:
🤔 What else might be possible here?
🤔 What am I not seeing?
🤔 What might be a better outcome than the one I originally imagined?

Letting go of attachment doesn’t mean lowering your standards.
It means creating space for something even better to emerge.

Where in your leadership might you be holding too tightly to the outcome?

♻️ Reshare to support another leader
🎯 Follow me for tools and insights to lead with curiosity and become a Renaissance Leader in the age of AI.

My end-of-the-month BONUS TOOL is dropping tomorrow!"10 Questions to Receive Feedback with Curiosity"A simple, printable...
04/29/2026

My end-of-the-month BONUS TOOL is dropping tomorrow!

"10 Questions to Receive Feedback with Curiosity"

A simple, printable one-pager to help you move from defensiveness to discovery and turn feedback into a powerful tool for growth.

Because when you learn to receive feedback with curiosity, something shifts.
➡️ You respond instead of react.
➡️ Self-awareness deepens.
➡️ Feedback becomes fuel for growth instead of something to avoid.

If you'd like this tool and the others I share at the end of every month, become a Renaissance Leadership Insider here: https://zurl.co/t5WvG

If you’re not on the list yet, now’s the time to join so you don’t miss this one.

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🎯 Follow for tools to learn more about Renaissance Leadership and Lead with Curiosity in the Age of AI

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