Original Content
Jackie Insinger is all about the spark — and sparking brilliance in others.
And, if you ask her, 105 moons had a lot to do with it.
Prior to becoming a bestselling author, keynote speaker, and executive and team dynamics coach, she studied under famous psychologist, Dr. Eleanor Duckworth, at Harvard. On the first day of class, every student was given the assignment to look at the moon and draw it or write about it every night. The outcome? In three months, Jackie and every other student discovered that there are thousands of ways to see one single object.
She has since spent 20 years determined to leverage a diversity of perspectives — and individual story — to spark brilliance in others.
In this episode, Jackie shares her own sparks of leadership inspiration with John Kiker, president of Medium Giant, including:
- Why having a rich diversity of perspectives — individual stories — can influence better decision-making, greater innovation, and bigger outputs
- Why we can’t manage through change in today’s VUCA world — and what to do instead
- The critical impact of psychological safety — and why encouraging courage is necessary for innovation, growth, and success
- What “Ted Lasso leadership” can show us about the intersection of transparency, authenticity, and positivity
- How the “power lead” technique can help set a positive tone
- Why creating smaller finish lines is a game-changer for maintaining momentum
For Jackie, the theme of the next five years is going to be pivoting through disruption and evaluating how to lead through the tornadoes of change — including generational change. Four generations are active in the workforce right now — and by the end of 2025, 30% of the workforce will be Gen Z. She knows better than anyone that the way we used to lead isn’t going to work for future leaders.
That’s why she’s so excited about what she and her team are able to deliver via Spark Brilliance, which develops extraordinary leaders by increasing connection, motivation, and communication and honoring cognitive diversity and individual stories.
