An Imperfect Leader: Recent Episodes
Peter Stiepleman
Hello and welcome to An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action, a series where leaders look back at decisions they made and ask themselves:
- What happened?
- What got overlooked?
- What did you learn about relationships or what new relationships were formed?
- What frustrated you?
- What could you have done differently?
- And in the end, what was something good that came out of the experience – because it is through our mistakes where our greatest learning takes place.
I'm Peter Stiepleman. I'm your host AND I'm an imperfect leader. I spent more than 20 years teaching and leading, first in the Oakland Public Schools in Oakland, CA and then in the Midwest – Missouri, to be exact – where I was a teacher, a principal, an assistant superintendent and the superintendent of the 5th largest school district in a state of more than 500 districts.
I am constantly striving to learn from my experiences and from the experiences of other leaders. The aim of this podcast is to lift the learning and lift the imperfect leaders up. That way, when you hear the term imperfect, you’ll see strength, strength from the candor needed to recognize imperfection as a real advantage.
Intro: Hartford, Connecticut was the location of my very first hockey game. The Hartford Whalers vs the NY Rangers. And what a scene it was. During the second period, there was an obvious offense because both benches cleared and both teams were absolutely brawling! I find myself in Hartford at least once a year and so every year, I revisit, in my mind, that very violent episode in my life. But now, after talking with my guest, Dr. Torres-Rodriguez, I have a delightful replacement memory and for that, I am grateful.
My mentor, Dr. Linda Henke, the creator of the human-centered school transformation model I speak so much about wrote:
The shift away from the heroic leader who goes it alone, to the transformational leader who attends to the field is perhaps the most fundamental change in the work of school leadership.
She continues by asking readers to rethink the metaphor of a leader as hero and consider, instead, a different metaphor --- someone like a midwife or a gardener or a minister. Someone who tends to the needs of others.
My guest this week cares so deeply for her district because her district is so personal to her - she graduated from the district and then returned to lead it.
She leverages the voices of her entire system, inside and outside the organization, including the voices of her children. She considers the technical skills, the emotional intelligence, and a lens focused on equity in order to make sound decisions.
And she uses all of this knowledge and skill in recounting her after action review – the recommendation to her board to consolidate or close schools in her school district. Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: Dr. Torres-Rodriguez was named the 2022 National Superintendent of the Year by the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS), received the 2019 Award for Educational Leadership from the Connecticut Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (CALAS) as well as the 2019 Prospanica National Brillante Award for Educational Excellence.
Dr. Torres-Rodriguez is a member of the Governor’s Workforce Council and serves on the Hartford Promise Board. She also co-chairs the Mayor’s Cabinet for Young Children in Hartford.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
At the end of every interview we have for teacher candidates, we say, “What questions do you have for us?” And they always ask, “What kind of support can I expect?” And we always say, “Don't worry, we'll give you a mentor.”
But it's not real mentorship. I mean, it's support with the difficult kid, or the field trip form, or the grade card. But it isn't coaching.
That's where partners like EdConnective step in. Because they provide real coaching, observations and feedback with practice. EdConnective ensures that every student thrives by facilitating exceptional educator growth. If you're looking for support for your people, for your leaders, for science of reading efforts, for recruitment and retention initiatives, check out EdConnective.com.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success. Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
Hello, Imperfect Leaders!
INTRO: Evaluations. In every single profession, employees are evaluated. They are evaluated by their direct supervisors or evaluated by a board of directors. Often they are evaluated by the people they lead in the form of a survey (often referred to as a 360 survey). Plus, there are informal evaluations conducted by the community over social media (those can be brutal).
Formal evaluations can be difficult to navigate if there is not a clear process and protocol established at the very beginning. How often have you entered an evaluation meeting only to discover that what you thought you were being evaluated on was very different than what your evaluator thought?
My guest this week Is Dr. Jennifer Cheatham and she has incredible advice for school and district leaders about goal setting, reporting on progress, and even tips for how leaders can formally request authority over the evaluation process as part of their contract (I hadn’t thought of that one – so wise!). In Part 2, during her After Action Review, Jennifer talks about something very important to me: the tackling of a major system of oppression - a district’s code of conduct (also known as discipline).
It’s a great episode full of incredible insights! Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: With over twenty-five years of experience in the field of education in San Diego, Chicago, and Madison, Wisconsin, Dr. Jennifer Cheatham has served as a teacher, a teacher leader, a professional developer, a central office leader, an area superintendent, and a superintendent. In each of these roles, she focused on a number of things, including cultivating strong teams, designing enduring systems, and strengthening routines for organizational learning – all to make the lives of children better. She is now a Senior Lecturer on Education and Co-Chair of the Public Education Leadership Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
FURTHER INFO: A few months ago, I had a chance to speak with Max Silverman at the University of Washington’s Center for Educational Leadership. Our conversation was wide ranging, but we kept returning to the role of evaluations. Leaders in every profession are interested in growth. Personal growth and the growth of those they supervise. This is a big topic for educational leaders as well. It wasn’t a day or so later that I came across this article by Jennifer: Can Superintendents’ Evaluation Lead to Their Own Growth? In the article she points out the unintended consequences of a traditional school board process of evaluation and how that the lowering of one point might lead to a superintendent’s quick demise. She references the incredibly disturbing national trend when it comes to leader longevity (we are losing superintendents at alarming rates). As we continue to read the article, we learn more about the shared process she created with your board in Madison, Wisconsin, which included self-reflection. Give it a read!
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
At the end of every interview we have for teacher candidates, we say, “What questions do you have for us?” And they always ask, “What kind of support can I expect?” And we always say, “Don't worry, we'll give you a mentor.”
But it's not real mentorship. I mean, it's support with the difficult kid, or the field trip form, or the grade card. But it isn't coaching.
That's where partners like EdConnective step in. Because they provide real coaching, observations and feedback with practice. EdConnective ensures that every student thrives by facilitating exceptional educator growth. If you're looking for support for your people, for your leaders, for science of reading efforts, for recruitment and retention initiatives, check out EdConnective.com.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success. Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
INTRO:
In this episode, Matt Robbins is my guest. Matt is the Superintendent of the Daviess County Public Schools in Daviess County, Kentucky. What’s different about Matt is that he didn’t follow a traditional route to the superintendency. His background is in finance. In this episode, we talk a little about how his past experiences help him in his current job. In Part 2, in his After Action Review, he describes a situation all superintendents should be prepared to deal with. What happens when you adopt new routing software for your bus system and it crashes? What happens when the crash occurs RIGHT before the school year begins and you have to postpone the start of school? A really good episode!
BIO: Matt Robbins serves as Superintendent of the Daviess County Public Schools, a district with nearly 12,000 students and 2,000 staff members in 12 elementary schools, three middle schools and three high schools.
Matt serves as the team leader for the finance & operations training program for KASA’s NextGen new KY superintendent program and has done this for six years now.
Matt is also President of Kentucky’s Council for Better Education that ensures equity and adequacy of funding for Kentucky’s public schools. As a part of this work, Matt has most recently led Kentucky public schools districts in a lawsuit that involves funding private schools in Kentucky. That case is now on appeal before the Kentucky Supreme Court.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
At the end of every interview we have for teacher candidates, we say, “What questions do you have for us?” And they always ask, “What kind of support can I expect?” And we always say, “Don't worry, we'll give you a mentor.”
But it's not real mentorship. I mean, it's support with the difficult kid, or the field trip form, or the grade card. But it isn't coaching.
That's where partners like EdConnective step in. Because they provide real coaching, observations and feedback with practice. EdConnective ensures that every student thrives by facilitating exceptional educator growth. If you're looking for support for your people, for your leaders, for science of reading efforts, for recruitment and retention initiatives, check out EdConnective.com.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success. Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
Hello Imperfect Leaders!
It's summer!! And for leaders, that means reflection. And it means planning for the coming year. It is for that reason that this week's episode is an encore episode specifically picked with your upcoming year in mind.
As Labor Day approaches, Season 3 will kick off. And I am so excited about THAT because Jamie Almanzán from The Equity Collaborative will be joining me as a cohost and commentator. It's going to be great! So, sit back and enjoy this encore presentation of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast.
Intro: Hope is a powerful theme for today’s conversation.
My guest today starts with a quote from poet, activist, and National Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman. I found it to be such a perfect way to start our conversation because my guest, Ms. Hattie Tate, speaks to hope. She speaks to how important it is to maintain hope. In fact, she reflects on the words of Amanda Gorman and reminds listeners how “every day, we have not lost hope.”
And the key to maintaining this hope is a simple one to say aloud and sometimes so hard to achieve. It’s relationships. The influence and impact that comes from a deep and genuine relationship. So to kick off this really inspiring conversation with Hattie Tate, a district leader in Oakland, CA, I give you four more stanzas from an Amanda Gorman poem New Day’s Lyric, written and performed as the pandemic began to experience a waning (vaccines we on the horizon and brighter days appeared to be imminent). She wrote:
Are now these moments we make, The moments we meet, And our hearts, once all together beaten, Now all together beat.
Never is that more important than those working with our children struggling to achieve their promise. Often labeled as at-risk, Hattie discusses this with honesty and optimism. In her After-Action Review, she reflects on career choices - a deeply personal conversation. Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: Ms. Hattie Tate has many titles. They include educator, principal, and administrator in the Oakland Unified School District in Oakland, CA. She has been the principal of an alternative school, has worked with the Department of Violence Prevention/DVP, Oakland, CA 2011-2023, has served as an Administrator/Coordinator for the Juvenile Justice Center, has been a leader with Youth Diversion and Re-Entry Strategy, and has been an important piece to Stanford University’s Impact Labs as a researcher.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
At the end of every interview we have for teacher candidates, we say, “What questions do you have for us?” And they always ask, “What kind of support can I expect?” And we always say, “Don't worry, we'll give you a mentor.”
But it's not real mentorship. I mean, it's support with the difficult kid, or the field trip form, or the grade card. But it isn't coaching.
That's where partners like EdConnective step in. Because they provide real coaching, observations and feedback with practice. EdConnective ensures that every student thrives by facilitating exceptional educator growth. If you're looking for support for your people, for your leaders, for science of reading efforts, for recruitment and retention initiatives, check out EdConnective.com.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success. Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
Hello Imperfect Leaders!
It's summer!! And for leaders, that means reflection. And it means planning for the coming year. It is for that reason that this week's episode is an encore episode specifically picked with your upcoming year in mind.
As Labor Day approaches, Season 3 will kick off. And I am so excited about THAT because Jamie Almanzán from The Equity Collaborative will be joining me as a cohost and commentator. It's going to be great! So, sit back and enjoy this encore presentation of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast.
INTRO: Choosing a name for a public building is a challenging process. With schools, a new name often includes the choosing of a mascot as well. Renaming a school or changing a mascot is often even more difficult. Community members will allege you're erasing history. I was a superintendent presiding over the renaming of Robert E. Lee Elementary School in Missouri! Most recently, I served on a renaming committee in the Seattle area. The committee process was well conceived and thoughtfully carried out by the district's current Superintendent, Amii Thompson. She made sure to make decisions with those most impacted, in this case, the Suquamish Tribe.
