How Jennifer Limas Led Through Crisis & Transformed Her Team

What happens when the skills that built your success start to limit your leadership?

That quiet reckoning came for Jennifer Limas in the middle of a pandemic, sitting at her kitchen table, late into another night of problem-solving.

As the CEO of Girls Inc. of Tarrant County, Jennifer had always been a high performer: operationally sharp, mission-driven, relentlessly committed. But over time, the line between leading and over-functioning blurred, and she found herself running on empty.

This is the story of how Jennifer stepped out of survival mode and into transformational leadership. It’s not a story about productivity. It’s about letting go, building trust, and reclaiming the power of vision.

The Disruption: When Doing More Stops Working

Leadership didn’t break during COVID, but the cracks got louder.

Jennifer stepped into board leadership just as the world shut down. And like many mission-driven leaders, she responded the only way she knew how: by doing more.

She worked harder, longer, more frantically. But the truth was unavoidable.

“I was exhausted. And I wasn’t having my best ideas.”

She wasn’t elevating her team. She was shielding them; from decisions, mistakes, and growth. Her husband’s words hit home: “You’re not the Chief Doer Officer.”

The very behaviors that once made her effective were now getting in the way.

The Inner Work:  Letting Go of Control to Lead with Vision

Real leadership isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing what only you can do.

Jennifer’s shift didn’t begin with strategy sessions or new org charts. It began with surrender. She had to trust that her team was capable, creative, and deeply invested. She had to stop “fixing” and start framing, guiding the vision, not the details.

“When I’m in the weeds, I’m not presenting vision. I’m not listening to the community. I’m not building trust.”

She started listening more, both to her staff and to the community. She stepped back from the microscope and picked up the binoculars.

And what she saw changed everything.

The Rebuild: Vision Grows When You Make Space for Others

As Jennifer let go, her team rose.

New leaders brought new ideas; revitalizing programs, modernizing events like Day of the Girl, and creating deeper engagement with families. What once felt risky, releasing control, became the spark for innovation and scale.

“It looked completely different than anything I would’ve imagined. And it was beautiful.”

Jennifer shifted her energy into external relationships, building trust with school districts, civic leaders, and parents. By showing up as a listener and connector, she positioned Girls Inc. to respond faster and smarter to the community’s evolving needs.

They stopped reacting. They started anticipating.

“It’s not about the tracks. It’s about moving people forward.”

What I Know Now: Five Lessons from the Other Side of Burnout

The shift from over-functioning to visionary leadership didn’t happen overnight, but it did happen. And Jennifer distilled her biggest lessons into truths every executive leader should hear:

• Your burnout is a message, not a weakness.
  It means you’re misaligned, not incapable.
  
  
• Doing less can lead to more impact.
  Letting go gives your team room to rise.
  
  
• Vision requires space.
  You can’t lead from clarity if you’re buried in the details.
  
  
• Community listening is non-negotiable.
  Trust is built in conversation, not isolation.
  
  
• Constraints can sharpen your mission.
  Scarcity forces clarity. And clarity breeds innovation.

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