Leading in Times of Challenge with Jackie Norris

Jackie Norris is the current president and CEO of Goodwill of Central Iowa. Her background in government, education and politics has helped her learn “how to get what you want when you want it.” Jackie’s first job was working for one of the first female members of Congress, Louise Slaughter. A turning point for her came when she was brought to Iowa to work for Tom Vilsack. After working on President Obama’s campaign in Iowa, she served as Michelle Obama’s chief of staff and led the president’s initiative on national service to get more people to volunteer within their communities. She then went to work at the nonprofit Points of Light before a few other detours that led to Goodwill of Central Iowa.

Jackie Norris’s Leadership Tips

Jackie reflects on one experience she had at the White House. During a morning meeting, the senior team found themselves facing a reality they had little experience with — the recession in January 2009. That event parallels what is happening now with COVID-19 where leadership is in a position of dealing with something they’ve never dealt with before. Jackie says to help team morale at that time, she shared as much information as she could. She learned that while you need to be transparent, for some team members too much information can be scary. She explains that you need to be thoughtful about how staff members might process any information. Compassion is critical.

The Leading in Times of Challenge podcast was previously produced by the Greater Des Moines Partnership. To learn more about community events and leadership, check out The Partnership blog.