Now, imagine if you were the principal and your school board decided on a Thursday night to remove an offensive mascot effective immediately. My guest is Dr. Andrew Dolloff, superintendent of Yarmouth Schools in Yarmouth, Maine. His After Action Review is about exactly that! Thanks for tuning in.
Bio: Dr. Andrew Dolloff has been the superintendent of schools in Yarmouth, Maine since 2014. He is a 35-year veteran of Maine public schools, having begun his career as a chemistry teacher and basketball coach in central Maine before moving into school administration in Greater Portland in 1996. Andrew has served as a superintendent, assistant superintendent, high school principal, high school assistant principal, and athletic administrator. For nearly 10 years, he has served a community that is deeply personal to him as his grandfather graduated from Yarmouth High School. I have no doubt that leading in a hometown district must have made it even more meaningful when he was named Maine’s Superintendent of the Year in 2021.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
At the end of every interview we have for teacher candidates, we say, “What questions do you have for us?” And they always ask, “What kind of support can I expect?” And we always say, “Don't worry, we'll give you a mentor.”
But it's not real mentorship. I mean, it's support with the difficult kid, or the field trip form, or the grade card. But it isn't coaching.
That's where partners like EdConnective step in. Because they provide real coaching, observations and feedback with practice. EdConnective ensures that every student thrives by facilitating exceptional educator growth. If you're looking for support for your people, for your leaders, for science of reading efforts, for recruitment and retention initiatives, check out EdConnective.com.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success. Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
Hello Imperfect Leaders!
It's summer!! And for leaders, that means reflection. And it means planning for the coming year. It is for that reason that this week's episode is an encore episode specifically picked with your upcoming year in mind.
As Labor Day approaches, Season 3 will kick off. And I am so excited about THAT because Jamie Almanzán from The Equity Collaborative will be joining me as a cohost and commentator. It's going to be great! So, sit back and enjoy this encore presentation of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast.
INTRO: This week, Matt Hornbeck is my guest. He is the principal of Hampstead Hill Academy in Baltimore, Maryland. In our conversation, we talk about the importance of relationships in schools and we talk about restorative practices (he describes the process of fixing what has been broken so so well).
In his After Action Review, we talk about the early years of leadership and what can be learned when a leader focuses more on what they want as opposed to documenting what they don’t want. The topic is staff attendance. Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: Matt Hornbeck is an established leader in Baltimore, Maryland. Before becoming a principal at Hampstead Hill Academy, a Baltimore City charter school, he was an educational consultant with large urban districts on resource allocation and principal training. He holds a master’s degree in Educational Administration as well as a law degree.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
At the end of every interview we have for teacher candidates, we say, “What questions do you have for us?” And they always ask, “What kind of support can I expect?” And we always say, “Don't worry, we'll give you a mentor.”
But it's not real mentorship. I mean, it's support with the difficult kid, or the field trip form, or the grade card. But it isn't coaching.
That's where partners like EdConnective step in. Because they provide real coaching, observations and feedback with practice. EdConnective ensures that every student thrives by facilitating exceptional educator growth. If you're looking for support for your people, for your leaders, for science of reading efforts, for recruitment and retention initiatives, check out EdConnective.com.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success. Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
Hello Imperfect Leaders!
It's summer!! And for leaders, that means reflection. And it means planning for the coming year. It is for that reason that this week's episode is an encore episode specifically picked with your upcoming year in mind.
As Labor Day approaches, Season 3 will kick off. And I am so excited about THAT because Jamie Almanzán from The Equity Collaborative will be joining me as a cohost and commentator. It's going to be great! So, sit back and enjoy this encore presentation of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast.
Intro: Hello Imperfect Leaders! On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina, a Category 3 hurricane with recorded wind speeds of 140 miles per hour devastated communities in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. I remember being a teacher in Missouri, and hearing reports of families heading north to find refuge all along the Mississippi River.
Our school system welcomed families, and quickly learned of their very specific needs. The children had been through a great deal of trauma. What I didn’t know until now was that after Katrina, in 2014, the New Orleans Public Schools transitioned from a traditional school district to a 100% charter school district. The superintendent would be hired by a school board, and it would be their responsibility to oversee and authorize each charter school (working with each charter school’s own school boards). What a task!
My guest this week describes that important work. Dr. Avis Williams is the New Orleans superintendent. She reminds us that “When you’re bringing people together around an issue, there is a difference between buy in and commitment (you’ll hear her say, “if people can buy in, they can be bought out.”). Listen for it.
She also describes the creation of a Joyful Educator Collaborative where she convenes teachers to learn more about what is going well as well as areas for continued growth. Thanks for tuning in!
Bio: Dr. Avis Williams is the superintendent of schools for the NOLA Public Schools in New Orleans, Louisiana. Prior to her historic appointment to lead the Nola Public Schools, Dr. Williams served as superintendent of Historic Selma City Schools in Selma, AL for five years.
An award-winning educator and sought-after speaker, she is a native of Salisbury, NC. A product of poverty, Dr. Williams dreamed of being a teacher from an early age. As a first generation 4-year college student, she followed the path of her older siblings and joined the Army right after high school. While in the Army, she was stationed at Fort Jackson, SC, Yongsan, Korea, and Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL. Further Info: Dr. Williams is a leader, a learner, and an author. She is the author of Welcome to Chase Shadows and of professional articles like Leading with Joy as a Prerequisite to Better Outcomes. Additionally, she has a professional book (co-authored with Bren Elliott) coming out soon.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
At the end of every interview we have for teacher candidates, we say, “What questions do you have for us?” And they always ask, “What kind of support can I expect?” And we always say, “Don't worry, we'll give you a mentor.”
But it's not real mentorship. I mean, it's support with the difficult kid, or the field trip form, or the grade card. But it isn't coaching.
That's where partners like EdConnective step in. Because they provide real coaching, observations and feedback with practice. EdConnective ensures that every student thrives by facilitating exceptional educator growth. If you're looking for support for your people, for your leaders, for science of reading efforts, for recruitment and retention initiatives, check out EdConnective.com.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success. Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.
INTRO: Hop on the Energy Bus for our latest podcast episode! This week, we're thrilled to have Dr. Jim Van Allan, a nationally recognized speaker and co-author of The Energy Bus for Schools, take the wheel. Jim shares his expertise on school leadership, student engagement, and the power of positivity in education.
In this episode, discover how Jim's journey and dynamic approach can transform a school's culture. Whether you're an educator, administrator, or just passionate about positive change, this conversation is packed with valuable insights and practical tips, include:
- Part 1: We dive into the themes of the book, especially in the post-pandemic world.
- Part 2: In our "Imperfect Leadership in After Action" segment, Jim shares a humorous, yet insightful story about a speaking engagement mix-up in Wyoming. 🤦♂️ His anecdote highlights the importance of flexibility and problem-solving in leadership.
Don't miss out on this enlightening and entertaining ride with Dr. Jim Van Allan! Tune in and get ready to fuel your school leadership with enthusiasm and positivity.
BIO: Dr. Jim Van Allan is the co-author of The Energy Bus for Schools (a companion to The Energy Bus, a best seller his co-author, Jon Gordon wrote, having sold over 3 million copies). In addition to being the President of the Energy Bus for Schools program, Jim is a Professor of Communication Studies at Keiser University. He holds a Ph.D. in Education Leadership where he studied the impact of The Energy Bus for Schools curriculum on a model school.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
At the end of every interview we have for teacher candidates, we say, “What questions do you have for us?” And they always ask, “What kind of support can I expect?” And we always say, “Don't worry, we'll give you a mentor.”
But it's not real mentorship. I mean, it's support with the difficult kid, or the field trip form, or the grade card. But it isn't coaching.
That's where partners like EdConnective step in. Because they provide real coaching, observations and feedback with practice. EdConnective ensures that every student thrives by facilitating exceptional educator growth. If you're looking for support for your people, for your leaders, for science of reading efforts, for recruitment and retention initiatives, check out EdConnective.com.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success. Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.
INTRO: Welcome to today's episode of An Imperfect Leader, where we sit down with Dr. Peter Dillon, a superintendent in Western Massachusetts. Peter shares his experiences working in a rural region serving, at one time, two school districts and the lessons he learned along the way.
In this episode, he shares insights on leading multiple districts, the challenges and rewards of serving small communities, and the process of redesigning what it means to be a high school student in a post-COVID world. Don't miss this conversation about harvesting collective wisdom, overcoming budget crises, and fostering student voice and engagement. Dr. Peter Dillon shares his story and lessons learned, embodying the spirit of an imperfect leader.
BIO: Dr. Peter Dillon is the superintendent of schools for the Berkshire Hills Regional School District—serving the towns of Stockbridge, West Stockbridge and Great Barrington, Mass. At one point, he also served, simultaneously, as superintendent of the Shaker Mountain School Union, which serves Richmond, Hancock and New Ashford. Previously, Peter was executive director of policy in the Office of Portfolio Planning at the New York City Department of Education, where he helped to create and sustain more than 150 new schools. He was the principal of the Heritage School in East Harlem and he taught in New York and in the Republic of the Marshall Islands as a Peace Corps volunteer.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
At the end of every interview we have for teacher candidates, we say, “What questions do you have for us?” And they always ask, “What kind of support can I expect?” And we always say, “Don't worry, we'll give you a mentor.”
But it's not real mentorship. I mean, it's support with the difficult kid, or the field trip form, or the grade card. But it isn't coaching.
That's where partners like EdConnective step in. Because they provide real coaching, observations and feedback with practice. EdConnective ensures that every student thrives by facilitating exceptional educator growth. If you're looking for support for your people, for your leaders, for science of reading efforts, for recruitment and retention initiatives, check out EdConnective.com.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success. Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.
INTRO: In my third year as a superintendent, the AVID classes at one of my high schools invited me to the school library at 7:30 in the morning. That is EARLY for high school students accustomed to starting school at almost 9 o’clock, so it had to be important. Over donuts and juice, it was the students who led an activity called Philosophical Chairs. The topic? Weighted grades. Our school district didn’t offer weighted grades and the students saw this as a distinct disadvantage. They were prepared for my argument to maintain the status quo. I reasoned, “Why would we need weighted grades? The research is really clear. If you complete an AP course, even with a C, you’re more likely to complete college.”
In Philosophical Chairs, after each statement, participants can choose to move in proximity to the person making the statement. I didn’t sway anyone. A student then stated, “I hear the argument that completing an AP course shows me that I can handle a college course, and that it becomes more likely I will finish college, but I need to GET into college first, and I need to get a scholarship to pay for it, and a peer who takes a less rigorous course and gets an A gets accepted to college and gets a higher scholarship.”
She was right (we verified this with our local University and they weren’t stripping weighted grades from transcripts). I was won over. I wish I could say that this change happened immediately. Getting 4 votes from the school board took some time, but we got there. My guest, Dr. Melvin Brown, shares his experience with a decision he made about weighted grades in Montgomery, Alabama.
In Part 1, Melvin Brown talks about the importance of reclaiming the narrative in Montgomery Public Schools. He talks about how enduring change will take time. He talks about recognizing the systems that exist, persist, and ways to RESIST. We discuss the ways external partners like EdConnective can support leadership development. We talk about the goal of increasing opportunities like algebra at middle school and the systems thinking approach that will be necessary to do that.
