Jackie Insinger - Spark Brilliance Spark Memos
Your weekly boost of practical leadership wisdom - rooted in neuroscience, backed by data, and crafted for real-world results. Each memo offers a spark of insight to help you lead with clarity, empathy, and purpose - especially when things get messy.
Your Greatest Strength Might Be Holding You Back
Your Greatest Strength Might Be Holding You Back Hey Spark Family, Think about the last time something broke down at work. A deadline slipped. A client escalated. A decision stalled. A relationship got tense. Who fixed it? If the honest answer is “usually me,” this one is for you. Being the most reliable person in the room feels good. It builds trust. It builds credibility. Over time, people start to breathe a little easier when you’re there because they know you’ll catch what might fall. But...
Why Psychological Safety Is the ROI You Can’t Ignore
Why Psychological Safety Is the ROI You Can’t Ignore Hey Spark Family, If you want to know whether a strategy will succeed, don’t start with the plan. Start with the level of trust in the room. I’ve been in too many executive sessions where the strategy was solid. The talent was strong. The goals were clear. And still, progress stalled. Why? Because people didn’t feel safe enough to challenge ideas, admit risk, ask hard questions, or disagree openly. Psychological safety is not a...
It wasn’t about the laptop
It wasn’t about the laptop Hey Spark Family, On Friday morning, I cried over a laptop. A brand new one. The kind that is supposed to signal progress and growth. A fresh chapter. Instead, I was staring at a screen that said my data transfer would take 118 hours. One hundred and eighteen hours. At first, I actually laughed. It felt absurd. And then I felt the tightness in my chest. The heat rising up my neck. That familiar surge of panic that doesn’t come from the thing itself, but from what...
When There’s Nowhere to Promote a Star Employee
When There’s Nowhere to Promote a Star Employee Hey Spark Family, So many leaders I talk to right now are carrying the same quiet tension. They have a star employee.Someone capable, committed, and clearly ready for more. And yet, there’s nowhere for them to go. No open role above them. No obvious next step. No clean promotion path.Just a growing gap between what this person is ready for and what the organization can offer. This moment is becoming more common. Flat structures. Slower...
The Leadership Disconnect: Why Engagement Isn’t Enough
The Leadership Disconnect: Why Engagement Isn’t Enough Hey Spark Family, If you’ve noticed your team’s energy dipping lately, you’re not alone.Across industries, engagement is falling - again. According to Gallup’s 2025 Global Workplace Report, only 21% of employees are actively engaged at work, and just one in three say they’re thriving in their overall wellbeing. At the same time, leaders are reporting record levels of burnout, pressure, and disconnection. Here’s the reality:We’ve measured...
Your Values Are Your Leadership Operating System
Your Values Are Your Leadership Operating System Hey Spark Family, As the first month of 2026 comes to a close, I’ve been thinking about something that doesn’t make many leadership headlines - but quietly shapes everything: values. Most leaders can list their company’s values. Fewer can name their own. And even fewer can point to where those values show up in their calendar, their decisions, and their culture. Your values are the anchor of how you lead. They determine what you protect, what...
The Moment My Body Told Me What Mattered Most
The Moment My Body Told Me What Mattered Most Hey Spark Family, Yesterday was one of those days. The kind where everything feels heavier than it should. Very little sleep, too many things going sideways, and work piling up faster than I could keep up with it. My anxiety was high, and my nervous system felt shot and on high alert at the same time. You know the feeling. Swimming against the current, trying to keep your head above water. My husband was out of town, and by early evening I was...
The Leadership Energy Equation: Why Motivation Isn’t Enough
The Leadership Energy Equation: Why Motivation Isn’t Enough Hey Spark Family, January is supposed to feel energizing.But for many leaders, it already feels draining. Motivation peaks for a week or two - then meetings, deadlines, and decision fatigue take over.Because motivation runs on emotion.And emotion burns fast. Leaders don’t need more inspiration.They need an energy system - one that sustains performance long after the spark fades. The Research Is Clear Leaders who intentionally manage...
The Clarity Comeback: Cutting Through the 2026 Noise
The Clarity Comeback: Cutting Through the 2026 Noise Hey Spark Family, It’s the first week of 2026, and if your calendar already feels too full - you’re not alone. The new year brings new priorities, shifting strategies, and endless noise about what leaders “should” be doing. But the best leaders I’m coaching right now aren’t adding more. They’re doing the opposite. They’re cutting through the noise.They’re choosing clarity over chaos. Because clarity doesn’t just calm your mind - it sharpens...
Standing at the edge of what’s next
Standing at the edge of what’s next As this year comes to a close, I’ve found myself reflecting less on milestones and more on chapters. Not what happened.But what each season asked of me. 2024 was hard. Not in a dramatic way.In the deeper, more humbling way. It stretched me in places I did not choose.It asked me to sit with grief.To face moments I could not fix.To accept that effort and intention are not always enough to make things whole. That year challenged me at my core.And it changed me...
Your weekly boost of practical leadership wisdom - rooted in neuroscience, backed by data, and crafted for real-world results. Each memo offers a spark of insight to help you lead with clarity, empathy, and purpose - especially when things get messy.