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Optimum Insights

Founded in 2009 by leadership development expert Sara King, Optimum Insights, Inc. works with growth-minded executives looking for solutions to their most vexing problems and loftiest challenges. We understand that the bigger your role, the more complex your problems – but you don’t have to go it alone. With over three decades of experience and knowledge in leadership development, we know how to help you navigate the highs and lows that come with leading.

We work with corporate, higher education, and non-profit leaders, as well as owners of small and/or family businesses. Whether you need one-to-one coaching, help creating and facilitating custom programs, or opportunities to connect with a network of your peers, Optimum Insights provides exactly what you need.

Is this you? If so, you’re in the right place.

Learn about our leadership development services

Sara King

Founder & Principal | Leadership Development Expert | Executive Coach

My guiding statement is, ‘Build trust. Unleash the positive. Solve the pain.’ I believe that accomplishing these three things in that order is what unlocks my clients' true leadership abilities and opens up a wider range of choices. My favorite thing is hearing the sound of their "aha” moment.

Sara founded Optimum Insights, Inc., a private leadership development firm devoted to the study and practice of leadership development, in 2009. As an executive coach, author, program designer and facilitator, she has helped hundreds of executive leaders in national and multinational organizations explore their potential and increase their performance. Whatever the context, Sara is devoted to helping leaders identify the roots of critical issues and increase their effectiveness as leaders.

Experience

Sara spent 23 years in a variety of roles at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). The most personally rewarding was a 10-year stint leading the organization’s largest line of business. She and the globally-dispersed team she led ultimately grew it into a $32 million operation. For Sara, the most satisfying achievement was developing others to excel, stretch, and see themselves as part of a successful team.

Since 2009, in tandem with her work at Optimum Insights, Sara has continued working with CCL in a lead faculty capacity for select client engagements. One example is her work with the Betsy Magness Leadership Institute (BMLI), a partnership between Women in Cable Telecommunications and CCL. Sara’s work with this program started in 1994. Today, over 1,000 senior executive women have graduated from BMLI.

Sara’s commitment to quality and excellence in serving her clients frequently results in long-term relationships with them. For example, for ten years, she coached over 100 partners in a leadership development program offered by a multinational professional services firm. She has also worked on an ongoing basis with the president, executive team, and other top leaders of a nationally ranked university since 2009. This work has entailed team development, 360-degree feedback, executive coaching, and in-depth interviews with team members.

Sara holds certifications in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, WorkPlace Big Five, Conflict Dynamics Profile, CPI-260, SYMLOG, CCL’s suite of 360 assessments, VOICES, Leadership Versatility Index, Influence Style Indicator, and Change Style Indicator.

Publications

As a thought leader on leadership development, Sara began writing books and articles in the 1980’s. In 2011, Jossey-Bass published a revised version of her book Discovering the Leader in You, which highlights the importance of a conscious decision to lead and offers a framework for developing leadership vision, values and skills. This updated version, co-authored with David G. Altman and Robert J. Lee, is now available as a joint publication of CCL and the Jossey-Bass Business and Management Series. In May of 2011, a workbook on the same topic was published by Sara and David G. Altman through CCL and Jossey-Bass, as well.

Sara’s writings on leadership development also appear in white papers and articles, and she continues to share her insights via webinars, speaking engagements, and interviews.

Education & Early Career

Sara’s roots in leadership development started early. A North Carolina native, her last two years of high school were spent at an all-girls school where she held a variety of leadership positions, initiated the development of a soccer team, and worked for the head of the chemistry department. It was these experiences that taught Sara the value of and personal satisfaction in making things happen.

After earning a B. A. in English from Wake Forest University, Sara attended Cornell University where she focused her research on women’s career choices.  After graduating with an M.S. in Higher Education Administration, Sara took a position at the Center for Creative Leadership, a top-ranked, global provider of leadership education and research. At CCL she was part of the research team which studied the career development of executive women in Fortune 100 firms. This study was the basis for the groundbreaking book Breaking the Glass Ceiling.

Home Life

Sara lives in North Carolina with her husband, Craig. They have three sons who are each launching their post-college careers. Sara and Craig love traveling internationally, spending time at the lake, taking long walks, and attending professional soccer matches. They have recently rediscovered their mutual love of attending live concerts (Fleetwood Mac and Sting top Sara’s list of favorites).

Mindy Warguez

Client Relations & Creative Design Director

I find building relationships with our clients to be the most rewarding part of what I do. Creating effective processes and designing unique materials to match the leadership initiatives allows me to also flex my creativity muscles. I love being a part of this important work.

Mindy joined the Optimum Insights team when a mutual friend introduced her to Sara. Mindy knew immediately that she wanted to be a part of what Sara was doing. Imagine her surprise when she discovered that they lived in the same neighborhood!

In her role as the key point of contact for OI clients, Mindy manages communications and scheduling. As a graphic designer, she guides the creative process involved with developing all program and coaching-related materials.

Experience

Prior to working with Sara, Mindy and her husband were assigned as diplomats to the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines. It was here that Mindy developed a passion for travel and cultural immersion and learned a little about being adaptable. Her warm, relationship-oriented nature and inherent ability to build trust quickly with others made her a perfect fit for her dual roles in customer relations and as a community liaison. Her efforts developing networks of resources within the community to connect people and solve pain points earned several merit awards and is what she is most proud of in her time there.

Education

In 2020, Mindy earned her bachelor’s degree in Integrated Professional Studies from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. She’s deservedly proud of having graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA. She is now enrolled at William and Mary pursuing a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling.

Home Life

Mindy grew up in the mountains of Utah, where she learned to love the outdoors in all seasons.  She met her husband, Chris, on a Salt Lake City ski lift back in their college days.

Mindy and Chris have 4 kids, ages 11-21. In 22 years of marriage, they have checked off travel to 22 countries. When they’re not on an airplane or taxiing kids to sports, they’re likely outside with their dog or watching the kids play in the ocean. Their eventual dream is to own a villa in Italy and run a coffee shop together, sharing Mindy’s baked-from-scratch treats, enjoying good food, and (hopefully!) learning to speak the language fluently.