In Part 2, we talk about weighted grades, how AP courses and honors courses earned the same full point on a transcript, and the unintended consequences on a student’s future (scholarships and such). Dr. Brown lived the role of a lead learner.
It’s a great episode. Also, this episode had one of my favorite lines ever! I laughed out loud when Dr. Brown described himself as a student. He said, “Summa Cum Laude? No, it was more like, thank you, Laude!” I edited out my outburst!
BIO: Dr. Melvin Brown is the Superintendent of the Montgomery Public Schools in Montgomery, Alabama, a position he has held since 2022. Previous to that, he served as Superintendent of the Reynoldsburg City School District in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. And before that he served as a Superintendent in Residence and Visiting Professor at The Ohio State University. And before that, he held various leadership roles: as Deputy Superintendent, as Director of Human Resources, as an Associate Superintendent, and as both an elementary middle school principal.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
At the end of every interview we have for teacher candidates, we say, “What questions do you have for us?” And they always ask, “What kind of support can I expect?” And we always say, “Don't worry, we'll give you a mentor.”
But it's not real mentorship. I mean, it's support with the difficult kid, or the field trip form, or the grade card. But it isn't coaching.
That's where partners like EdConnective step in. Because they provide real coaching, observations and feedback with practice. EdConnective ensures that every student thrives by facilitating exceptional educator growth. If you're looking for support for your people, for your leaders, for science of reading efforts, for recruitment and retention initiatives, check out EdConnective.com.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success. Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.
INTRO: As many of you know, I serve on the Board of Directors for Be the Change Volunteers. We build schools, teacher housing, and bathrooms all over the world (currently in Peru, Malawi, India, Rwanda, Puerto Rico, and Papua New Guinea). It’s an incredible experience – if you ever want to join a build, please let me know – and one thing we try to be mindful about is the return back home after a build. You’ve just seen a lot and experienced a lot, and there is a transition back to your regularly scheduled programming. When I was speaking with my guest today, she highlighted the importance of preparing employees for when they are relocated to another country.
Brenda Harrington is my guest. In Part 1, we talk about her book, Access Denied, which seeks to support the trailblazers in your organization, the one, and often the only one in a work space and the importance for peers to be aware of the cultural field they create, curate, and permit to persist.
In Part 2, we talk about an area of Brenda’s experience that many leaders will relate to: the need to move to a new community, sometimes in a new state (you’ll hear my initial confusion about the term global mobility). Brenda talks about the coaching needed before a leader changes locations and the call to companies to think about an employee’s success.
BIO: Brenda Harrington is the CEO and founder of Adaptive Leadership Strategies, a service business that offers coaching and consulting solutions to help companies develop and grow top talent. In addition to Brenda's work as a CEO, she is also the author of Access Denied.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
At the end of every interview we have for teacher candidates, we say, “What questions do you have for us?” And they always ask, “What kind of support can I expect?” And we always say, “Don't worry, we'll give you a mentor.”
But it's not real mentorship. I mean, it's support with the difficult kid, or the field trip form, or the grade card. But it isn't coaching.
That's where partners like EdConnective step in. Because they provide real coaching, observations and feedback with practice. EdConnective ensures that every student thrives by facilitating exceptional educator growth. If you're looking for support for your people, for your leaders, for science of reading efforts, for recruitment and retention initiatives, check out EdConnective.com.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success. Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.
INTRO: When I was a superintendent, we created a geometry and construction class. Kids would take geometry on A days and then apply those principles to building a tiny home on B days. And I loved asking a student who was out there working on the home in the dead of winter why it was important to be out there working when it was so cold outside. “Today, I’m cold. Tomorrow, someone will have this home and will no longer be cold.” I loved that response. Our kids were learning, geometry, home building, empathy, and compassion. We had another class where on A days kids learned algebra and on B days, they applied their learning to a small business, a t-shirt company, they were operating. Finding ways to build relevance and entrepreneurial opportunities. These weren’t my ideas. I just was smart enough to support the educators who came to me and pitched these classes. My guest today reminded me of the importance of reclaiming the narrative about public schools - how innovative they really are and how they support opportunities previously unheard of in traditional schools (an entrepreneurial hub for students, internships, real world experiences, early college for juniors and seniors to graduate high school with an Associate Degree, debt free). Please welcome Dr. Scott Menzel.
In Part 1, we talk about creating opportunities for kids and the importance of reclaiming the narrative when it comes to public education. Scott’s rallying cry is a simple one: Because Kids. He believes the misinformation and disinformation must be confronted because otherwise false narratives take root. In our conversation, I give the example of a State Representative in Missouri who continues to claim that children are allowed to identify as cats and use litter boxes at school. Scott responds with a strategy for leaders on how to reclaim the narrative.
In Part 2, Scott talks about a technology initiative, a three-year pilot, using VR technology to improve middle school and high school math achievement. He describes the difficult decision to pull the plug on the initiative and what he learned from that.
BIO: Scottsdale Unified School District welcomed Dr. Scott A. Menzel as Superintendent on July 1, 2020. Always looking to the future, Dr. Menzel’s approach to education is student-centered with a relentless commitment to excellence and opportunity for all. Having provided 18 years of leadership to school districts within the state of Michigan, Dr. Menzel became Scottsdale Unified School District’s 27th superintendent on July 1, 2020. In 2023, he was named Superintendent of the Year by Save Our Schools Arizona and in 2024 received ERDI's Resilient Leader Award.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
At the end of every interview we have for teacher candidates, we say, “What questions do you have for us?” And they always ask, “What kind of support can I expect?” And we always say, “Don't worry, we'll give you a mentor.”
But it's not real mentorship. I mean, it's support with the difficult kid, or the field trip form, or the grade card. But it isn't coaching.
That's where partners like EdConnective step in. Because they provide real coaching, observations and feedback with practice. EdConnective ensures that every student thrives by facilitating exceptional educator growth. If you're looking for support for your people, for your leaders, for science of reading efforts, for recruitment and retention initiatives, check out EdConnective.com.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success. Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.
INTRO: I almost called this episode: You’re the Villain in this Story because of the absolutely horrific story my guest shared with me in this week’s episode. Holy cow, you’re going to want to listen to this entire episode!
Sometimes as school leaders, you are forced to make difficult decisions. Whether or not to non-renew an employee can be really difficult. Whether to close a teaching section, which will increase class sizes, is an agonizing decision. My guest this week made the gut-wrenching decision to cancel his school district’s football season. He did it for all the right reasons. He did it while considering the short-term, long-term, and unintended consequences of the decision. He did it with empathy and compassion.
Please welcome my guest, Dr. Richard Labbe.
In Part 1, he discusses the importance of coaching for new teachers though the EdConnective. He then touches on the decision to cancel the football season.
In Part 2, he returns to the football decision because there were many moving parts to the decision. His After Action Review is an incredible resource for our field. I’m grateful for Dr. Labbe’s willingness to revisit a very difficult career decision.
BIO: Dr. Richard Labbe, the superintendent of the Sayreville Schools in Sayreville, NJ has been a teacher, a principal, a director of special services, and a superintendent. He didn't start out in education. In fact, Richard took a different path to education. He started out at a small automobile public relations company, served as a football and wrestling coach, and met a class of children as a substitute teacher. It was as a sub that he knew he HAD to be in a classroom. In his words, he “simply fell in love with the profession." We're glad that he did!
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
At the end of every interview we have for teacher candidates, we say, “What questions do you have for us?” And they always ask, “What kind of support can I expect?” And we always say, “Don't worry, we'll give you a mentor.”
But it's not real mentorship. I mean, it's support with the difficult kid, or the field trip form, or the grade card. But it isn't coaching.
That's where partners like EdConnective step in. Because they provide real coaching, observations and feedback with practice. EdConnective ensures that every student thrives by facilitating exceptional educator growth. If you're looking for support for your people, for your leaders, for science of reading efforts, for recruitment and retention initiatives, check out EdConnective.com.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success. Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.
INTRO: When I first became a superintendent, I learned about Positive Coaching. Positive Coaching is a framework for winning kids with sport by building relationships with children first and foremost. The way I saw it, Positive Coaching emphasized the aspect of doing something together and learning how to be a team. It wasn’t about winning at all costs. I loved it. My guest today will talk about something that still makes her cringe a decade after it happened. I could totally relate.
One of my first acts as a superintendent was to gather all the coaches from the 6 middle schools and 4 high schools. I told them we were going to be positive coaches, that we weren’t going to want to win so badly that we were going to damage kids. I always tell leaders that you must get a beat on the system before you go out and make pronouncements. I should have followed my own advice. I am certain I insulted so many of the incredible adults who were already positive coaches. What I needed in that moment - heck, what I needed well before that moment - was a leadership coach.
Today, my guest, Dr. Natalie Nichols will talk about the value of a leadership coach (in her case leveraging EdConnective to help leaders support literacy instruction in their schools) and then she’ll tell us her cringe moment when she unilaterally chose to institute a dress code at her high school.
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In Part 1, Dr. Nichols talks systems thinking. If her district is going to have an impact on reading achievement, she knows that her leaders are going to need the very best training to support their teachers. She identified that the approach to teaching reading is a BIG topic and can be controversial. It is with the understanding of building technical skills while also attending to the affective side of change that she chose to partner with EdConnective to provide personal coaches for her leaders.
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In Part 2, Natalie tells me about an early decision in leadership when she made the unilateral decision to Institute a dress code at the high school she was leading. She talks about what she learned from this experience and how it has helped inform the steps she takes as a district leader.
BIO:
Dr. Natalie Nichols is the Senior Chief of Schools and Innovation in Round Rock, Texas. With over 20 years of experience in education, Dr. Nichols spent a decade serving Round Rock ISD in two major leadership roles as an Area Superintendent and principal of Round Rock High School, the District’s largest campus. Dr. Nichols has been an associate principal, an assistant principal, and an instructional specialist. She has also supported public school districts across the nation through the use of educational technology.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
At the end of every interview we have for teacher candidates, we say, “What questions do you have for us?” And they always ask, “What kind of support can I expect?” And we always say, “Don't worry, we'll give you a mentor.”
But it's not real mentorship. I mean, it's support with the difficult kid, or the field trip form, or the grade card. But it isn't coaching.
That's where partners like EdConnective step in. Because they provide real coaching, observations and feedback with practice. EdConnective ensures that every student thrives by facilitating exceptional educator growth. If you're looking for support for your people, for your leaders, for science of reading efforts, for recruitment and retention initiatives, check out EdConnective.com.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success. Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.
In this week’s An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast, we dive into another authentic story of someone navigating the complexities of leadership. I'm your host, Peter Stiepleman, and today, we have the honor of welcoming a remarkable leader, Merle Horowitz.
Today, we’ll explore Merle's journey through a lens of empathy, resilience, and the pursuit of progress - or in her wise words: we’re going to empathize, sympathize, and energize. With a focus on the profound impact of mentors and the challenges of cyberbullying in education, Merle shares her insights drawn from years of experience. From her groundbreaking research on the legal implications of digital communication to her tenure as a superintendent, Merle's journey is a testament to the transformative power of leadership in education. In Part 2, Merle walks us through her experience of leading a major facility change where academic learning spaces would get the same attention as football fields.
