Business

Leading With Integrity: Jennifer Schielke on Serving, Listening, and Building Lasting Influence

The Chicago Journal Contributor

February 3, 2026

By: Michael Thompson

In a world where leadership is often measured by titles, metrics, and visible wins, Jennifer Schielke has a different view. For her, the most enduring impact comes not from authority or performance alone, but from alignment between values, decisions, and everyday actions. It’s leadership that serves before it shines.

Jennifer’s early career was shaped by leaders who combined confidence with humility. They held strong convictions, but always treated people with respect. They listened, they held high standards, and they never separated performance from character.

“What still guides me today is their consistency,” she says. “What they said, what they believed, and how they treated others always aligned. That integrity created safety, trust, and a deep sense of purpose. I strive to model that same alignment for those I lead.”

Making Values Real

Knowing your values is one thing; living them under pressure is another. Jennifer believes values only become meaningful when they are tested.

“I encourage leaders to pre-decide who they will be before pressure arrives,” she explains. “When the stakes are high, clarity of values acts as a compass.”

Practically, this means pausing long enough to ask: Does this decision reflect who I say I am and what I stand for? Over time, repetition, accountability, and reflection turn values from words on a wall into lived behaviors that guide meetings, feedback, and conflict resolution.

Releasing Control

One of the hardest shifts for successful leaders is letting go of control. Many rise through the ranks by being fast problem-solvers and carrying heavy responsibility. Yet people-centered leadership requires trust, patience, and shared ownership.

“Learning to release the need to be the smartest voice in the room, and instead become the one who develops others’ voices, is often the most transformational shift,” Jennifer says.

Letting go allows teams to grow, take ownership, and build confidence. It’s a practice that strengthens culture and encourages collaboration, rather than producing dependency on a single leader.

Choosing Integrity Over Convenience

Integrity is not always convenient, Jennifer admits. There have been moments when walking away from an opportunity was the right choice because alignment, ethics, or transparency were compromised.

“The short-term cost felt real, but the long-term gain in trust, reputation, and peace of conscience proved invaluable,” she reflects. “Integrity protects relationships and opens doors that compromise never could.”

Trust in Everyday Leadership

For Jennifer, trust is built not in speeches or posters, but in daily actions. Following through on promises, telling the truth even when it’s uncomfortable, admitting mistakes, listening without defensiveness, and honoring people’s dignity, these are the moments that define organizational culture.

“Trust is how meetings are run, how feedback is given, how conflict is handled, and how credit is shared,” she says. “It’s the small, consistent choices that make a culture safe and resilient.”

Staying Grounded

Leadership brings constant pressure. Jennifer returns to her purpose and faith to stay grounded. She views leadership as stewardship, not ownership, and relies on reflection, prayer, and trusted advisors to recalibrate.

“When I remember that my role is to serve, not perform for approval, the noise quiets and clarity returns,” she explains. This perspective allows her to lead intentionally rather than react to every demand or expectation.

Listening as Influence

In fast-paced environments, listening is often overlooked. Jennifer sees it as essential to influence. Leaders must be fully present, ask thoughtful questions, and resist the urge to respond while someone else is speaking.

“Leaders must create space for voices to be heard, especially when time feels scarce,” she says. “Insight often comes from the people who rarely speak up, and from perspectives that challenge assumptions.”

Defining a Healthy Legacy

Legacy, for Jennifer, is about people, not just outcomes. A leader’s impact is measured by the growth of others, ethical, confident, and empowered individuals who continue to lead with integrity.

“True impact shows in trust, continuity of values, and a culture that thrives even when the leader is not in the room,” she says.

For emerging leaders, she encourages a mindset shift: move from proving to improving. Focus on learning, serving, and building credibility over time. Character, she notes, will speak louder than any single achievement.

The Heart of Leading for Impact

Jennifer wrote Leading for Impact to help leaders shift away from chasing performance and authority, and toward serving with integrity. The book is rooted in decades of business leadership, life-on-life ministry, and lessons learned in challenging situations.

Her framework asks leaders to define their North Star values, cultivate confident humility, embrace what she calls the “servant warrior” approach, and lead through every challenge with integrity. It’s not about checklists or tactics; it’s about self-reflection and transformative action that enables authentic influence.

Faith threads throughout Jennifer’s approach, providing moral clarity and resilience. Leadership, she emphasizes, is not about perfection, but about accountability, service, and growth. By connecting purpose to action, leaders can navigate complexity with courage while leaving a lasting, positive impact.

“If you implement one idea immediately, let it be this: lead by your core values, explicitly and consistently,” she says. “When leaders live by their values, they create a culture of trust, clarity, and commitment. Genuine influence and lasting impact grow from that foundation.”