It's a great episode. Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: Dr. Merle Horowitz has been a teacher and a district leader, retiring as Superintendent in Marple Newtown, Pennsylvania after serving four decades.
As superintendent, she led district-wide renovation projects to bring the district’s schools up-to-date with security and technology improvements, all of which served as a catalyst to the transformation of the district’s academic environment and staff and student morale. In fact, this led to schools in her district being awarded the Governor’s Award for Excellence in recognition of student achievement.
Recognized as an administrator for demonstrating a commitment to school administration as a profession, to public education, and to one’s colleagues – for that Merle was named the recipient of the 2014 PASA Award for Leadership in Public Education. In 2014, she co-published an article on cyberbullying, which turned into a book: Cyberbullying in Social Media within Educational Institutions.
Other Resource Recommendations from Merle:
- EdLeadership February 2024 Issue
- "You’re Not Alone”: A Conversation with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy
- What I Heard from Students About Mental Health—and What Helps
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
At the end of every interview we have for teacher candidates, we say, “What questions do you have for us?” And they always ask, “What kind of support can I expect?” And we always say, “Don't worry, we'll give you a mentor.”
But it's not real mentorship. I mean, it's support with the difficult kid, or the field trip form, or the grade card. But it isn't coaching.
That's where partners like EdConnective step in. Because they provide real coaching, observations and feedback with practice. EdConnective ensures that every student thrives by facilitating exceptional educator growth. If you're looking for support for your people, for your leaders, for science of reading efforts, for recruitment and retention initiatives, check out EdConnective.com.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success. Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.
INTRO: Before listening to this episode, I want to make sure that you know that this episode deals with trauma. If you have experienced trauma in your past, you might want to find the right time to listen to this episode. And remember, if you or someone you know needs the suicide or crisis lifeline, you can dial 988 from any phone.
For me, the experiences my guest describes in this episode were a reminder of leading a school district during the pandemic. I can still remember it like it was yesterday. The year was turning from 2019 to 2020. I was a superintendent and I started hearing about a virus appearing in Seattle and New York. I wrote a note in my journal that we should plan to give an update on the emerging coronavirus at the April board meeting. In mid-March, however, I had a meeting with the Director of the local Health Department. It was abundantly clear the presentation would need to be way earlier than April. I would be explaining why the virus would be closing the district down.
I remember responding to questions from community members. They wanted to know how this year was different from past years when there were high cases of the flu. In all other years, I thought, we were not directed to stay in our homes by every level of national, state, and local government. In all other years, we were not tuning in to the news or talking with neighbors who had been impacted in some way by this global pandemic. In all other years, we hadn’t felt such tremendous loss. And I can remember hoping for a return to normal routines. Everyone was hoping for that! Unfortunately, like school districts all across the globe, each decision caused more and more grief.
My guest, an author and former army veteran and trainer, talks about how to talk with adults who have experienced trauma. School leaders, all leaders, are not often trained to handle their own distress, nor are they necessarily skilled at recognizing the trauma of others. Dan Joseph is a terrific guest because he talks about the things to look for, the things to notice (like people being hypervigilant, for example). In the second part, he describes a time when a soldier was dealing with mental health during lockdowns. People were struggling with their own traumas and didn’t have the bandwidth to help this individual. The directions were to keep it quiet and stick with the mission.
It’s a fantastic episode.
BIO: Dan Joseph is an Army veteran and author of Backpack to Rucksack: Insight Into Leadership and Resilience From Military Experts. When I’ve read parts of his book, reviewed combatpsych.com tools, and listened to him on The Power of Our Story, I was struck by some of the similarities we look for when it comes to leadership (in the military and in education), including the ability to look back and see what we can learn from our experiences.
NOTE: Here is a link to a Harvard Business Review article I mention on self awareness.
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An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
At the end of every interview we have for teacher candidates, we say, “What questions do you have for us?” And they always ask, “What kind of support can I expect?” And we always say, “Don't worry, we'll give you a mentor.”
But it's not real mentorship. I mean, it's support with the difficult kid, or the field trip form, or the grade card. But it isn't coaching.
That's where partners like EdConnective step in. Because they provide real coaching, observations and feedback with practice. EdConnective ensures that every student thrives by facilitating exceptional educator growth. If you're looking for support for your people, for your leaders, for science of reading efforts, for recruitment and retention initiatives, check out EdConnective.com.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success. Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.
INTRO: Hello Imperfect Leaders! In this episode, Esusu co-founder, Samir Goel, talks about empowering individuals to build credit and access financial opportunities previously out of reach. 💡
Samir shares invaluable insights gleaned from his partner, Wemimo Abbey and mentor Jeff Weiner (emphasizing the crucial role of compassion and transparency).
In part 1, we talk about the company he co-founded and in part 2, we talk about what he has learned about giving feedback to employees. Join us as we talk about the different types of feedback: appreciative, motivational, constructive (and even destructive feedback). Together, we explore the power of compassionate leadership, the importance of transparency, and the dynamics of teamwork in cultivating shared visions. Imperfect leaders, you’re going to love this episode.
BIO: Samir Goel (along with his partner, Wemimo Abbey) is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Esusu, the leading financial technology company helping individuals save money and build credit.
- Esusu's rent reporting platform captures rental payment data and reports it to credit bureaus to boost credit scores.
- This allows renters to build and establish their credit scores while helping property owners mitigate against initiating evictions, powered by differentiated data and insights.
- Founded in 2018, Esusu reaches over 5 million rental units across all 50 states in the United States.
- Learn more at www.esusurent.com
- Follow them on Instagram: @myesusu and on Twitter: @getesusu.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
At the end of every interview we have for teacher candidates, we say, “What questions do you have for us?” And they always ask, “What kind of support can I expect?” And we always say, “Don't worry, we'll give you a mentor.”
But it's not real mentorship. I mean, it's support with the difficult kid, or the field trip form, or the grade card. But it isn't coaching.
That's where partners like EdConnective step in. Because they provide real coaching, observations and feedback with practice. EdConnective ensures that every student thrives by facilitating exceptional educator growth. If you're looking for support for your people, for your leaders, for science of reading efforts, for recruitment and retention initiatives, check out EdConnective.com.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success. Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.
INTRO: I told my guest that this podcast has almost exclusively been reserved for district leaders and education-adjacent leaders. While that is true, I think it’s important to live something I say whenever I describe the hierarchy of a school district - and that’s that there are leaders at every level. I believe it’s through our teachers that we can truly transform our schools. So when my guest today revealed herself as an infiltrator, I couldn’t contain myself. So funny! Imperfect Leaders, we’ve been infiltrated by the first teacher to join the podcast.
And she’s perfect. I refer to her as a bridge between classroom teachers and district leaders. She pulls back the curtain on how teachers think about leadership and district-wide decisions. It’s not magic, as you’ll quickly learn.
In the second part, my guest talks about pushing her agenda on students and how she may have been focused on her needs over the needs of others. Once again, there is a lot to what she says and how leaders lead their districts.
So yes, we’ve been infiltrated! It’s full of TLC as only my guest Danielle Nuhfer can deliver it. And I love it. It’s a great episode with so many clear connections to district and school leadership.
BIO: Danielle Nuhfer is a former public school teacher turned coach and the author of The Path of the Mindful Teacher, How to Choose Calm Over Chaos and Serenity over Stress, One Step at a Time. She has spent the last 20+ years navigating the ebbs and flows of school systems, while helping clients prioritize their own well-being so that they can be their best inside and outside their classroom and school.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS.
MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? It's a silly question, I know, because I know you are!
Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success.
Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Empat Speech. Empowering students. Empowering Schools.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.
INTRO: I was interested to see how ChatGPT might create an intro for me. I gave it some information and it spat out:
“Welcome to a journey that transcends the conventional boundaries of education. Imagine a school where purpose is not just a buzzword but the very essence that breathes life into every corridor, classroom, and curriculum.”
Yeesh. I asked it to sound less like a carnival announcer and it got worse:
“Hey there, folks! Get ready for a wild ride into the heart and soul of education – where purpose isn't just a fancy word, but the very lifeblood of every nook and cranny in our schools.”
Oof! That’s the very stereotype of a used-car salesman or auctioneer.
So instead, let me take it myself and say that my guest today made me think about Rick DuFour and his book "Professional Learning Communities at Work,” especially the concept of purpose-driven schooling, AND SPECIFICALLY how in the absence of a guiding purpose (my guest refers to this as self-awareness), one will find it difficult to do just about anything else. Start with your WHY before you discuss anything else.
My guest is John McClothlin and his book introduces us to five traits essential for cultivating an environment where purpose thrives. They are:
-
Self-awareness
-
Initiative
-
Adaptability
-
Efficiency
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Insistence
John has a military background – it made this conversation a little different, and soooo interesting. I am Peter Stiepleman and this is An Imperfect Leader.
BIO: John McGlothlin is my guest. John is former JAG, a former Army paratrooper who served across the US, Europe, and both Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a professor and the author of How to Deal with Damn Near Anything: The Paratrooper's Guide to Life.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS.
MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? It's a silly question, I know, because I know you are!
Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success.
Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Empat Speech. Empowering students. Empowering Schools.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.
Dr. Monique Darrisaw-Akil, the Superintendent of the Uniondale School District, is my guest. One simply had to read the following excerpt from the Long Island Herald to know why had to talk with Dr. Akil:
“Residents throughout Uniondale will tell you — this community, once grappling with educational challenges that seemed insurmountable, has undergone a remarkable transformation under the leadership of the Herald Beacon’s inaugural Person of the Year, Monique Darrisaw-Akil, the superintendent of the Uniondale School District.”
When she took over in Uniondale, the district faced many challenges:
· Lagging graduation rates
· Below-average proficiency scores
· Outdated infrastructure.
Dr. Akil has been credited with orchestrating a massive cultural and educational shift, including adding additional student resources. When I asked her about it, she was made it very clear that (a) she was the beneficiary of a good plan and (b) she the people she gets to work with are exceptional. A good plan and good people are great predictors for success!
In the first part of the conversation, we talk about the successes being seen Uniondale and in the second part, we discuss the adoption of a tech product and how the roll out didn’t go as planned. Here was a tool that was going to revolutionize a system they were working on. They launched and it was not good. It's a GREAT episode. One of my favorites!
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS.
MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? It's a silly question, I know, because I know you are!
Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success.
Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Empat Speech. Empowering students. Empowering Schools.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.
INTRO: About a year ago, at about the one-year anniversary of Justice Ginsburg’s death, I was asked by my family to be a part a school naming committee in Philadelphia. There was a school there considering her name for the new name, and I was to represent Justice Ginsburg.
In the end, the school community didn’t choose to name the school Ruth Bader Ginsburg Elementary School. Instead, they chose Gloria Casarez Elementary School. Gloria was an LGBTQ+ advocate who served Philadelphia’s City Hall as the director of LGBT Affairs from 2008 to 2014 and she was attended this school as child. This was the perfect way to honor a local hero who died too early.
The renaming process did something really rewarding for me. It gave me the opportunity to meet this week’s podcast guest, Julio Nuñez. In the first part of the conversation, Julio tells us about the process for changing the name of his elementary school in the Kensington Neighborhood of Philadelphia.
In the second part, Julio talks about his first principalship and the intensity of being a school/district leader, and the mental health toll it takes on a leader, especially leaders typically underrepresented in leadership roles.
Throughout our conversation, I kept thinking of a quote my aunt famously said:
"Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you."
Julio does just that. It’s a great episode.
BIO: Julio Nuñez is my guest. Julio serves the children, families, and staff as the principal of Roosevelt Campus of the Norristown Area High School, outside of Philadelphia.
His leadership journey, which spans a broad range of experiences, is firmly rooted in his desire for service and self-improvement. He values compassion, courage, citizenship, and resilience above all else.
Julio studied public policy at Georgetown University, graduated from Temple University with a degree in Journalism, Economics, and Political Science, and earned a master's degree in second language acquisition from Drexel University. Julio is pursuing his doctoral degree in Educational Leadership at Saint Joseph’s University, focused on immigrant and bilingual communities.
NOTE: In our conversation, Julio described a scenario in a piece he wrote in 2022 that speaks to the ripple effect – or unintended consequences – of a decision. In the scenario he described the process of “leveling” (now known as “enrollment-driven resource review”). We talk about the consequences of this practice, and how he draws a line from consolidating and eliminating a teacher to gun violence.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS.
MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? It's a silly question, I know, because I know you are!
Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success.
Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Empat Speech. Empowering students. Empowering Schools.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.
INTRO: This week, we feature James Sturm, co-founder of the Center for Cartoon Studies. In this our conversation, we explore the dynamic interplay between the power of language and the power of images in shaping a district's narrative. Join us as we delve into strategies for effectively communication of vision and values. In the second half, James shares a compelling story about navigating a crisis when a flood threatened the campus library, sparking a reflection on proactive leadership, or the bias toward action. Get ready for a thought-provoking conversation on leadership with James Sturm.
BIO: James Sturm is a cartoonist and the cofounder of The Center for Cartoon Studies. He is the editor of the Center’s graphic guide series and his writings and illustrations have appeared in publications that include The Chronicle of Higher Education, Slate, The Paris Review, The Onion, The New York Times and on the cover of The New Yorker. James was a 2020-21 Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellow and a 2008 and 2015 MacDowell Colony Fellow. James leads an organization that thinks about the Past, Present, and Potential.
Source: The Comics Journal
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS.
MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? It's a silly question, I know, because I know you are!
Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success.
Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Empat Speech. Empowering students. Empowering Schools.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.
INTRO: In just a few weeks, I will be traveling with a small group of amazing volunteers from all over the United States and Australia to Omo Village in Papua New Guinea. I serve on the Board of Directors for Be the Change Volunteers, an organization committed to building schools all over the world for communities interested in providing opportunities to their children, especially their girls. Our co-founders, Jimi and Cristi Cook, believe that communities with educated women thrive - and they’re right! BTCV is also building schools in Peru, Malawi, Rwanda, India, and Puerto Rico, so, if you’re interested in joining us on a build, go to www.bethechangevolunteers.org.
I mention this human-centered work because my guest Mike Erwin embodies these same principles. In a moment, I’ll tell you all about his many accolades, but what I learned from him during his After-Action Review is that it is appropriate to look past one’s resume and consider how that person makes you feel when you spend time with them (resume versus eulogy is how he describes it). This was such a meaningful conversation about leadership.
BIO: Mike Erwin is my guest. Mike is the founder and executive director of Team Red, White & Blue, an organization dedicated to enhancing veterans’ lives (their mission is deeply personal to Mike as he served three deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with the US Army and teaches at West Point). Mike is also the co-founder of the Positivity Project, the founder and CEO of the Character & Leadership Center, and is the co-author of his newest book, Leadership is a Relationship.
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An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS.
MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? It's a silly question, I know, because I know you are!
Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success.
Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Empat Speech. Empowering students. Empowering Schools.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com to order a copy.
Intro: As I prepared for this week’s episode, I traded in personal anecdotes with a traditional story, one about two farmers and their approach to change.
One always bought the latest tools for his farm, hoping they would solve his problems. Meanwhile, his neighbor focused on building relationships with other farmers, learning from their experiences, and sharing his own knowledge.
When a drought hit, the first farmer struggled alone with his fancy equipment, while his neighbor’s network came together to devise solutions.
In the end, it was the approach of building in instead of buying in, and harvesting the wisdom of his community that led to a thriving farm and a stronger, more resilient village. My guest today, Yaw Obeng, taught me that term, building in.
In Part 1, we talk about how he chose the word relentless for their theme and how it became a living word.
In Part 2, during his After-Action Review, Yaw describes the changing of attendance areas and what he learned from that experience.
I am Peter Stiepleman and this is An Imperfect Leader.
Bio: Yaw Obeng holds a bachelor’s degree in biology, history, and health sciences from the University of New Brunswick, Canada and a master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling Psychology from the University of Toronto. He also has a Master’s Certificate of Business Performance and Risk Management from York University.
PS: At one point, Yaw tells me about the creation of a Super Council. I decided to see what AI would create if I asked it to create a super council led by a relentless superintendent wearing a cape. I added the HM for Hickman Mills. 😊
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS.
MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
NEW EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
"What do we want to create together?" So proud to have co-written the foreword with Zach Taylor to this essential book on Human-Centered School Transformation. If you're a school leader looking to make sense of what you know to be true about schools, check it out.
My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com to order a copy.
INTRO: Earlier this year, I read The Delicate Handling of Equity Work in Conservative Communities, and was thrilled when the authors agreed to be guests on the podcast. In the two years since I left the superintendency, I have found myself talking with superintendents who have faced (or are facing) this same dilemma. They recognize the importance of the children in their district learning about systems of oppression, but sometimes their communities see any topic of equity as an assault on their "traditions" (or, in one example from their article, they say superintendents are bringing Critical Race Theory to their community when they talk about equity). As you can see, I have really been looking forward to talking with my guests today, the leaders of The Equity Collaborative, Graig Meyer and Jamie Almanzán
In the first part, we talk about their article and in second part, the After-Action Review, I want you to imagine you have been asked to give the beginning of the year kickoff to 1000 teachers who may have been told they’re the obstacle to equitable practices. Not only that, you learn that contract negotiations have not been going well and the teachers have threatened to walk out of the kickoff!
And let me apologize in advance, I clearly forgot to turn on my mic, so I sound as if I am down a well, but Graig and Jamie sound AMAZING – you’ll hear more from them than me!
BIO: Jamie Almanzán is a facilitator, teacher, curriculum developer and leadership coach currently working as an Equity Leadership Coach and the owner of The Equity Collaborative in Oakland, California. Prior to leading The Equity Collaborative, he held the position of Senior Coach at the National Equity Project.
Graig Meyer is a social worker, educator, and youth development specialist working as an Equity Leadership Coach and partner in The Equity Collaborative. He has 16 years of experience leading equity work in public schools.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS.
MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
NEW EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
"What do we want to create together?" So proud to have co-written the foreword with Zach Taylor to this essential book on Human-Centered School Transformation. If you're a school leader looking to make sense of what you know to be true about schools, check it out.
AN IMPERFECT LEADER IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com to order a copy.
INTRO: In this episode of An Imperfect Leader, Jeff Utecht, educational futurist and podcast host of Shifting Schools, joins me in conversation. We reflect on the intersections of tradition and transformation, innovation and integration. We delve into Jeff's insights and experiences, and how he helps educators navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing world. In the first part, we talk about topics like esports, cell phones in the classroom, and AI. In the second part, Jeff talks about a time he looked to the future for everyone else, and forgot to do it for himself and his career. My takeaway is it is clear, Jeff talks about what is currently on the minds of teachers and kids as they look to the future of schooling.
Welcome to An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership podcast.
BIO: Jeff is a highly regarded speaker, consultant, podcaster and author who has dedicated his career to exploring the intersection of technology and our lives. With over 20 years of experience working in the field, Jeff is widely recognized as an expert in educational technology integration, innovative practices and corporate onboarding programs. He is a sought-after speaker and presenter, having delivered keynote addresses and workshops at conferences around the world. Jeff’s work has helped to shape the way we think about technology and its role in our lives, and his insights continue to inspire leaders to embrace new technologies and approaches in their own practice.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
NEW EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
"What do we want to create together?" So proud to have co-written the foreword with Zach Taylor to this essential book on Human-Centered School Transformation. If you're a school leader looking to make sense of what you know to be true about schools, check it out. If you're a corporate leader, you will find a pathway to better results in every page.
AN IMPERFECT LEADER IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com to order a copy.
INTRO: Join me on this episode of An Imperfect Leader for a captivating discussion with Sean Stewart, an expert in historical leadership. We explore how lessons from the past can shape today's leadership practices, offering valuable insights for leaders across all fields.
In this episode, we'll shift our focus to the demanding roles of school leaders and the critical importance of establishing a shared vision of success. Sean will share his expertise and shed light on how historical perspectives can inform and enrich contemporary leadership approaches in education. His knowledge of all things nautical is also a treat!
I'm Peter Stiepleman and this is An Imperfect Leader.
BIO: Sean Stewart is not a superintendent. He’s an expert in historical leadership excellence and takes the lessons of the past into meaningful takeaways for today's leaders. His journey began in Chicago, IL, and over the past 30 years, he has had the opportunity of travelling, sailing, and immersing himself in history and cultures.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
NEW EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
"What do we want to create together?" So proud to have co-written the foreword with Zach Taylor to this essential book on Human-Centered School Transformation. If you're a school leader looking to make sense of what you know to be true about schools, check it out. If you're a corporate leader, you will find a pathway to better results in every page.
AN IMPERFECT LEADER IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com to order a copy.
INTRO: My guest this week holds a special place in my professional life. I met him during his first campaign for the school board in Oakland, CA. In the second part of the show, my guest, Dr. Gary Yee, describes what has got to be one of the most difficult experiences of any superintendent – the vandalizing of his home, navigating a hunger strike of two teachers, and community members occupying a school, all in response to proposed school closures.
Other Topics Discussed:
- Superintendent Tenures
- Community Engagement
- Superintendent/Board Relations
- Dr. Marcus Foster
- Hunger Strike
- Hartford, Connecticut Case Study
I'm Peter Stiepleman and this is An Imperfect Leader.
BIO: Dr. Gary Yee is a special guest because his life and work as a learner and a leader have taken place all in one spot, the Bay Area. Born to Chinese working-class immigrant parents, Gary attended Oakland’s public schools. He graduated from UC Berkeley, joined the US Air Force (as 2nd LT) and returned to Oakland in 1972 to be a teacher and then a principal. He completed his doctorate at Stanford University and began a career as a professor and then Dean to the Vice Chancellor at Peralta Community College.
Gary’s service to the Oakland Public Schools extended beyond the classroom and the building. In 2002, he was elected as a member of the school board, left the board in 2013, but was appointed to become the Interim Superintendent, for a year, because the superintendent left, and was subsequently re-elected to the Board in 2018, and served there until 2023. Gary worked with 9 superintendents during his 20 years of board service.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
NEW EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
"What do we want to create together?" So proud to have co-written the foreword with Zach Taylor to this essential book on Human-Centered School Transformation. If you're a school leader looking to make sense of what you know to be true about schools, check it out. If you're a corporate leader, you will find a pathway to better results in every page.
AN IMPERFECT LEADER IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com to order a copy.
INTRO: In this episode of An Imperfect Leader, join us as we delve into the world of education leadership with Superintendent Diego Ochoa, a veteran with over 25 years of experience, and Graham Dugoni, the founder of Yondr – a pioneer in creating phone-free spaces. Together, they discuss the impact of going phone-free on student success and the compelling purpose that drives their work.
Discover how the San Mateo-Foster City Schools district's strategic plan, led by Diego, was influenced by the decision to minimize distractions and create a focused learning environment. Graham shares insights from working alongside school leaders globally, emphasizing that phone-free leads to creativity and innovation, just without all the distractions.
Join the conversation as we uncover the shared goals and aspirations that led educators, parents, and students to want to create meaningful phone-free learning experiences. It's an engaging discussion on leadership, purpose, and the pursuit of student success in a digital age.
I am Peter Stiepleman. Welcome to An Imperfect Leader
BIO: Diego Ochoa has been Superintendent of the San Mateo-Foster City Schools since 2021. He has more than 25 years of educational experience as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, director, executive director, and superintendent, and has a strong background in curriculum, instruction, special education, equity, student wellness, parent engagement, and school facilities.
Graham Dugoni is the founder of Yondr, the established industry leader in helping educators, performing artists, families, organizations, and businesses all around the world create phone-free spaces (for full disclosure, Yondr is a sponsor of the podcast).
NOTE: At one point, we talk about a school’s compelling purpose or their strategic plans, and how they cannot be achieved if the underlying issue is that nearly 50% of teens say they are online “almost constantly,” which is roughly double the share who said the same thing 10 years ago (that’s according to surveys over time by the Pew Research Center).
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
NEW EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
"What do we want to create together?" So proud to have co-written the foreword with Zach Taylor to this essential book on Human-Centered School Transformation. If you're a school leader looking to make sense of what you know to be true about schools, check it out. If you're a corporate leader, you will find a pathway to better results in every page.
AN IMPERFECT LEADER IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com to order a copy.
INTRO: This episode is coming out just as I have returned from co-presenting at a conference hosted by the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators (or COSA). During our presentation, we talked about distinguishing between reform and transformation. Specifically, that reform is usually made up of outside forces telling you what to do, coaching for compliance and using sticks and carrots to get results. Whereas transformation is about establishing your district’s compelling purpose. It relies on cycles of inquiry and peer coaching, and adjusting the goal, when appropriate. It relies on appreciative inquiry, the act at looking at what’s going well and then working to get more of it. My guest today talks about one of the more challenging issues urban school districts face: segregated schools. In this case, in Louisville, KY, the schools were integrated and served as a successful model for the nation. Political interests forced a change, and my guest, Sheldon Berman, was Louisville’s superintendent at the time. In his words, “there was a collective interest in retaining the best integrated school district.” Want to know what happened? Listen to his After Action Review.
In the episode, we also talk about an article Shelley wrote: Taking a Stand Against Divisive Concepts Laws. We talk about how to be a principled leader, one that works to reclaim the narrative, that when you’re defending, you’re losing (advice from one of Shelly’s former board members).
Thanks for tuning in. I’m Peter Stiepleman and this is An Imperfect Leader
BIO: Dr. Sheldon Berman is a veteran superintendent having served 28 year in Hudson and Andover, MA, Jefferson County (Louisville), KY, and Eugene, OR. During his tenure in Andover, he launched a new strategic plan focused on innovation and authentic learning. This included capstone projects for 5th, 8th and 12th graders, innovation labs and maker spaces, and a high school global network focused on the United Nations sustainability goals. On January 1, 2021, Dr. Berman was appointed AASA’s Lead Superintendent for Social-Emotional Learning.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
NEW EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
"What do we want to create together?" So proud to have co-written the foreword with Zach Taylor to this essential book on Human-Centered School Transformation. If you're a school leader looking to make sense of what you know to be true about schools, check it out. If you're a corporate leader, you will find a pathway to better results in every page.
AN IMPERFECT LEADER IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com to order a copy.
INTRO: The most unexpected thing happened the other day. I was having car issues and the mechanic offered to do a home visit. That in itself was a nice gesture. He found the issue (resolved it pretty quickly, actually. If you’re dying to know, it was an electrical issue beyond my expertise. Ok, let’s be honest, I have no expertise beyond the radio shack club at the summer camp I attended as a kid where I soldered together a motion detector one summer. You had to be within something like 4 inches for it to actually detect you!
So we’re chitchatting and through the window, he sees a ukulele sitting on a table. He takes out a guitar from his vehicle and moment later, we find ourselves in a little jam session. I can safely say this was not how I expected my day to go. I didn’t have time for a jam session. I heard myself self-talking, to consciously accept the moment, to accept the change in schedule, to lean in to the unknown, and to be ok with a different plan.
My guest today had to do just that, but on a GRAND scale. Today on an Imperfect Leader, Dr. Meisha Porter is my guest. She was called to service, to a mammoth job, and from all accounts, she did it with distinction. In my story a moment ago, I can say we were just noodling on our stringed instruments, with no expectation of being good. In Meisha’s case, she was tasked with something tantamount to conducting a full symphony. And she had to be good. She had to be great.
In the episode, she tells us a story she has not previously discussed publicly. I’m Peter Stiepleman and welcome to An Imperfect Leader. Thanks for tuning in.
BIO: Dr. Porter is The Bronx Community Foundation’s inaugural President and CEO, but previously she held the position of Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education (the first Black woman to serve as NYC’s Chancellor) in the largest school system in the nation. To put that into context, she was responsible for educating 1.1 million students in over 1,800 schools.
Prior to taking on the role as Chancellor, she served as The Bronx Executive Superintendent where she was deeply invested in sharpening school leaders’ equity lens and building collaborative practices across schools. She has served as superintendent for Community School District #11 and as a teacher, community coordinator, and principal of The Bronx School for Law, Government, and Justice.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
NEW EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
"What do we want to create together?" So proud to have co-written the foreword with Zach Taylor to this essential book on Human-Centered School Transformation. If you're a school leader looking to make sense of what you know to be true about schools, check it out. If you're a corporate leader, you will find a pathway to better results in every page.
AN IMPERFECT LEADER IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com to order a copy.
INTRO: In this episode of An Imperfect Leader, Dr. Doug Reeves is my guest. The first thing we talk about is an article he authored, We Censor Ourselves in Education. In the article, he hooks the reader by describing a former intern he had while you has in China, and how she had gone on to anchor the news on China Central Television. She told Doug and his colleagues at a forum in Cambridge, MA:
“We have no censorship in China.” When she was challenged at this evidently absurd statement, she replied, “We do not need censorship in China. We censor ourselves.”
In my book and in the leadership model I use to advise others, there is a dimension called Nested Patterns, and that is the muscle of an organization’s work. Inside that dimension are terms Doug has discussed as an author and speaker:
· Terms like creativity and courage (in his book Beyond Conversations About Race, he and his co-authors step into a complex national dialogue – that took courage).
· Terms like high level collaboration (in From Leading to Succeeding, he reminds readers that trust is built when decisions are made collaboratively).
· Carol Dweck’s term growth mindset is visible in his work (in the book Deep Change Leadership, Doug references the fixed mindset paralyzing educators even when research disputes deeply-held beliefs – reading instruction, for example).
We talk about all of these topics and more! Thanks for tuning in to An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast.
BIO: Dr. Doug Reeves is the author of more than 40 books and more than 100 articles on leadership and education. He has twice been named to the Harvard University Distinguished Authors Series and was named the Brock International Laureate for his contributions to education. Additionally, Doug was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his service with the United States Army’s Military Intelligence.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
NEW EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
"What do we want to create together?" So proud to have co-written the foreword with Zach Taylor to this essential book on Human-Centered School Transformation. If you're a school leader looking to make sense of what you know to be true about schools, check it out. If you're a corporate leader, you will find a pathway to better results in every page.
AN IMPERFECT LEADER IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com to order a copy.
INTRO: In this episode of An Imperfect Leader, Dr. Nathan Schilling discusses so many common issues facing superintendents and district leaders. First, he describes his relationship to researchers studying school districts. He shares his approach to engaging the research community and emphasizes the role of superintendents as lead learners. He takes us through an insightful after-action review of the early days of the global pandemic. Tune in for practical insights into system thinking, delegation, collaboration, and trust—crucial lessons for imperfect leaders navigating evolving educational systems.
BIO: Dr. Nathan Schilling is the Superintendent of Schools for Lansing School District 158 in South Cook County, Illinois, a position he has held since 2018. Nathan has experience at every level of public education. He has been a high school principal as well as a middle school band and general music teacher. Additionally, he is a Continuing Adjunct Professor of Educational Leadership at Concordia University Chicago. Dr. Schilling has been recognized for his many leadership accomplishments, many of them were recently highlighted by the National Association of School Superintendents (NASS). Additionally, he wrote an article we discuss in our conversation: I’ve Benefited from Engaging with Educational Researchers.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
NEW EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
"What do we want to create together?" So proud to have co-written the foreword with Zach Taylor to this essential book on Human-Centered School Transformation. If you're a school leader looking to make sense of what you know to be true about schools, check it out. If you're a corporate leader, you will find a pathway to better results in every page.
AN IMPERFECT LEADER IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com to order a copy.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
INTRO: This week, I am thrilled to visit with a tremendous leader, Dr. Demond Means, Superintendent of the Wauwatosa School District, a school district just outside of Milwaukee.
During our conversation, an incredibly vulnerable reflection by Dr. Means included a decision he made early in his career as a central office leader. He skipped over principals and went directly to teachers during their continuous learning process.
I’ve done something similar. I remember being a new assistant superintendent and going to a family’s kitchen table to problem solve issues their child was having at school. It was a marvelous meeting and I felt so good… until the next day… when I better understood how my actions undermined others.
You must listen to that part of the conversation and the importance of recognizing the different perspectives and roles in any given situation!
BIO: Dr. Demond Means has spent two decades transforming culture, attaining exceptional organizational results, expanding access to enhanced opportunities to historically marginalized student populations, and shifting mindsets in school districts and communities across the country, fulfilling a passion to heighten achievement expectations, and eradicate inequities in education, opportunity, and access for marginalized populations.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
NEW EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
"What do we want to create together?" So proud to have co-written the foreword with Zach Taylor to this essential book on Human-Centered School Transformation. If you're a school leader looking to make sense of what you know to be true about schools, check it out. If you're a corporate leader, you will find a pathway to better results in every page.
AN IMPERFECT LEADER IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com to order a copy.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
INTRO: In this encore episode, I am thrilled to spend time with a friend, Dr. Sharonica Hardin-Bartley, Superintendent of The School District of University City. During our conversation, we talk about storytelling, heroism, equity, and vulnerable leadership. I am grateful for Sharonica's willingness to be genuine and present. There is so much learning in this episode - for any leader in any industry!
BIO: Dr. Sharonica Hardin-Bartley is an outspoken advocate for racial equity, traumatic-informed practices and student voice in education. Before becoming the University City's Superintendent, she was the assistant superintendent for human resources and leadership development for the Ritenour School District. Before that, she occupied a number of leadership roles over 15 years for the St. Louis Public Schools.
In 2021, she was awarded Missouri’s Pearce Award. In January, 2022, she was named one of "Five Superintendents to Watch" nationally by "K-12 Dive” and then a month later, in February 2022, she was selected as a prestigious Children and Family Fellow by The Annie E. Casey Foundation.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
NEW EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
"What do we want to create together?" So proud to have co-written the foreword with Zach Taylor to this essential book on Human-Centered School Transformation. If you're a school leader looking to make sense of what you know to be true about schools, check it out. If you're a corporate leader, you will find a pathway to better results in every page.
AN IMPERFECT LEADER IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com to order a copy.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
INTRO: In the previous episode, we heard from Jeff Young who told us about complex change and a process for coaching leaders through complex situations. My guest this week also gives us guidance on the complex, and she also gives us a clear example of how she faced a really COMPLICATED situation just soon after starting her new role with the Texas Association of School Administrators. Jill Siler joins me this week. Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: Dr. Jill Siler is a former Texas superintendent who is now Deputy Executive Director for Professional Learning with the Texas Association of School Administrators in Austin, Texas. She is a leader, a speaker, and the author of Thrive Through the Five: Practical Truths to Powerfully Lead through Challenging Times.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
NEW EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
"What do we want to create together?" So proud to have co-written the foreword with Zach Taylor to this essential book on Human-Centered School Transformation. If you're a school leader looking to make sense of what you know to be true about schools, check it out. If you're a corporate leader, you will find a pathway to better results in every page.
AN IMPERFECT LEADER IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com to order a copy.
NEW EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
"What do we want to create together?" So proud to have co-written the foreword with Zach Taylor to this essential book on Human-Centered School Transformation. If you're a school leader looking to make sense of what you know to be true about schools, check it out. If you're a corporate leader, you will find a pathway to better results in every page.
I can’t remember if I’ve used this example in previous episodes. I don’t think so…., and if I did, using it again here is appropriate because I use it as an example in my conversation with my guest. You know, when a candidate is being selected to lead an organization, there is a transition from being the applicant to being the named leader.
Have you ever seen the end of the movie, The Candidate? If not, I highly recommend it. It’s so good. At the end, the newly elected senator (played by Robert Redford) seeks momentary refuge with his strategist, first in a service elevator and then in a hotel room. He’s just won a hard-fought election to be a US Senator, and in the few seconds of solitude, his face, truly contemplative and obviously transformed, asks, “What do we do now?”
Superintendents feel this way when they’ve been named the CEO of their school district. In the they feel jubilation to be named, but they also realize that they now have to do the job. Everyone is counting on the district to succeed. My guest talks about coaching and mentoring. He describes the 3 C’s: Context, Content, Conduct. And he talks about his first-hand experience with the power of language.
Jeff Young is my guest. It’s a great episode. Thanks for tuning in.
BIO: Dr. Jeff Young has been the Program Director for Columbia University’s Education Leadership Program at the Teachers College's and Co-Director of the Urban Education Leaders Program, an Ed.D. program for aspiring district-level leaders, and is now serving as Director of the PK-12 Education Leadership and Policy Studies Program. Dr. Young served as Superintendent of Schools in Cambridge, MA from 2009 through 2016, following terms as Superintendent in Newton, Lexington and Lynnfield, MA.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr. Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
AN IMPERFECT LEADER IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available on Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com. You can order it there.
NEW EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
"What do we want to create together?" So proud to have co-written the foreword with Zach Taylor to this essential book on Human-Centered School Transformation. If you're a school leader looking to make sense of what you know to be true about schools, check it out. If you're a corporate leader, you will find a pathway to better results in every page.
INTRO:
From 1998-2004, I worked as a teacher and administrator in the Oakland Public Schools. I loved my time in Oakland. In fact, it was in Oakland where I arrived at my moral focus (like Simon Sinek’s WHY – why I get up every single morning). I even dedicated my recent book, An Imperfect Leader: Human-Centered Leadership in (After) Action, to the children of Trailer C. Trailer C was my home away from home. It was a magical place with some of the smartest, most creative, and curious children I have ever met. Their families were among the hardest working and loving humans, all of them working tirelessly to provide their child a promising future.
In cities across the country, the resources found in public schools have EVERYTHING to do with the socioeconomics of the neighborhood. If you have visited a city school, like the one I taught at in Oakland, you are not likely to find a music program or an art program or library/media program (or even a full-time nurse!). If art or music or library/media existed, it was because the teachers brought them to their classrooms or to the school.
In my third year in Oakland, I was a roving teacher. This meant I had my own class of children, but because of overcrowding, I didn’t have my own classroom. Our school had 750 kids, but only room for 550, so every 3 weeks, one quarter of the school went “off cycle” and like the volleyball games of my youth, the teachers without classrooms would rotate to a new space. That was me! My kids and I would pack everything up, every three weeks, and move to a different classroom. Whenever I see a line of ants on a sidewalk, it makes me think of my class following me as I pushed two massive rolling cabinets to our next temporary home. And it was in that year, my third year, that I had a chance meeting with a guy named David Fattig from the US Coast Guard.
He was assigned to me for a Junior Achievement ‘Done in a Day’ event. After a full day of teaching lessons on civics and economics (which by the way, my favorite part of the day was walking the kids to lunch and Dave’s astonishment that we’d need to eat, use the bathroom, and prep for the afternoon lessons in only 25 min – with his eyes wide, he asked, “You do this every day??”). After a full day, seated on an old wooden chair, he watched as fourth and fifth graders arrived in my classroom for instrumental music lessons. You see, my public school on Long Island, NY, started teaching instrumental music in 4th grade. I played woodwinds throughout high school and college. Even now, I play alto sax in a pep band for the Seattle’s OL Reign. Dave Fattig played trumpet in the Coast Guard Band and together (with 5 of his bandmates), we started teaching instrumental music. The Allendale Band was even highlighted on the CBS Sunday morning with Charles Osgood. [Note: I still stay in touch with Alma who played clarinet for the nation all those years ago and then continued to excel in school, putting herself through college at SFSU].
Such a heartwarming story, right? I’ve always been so proud of the music program we brought to Allendale. And then after recording a conversation for this podcast with Joe Batory, I felt conflicted. He told me about the successful lawsuit Pennsylvania school districts brought against the state’s legislature because of how the Pennsylvania Legislature broke its promise of equitable funding. It raised my hopes that other states might choose to follow a similar path. And I was frustrated that for all these years, I looked at our little band and thought about how wonderful it was (and it was!), but it didn’t have to be this way (looking at you, CA Prop13).
We all know we are lucky to whom we are born. But public education shouldn’t rely on luck. Every child is entitled to attend a well-funded, well-resourced public school. I’ve always said that you can’t aspire unless you’ve been inspired. When you systematically cut funding to the most vulnerable, you get EXACTLY what the system was designed to create: systems of inequity, hopelessness, a reliance on charity and grants. I will ALWAYS look back on my time in Oakland with fondness. I loved being part of the creation of an elementary school band with the US Coast Guard. And, you know what? We owe it to our children and their children to do better.
My guest today, Joe Batory, is a celebration of an incredible career. It’s an episode of great stories and reflections. Thanks for tuning in.
BIO: Joe Batory is an unusual superintendent. To begin, he had a 15-year run as the superintendent of Upper Darby School District, located just west of Philadelphia, which is somewhat unusual. Secondly, although Joe has written many academic pieces and given many such speeches, he much prefers “telling stories” about his real world superintendent adventures. Rising up from the inner-city streets of Philadelphia, Joe had a remarkable career as one of Pennsylvania’s largest school systems. When he retired, one newspaper called him “a legend” and another termed him “a champion for children and education.”
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr. Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
AN IMPERFECT LEADER IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available on Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com. You can order it there.
NEW EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
"What do we want to create together?" So proud to have co-written the foreword with Zach Taylor to this essential book on Human-Centered School Transformation. If you're a school leader looking to make sense of what you know to be true about schools, check it out. If you're a corporate leader, you will find a pathway to better results in every page.
INTRO: In systems thinking, there are stories or archetypes to help leaders map out situations. One archetype I particularly like is called avoiding the quick fix.
I’ll give you an example. Recruitment. School districts are determined to recruit teachers of color because they know the decision is backed by research. The studies show:
The effect of having a black male teacher, especially between grades 3 and 5, decreases the dropout rate among black male students by 30 percent and increases the likelihood of black students aspiring to higher education.
Sometimes, though, districts will try and recruit from far away with the hope that this quick fix will help them achieve this goal. It doesn’t work. You get a teacher for a year or so and then they return home where they have genuine community. The better approach is to avoid the quick fix and build a sustainable and lasting system. The school districts who have created Grow Your Own programs are doing it the right way.
There’s a part of my conversation with my guest this week that brought to mind time-lapse photography – you know, like when someone wants to capture a project from its inception to completion? Joe Johnson is my guest and when he was describing the cultural field that schools create to demonstrate their love and trust and faith in the children in their care, it made me think about time-lapse images of planning the construction of a building, breaking ground, documenting its progress, and the final image.
Well-conceived plans and avoiding the quick fix. You’re going to want to hear what Joe has to say, for he provides optimism for all of us working to make our nation’s greatest treasure, public education, a reality for all.
It’s a great one. Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: Dr. Joe Johnson is the founding executive director of the National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST) at San Diego State University Research Foundation (SDSURF). While serving at NCUST, he was also a professor of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University (SDSU), then Dean of the College of Education, and finally the university’s interim provost and senior vice president. Now retired, he exclusively works with and for NCUST.
He is considered an elite leader and thinker in his field and his passion and deep practical study of what works in urban education is groundbreaking!
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr. Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
AN IMPERFECT LEADER IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available on Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com. You can order it there.
NEW EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
"What do we want to create together?" So proud to have co-written the foreword with Zach Taylor to this essential book on Human-Centered School Transformation. If you're a school leader looking to make sense of what you know to be true about schools, check it out. If you're a corporate leader, you will find a pathway to better results in every page.
INTRO: Hello Imperfect Leaders. This week, many of us are joining the millions of people traveling for the Thanksgiving holidays. In my book, I use the term the power of language to describe the work of a leader. Stories, the art of framing, and the use of metaphors make specific appearances. You know, road trips are an appropriate metaphor for leadership.
In this encore episode of the podcast, let’s do that, let’s think of leadership as a road trip. We'll invite Dr. Nick Polyak to be our seasoned driver. In our conversation about the routes of continual improvement (for which there are many – highways, byways, detours, and dead ends). But in this case, my take away was it's not about reaching a final destination; it's about enjoying the ride and growing along the way.
We'll stop at Nick’s role as the moderator of #SuptChat, a digital caravan of leaders sharing insights and creating a community that's essential for the road ahead. We'll talk about The Unfinished Leader, a book Nick co-wrote with Michael Lubelfied and PJ Caposey. During our "Imperfect Leadership in After Action" segment, Nick opens up about involving family in major life choices, a real and raw aspect of the leadership road trip.
As we cruise along, Nick leaves us with a personal roadmap of advice for aspiring leaders. Buckle up, friends! We're about to hit the road on this personal and insightful journey of unfinished leadership withDr. Nick Polyak. The engine is humming, the GPS is set, and our podcast adventure is ready to roll!
Too much? Thanks for tuning in!
I am pleased to announce he and his co-autors have a new book coming out In January. You can order your copy of The Unfinished Teacher today!
Bio: Dr. Nick Polyak is the superintendent for Leyden Community High School District in Cook County, Illinois. He has served as a math teacher and tennis and soccer coach before moving into administrative roles at the building and central office levels. As the leader of Leyden schools, the school district has received many recognitions, including awards from the College Board and the National School Board Association.
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr. Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
AN IMPERFECT LEADER IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available on Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com. You can order it there.
NEW EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
"What do we want to create together?" So proud to have co-written the foreword with Zach Taylor to this essential book on Human-Centered School Transformation. If you're a school leader looking to make sense of what you know to be true about schools, check it out. If you're a corporate leader, you will find a pathway to better results in every page.
INTRO: Hello, Imperfect Leaders! On October 24, 2020, Missouri’s Joint Committee on Education, a committee of state senators and representatives held a committee hearing next door to my office to discuss COVID-19. I thought it was highly unusual since committee hearings were typically conducted at the Capitol Building in Jefferson City. In this case, with my community’s proximity to the Capital, and with access to multiple media outlets, the more than five-hour hearing was held a little over a mile from my home.
On her website describing the hearing, the senator, a self-described champion for charter schools, said, “It is important for state leaders, school officials, parents and students to come together and have their voices heard on this important issue.” In what could only be described as a public execution of public education, I was instructed to sit in the front row while preselected parents and children gave public testimony on the difficulties they were having with virtual learning.
After each testimonial, participants were asked whether they would accept a voucher, if it were made available to them. Many responded they would. At some point in the hearing, my Board President, another Board of Education member, and I were invited to make a statement and answer questions. When one of the senators, in defiance of the local health department’s mask mandate, said he had a question for me, I quickly jumped in and said, “Senator, if it is to ask me if I would accept a voucher, I would not.” I do regret succumbing to impulsivity in making the joke, but the senator did laugh (as did many in the room). The ridiculousness of it all was so incredibly frustrating.
My guest today speaks to this phenomenon for superintendents, that the job has gotten even more political. His article, CAUGHT IN THE CROSSHAIRS, he writes how “as the narrative arc of division rises, superintendents can play the critical role of influencer to bend the arc toward inclusion, compassion, and peace.”
Dr. Allan Mucerino is my guest. It’s a great episode. Thanks for tuning in.
BIO: Today on an Imperfect Leader, Dr. Allan Mucerino is my guest. Dr. Mucerino is the Superintendent, the Chief Administrative Officer, and Chief Equity Officer of the Alvord Unified School District, a PK-12 school district with ~17,500 ADA, ~2,500 employees in the western portion of the City of Riverside, the eastern portion of the City of Corona, and segments of unincorporated communities of Riverside County.
Dr. Mucerino has served as a high school and middle school principal, an assistant superintendent, and superintendent for the past twenty-nine years. Allan considers himself a research-practitioner, and has been a member of the California State University, Fullerton Department of Education faculty for the past fourteen years as a Superintendent in Residence, teaching doctoral level courses, supervising dissertations in practice, and serving on the Executive Committee for doctoral studies. Thanks for tuning in!
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr. Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
------- AN IMPERFECT LEADER IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available on Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com. You can order it there.
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available on Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com. You can order it there.
INTRO: Hello, Imperfect Leaders! Our family recently held a reunion to celebrate my son, Ezra’s, graduation, and my father’s significant birthday. We were all together – it was really very nice. In fact, a few weeks earlier, my nephew, Henry, graduated from college. Many of us traveled to be there with him. While we were at his graduation, we had an opportunity to go the campus art gallery to see his senior thesis. Henry’s art technique uses something called automatic drawing, which challenges the artist to fully let go of their consciousness and seek something called the flow state. It is in that flow state that much is revealed. Our thoughts, our fears, our wishes – it’s what an artist, Phillip Guston, calls “letting go of something inside.”
Looking at his artwork, I am so impressed with Henry’s willingness to be vulnerable and honest about life. As all of us are human, we all struggle with the voices in our heads that say we are not smart enough, or work hard enough. We allow others to define us. This week (and every week), my guests are willing to share their experiences and give insights into what they learned.
This week’s guest is good at this. This week’s guest is not my typical guest. Sometimes, I invite education-adjacent leaders to participate in the podcast, but my guest isn’t that, either. Here’s the thing. The more I host this podcast and the more I have opportunities to coach corporate clients as well as superintendents, the more I see the similarities when it comes to leadership. Superintendents have to foster trust-based relationships with teachers, principals, parents, children, their boards, and the community. Business leaders have similar relationships they must build and maintain. Superintendents, just like business executives, must cultivate high performing teams. My guest is Doug Younger, and he is not a superintendent, but an entrepreneur and CEO. He has some good insights around his three values: planning, passion, and optimism. Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: Today on an Imperfect Leader, Douglas Younger III is my guest. Doug is an accomplished technologist in cutting-edge industries such as software as a servicer (SaaS), artificial intelligence, virtual reality, powered-exoskeletons, implantable medical devices, and advanced medical imaging. He is the Founder and CEO of 3STEPS4WARD, a marketing company, he’s a lecturer at Cal State University, and he’s the host of Twist of Fate, A Small Business Podcast.
It’s a great episode full of incredible insights! Thanks for tuning in!
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr. Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available on Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com. You can order it there.
INTRO: Hello, Imperfect Leaders!
Evaluations.
In every single profession, employees are evaluated. They are evaluated by their direct supervisors or evaluated by a board of directors. Often they are evaluated by the people they lead in the form of a survey (often referred to as a 360 survey). Plus, there are informal evaluations conducted by the community over social media – those can be brutal.
Formal evaluations can be difficult to navigate if there is not a clear process and protocol established at the very beginning. How often have you entered an evaluation meeting only to discover that what you thought you were being evaluated on was very different than what your evaluator thought? A shared image of what success looks like is paramount.
My guest today, Dr. Jennifer Cheatham, has incredible advice for school and district leaders about goal setting, reporting on progress, and even tips for how leaders can formally request authority over the evaluation process as part of their contract (I hadn’t thought of that one – so wise!). During her After Action Review, she talks about something very important to me – the tackling of a major system of oppression – a district’s code of conduct (also known as discipline).
It’s a great episode full of incredible insights! Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: With over twenty-five years of experience in the field of education in San Diego, Chicago, and Madison, Wisconsin, Dr. Jennifer Cheatham has served as a teacher, a teacher leader, a professional developer, a central office leader, an area superintendent, and a superintendent. In each of these roles, she focused on a number of things, including cultivating strong teams, designing enduring systems, and strengthening routines for organizational learning – all to make the lives of children better. She is now a Senior Lecturer on Education and Co-Chair of the Public Education Leadership Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
FURTHER INFO: A few months ago, I had a chance to speak with Max Silverman at the University of Washington’s Center for Educational Leadership. Our conversation was wide ranging, but we kept returning to the role of evaluations. Leaders in every profession are interested in growth. Personal growth and the growth of those they supervise. This is a big topic for educational leaders as well. It wasn’t a day or so later that I came across an article by Jennifer, Can Superintendents’ Evaluation Lead to Their Own Growth? In the article she points out the unintended consequences of a traditional school board process of evaluation and how that the lowering of one point might lead to a superintendent’s quick demise. She references the incredibly disturbing national trend when it comes to leader longevity (we are losing superintendents at alarming rates). As we continue to read the article, we learn more about the shared process she created with your board in Madison, Wisconsin, which included self-reflection. Give it a read!
This episode is brought to you, in part, by the Waters Center for Systems Thinking. The Waters Center helps people understand what systems thinking is and how to incorporate the Habits, tools and concepts of systems thinking into their work and life to achieve desired results. To learn more, go to waterscenterst.org.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available on Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com. You can order it there.
Intro: Hello Imperfect Leaders! On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina, a Category 3 hurricane with recorded wind speeds of 140 miles per hour devastated communities in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. I remember being a teacher in Missouri, and hearing reports of families heading north to find refuge all along the Mississippi River.
Our school system welcomed families, and quickly learned of their very specific needs. The children had been through a great deal of trauma. What I didn’t know until now was that after Katrina, in 2014, the New Orleans Public Schools transitioned from a traditional school district to a 100% charter school district. The superintendent would be hired by a school board, and it would be their responsibility to oversee and authorize each charter school (working with each charter school’s own school boards). What a task!
My guest this week describes that important work. Dr. Avis Williams is the New Orleans superintendent. She reminds us that “When you’re bringing people together around an issue, there is a difference between buy in and commitment (you’ll hear her say, “if people can buy in, they can be bought out.”). Listen for it.
She also describes the creation of a Joyful Educator Collaborative where she convenes teachers to learn more about what is going well as well as areas for continued growth. Thanks for tuning in!
Bio: Dr. Avis Williams is the superintendent of schools for the NOLA Public Schools in New Orleans, Louisiana. Prior to her historic appointment to lead the Nola Public Schools, Dr. Williams served as superintendent of Historic Selma City Schools in Selma, AL for five years.
An award-winning educator and sought-after speaker, she is a native of Salisbury, NC. A product of poverty, Dr. Williams dreamed of being a teacher from an early age. As a first generation 4-year college student, she followed the path of her older siblings and joined the Army right after high school. While in the Army, she was stationed at Fort Jackson, SC, Yongsan, Korea, and Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL. Further Info: Dr. Williams is a leader, a learner, and an author. She is the author of Welcome to Chase Shadows and of professional articles like Leading with Joy as a Prerequisite to Better Outcomes. Additionally, she has a professional book (co-authored with Bren Elliott) coming out soon.
This episode is brought to you, in part, by the Waters Center for Systems Thinking. The Waters Center helps people understand what systems thinking is and how to incorporate the Habits, tools and concepts of systems thinking into their work and life to achieve desired results. To learn more, go to waterscenterst.org.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available on Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com. You can order it there.
Intro: Hello Imperfect Leaders. I am publishing this episode on October 9. I feel an incredible amount of grief and rage and loss for the people of Israel. I feel an incredible amount of grief, too, for the innocent Palestinians in Gaza who are powerless to stop Hamas from bringing about the destruction of their homes and their lives, not to mention the devastation to so many of our hopes for peace and the dream of two states.
The last time I felt this sense of loss was nearly 28 years ago, on November 4, 1995. On that tragic day, we learned that Yitzhak Rabin had been assassinated. We feared the progress made during the Oslo Accord would be lost. So much loss. Loss is a profound and sometimes paralyzing feeling. It can push us into despair. School leaders must regularly deal with loss.
This week, my guest, Dr. Uyi Osunde uses his After Action Review segment to discuss loss and the promise he made to never allow someone to feel alone, to grieve alone. There’s a good deal of advice for leaders at every level.
Thanks for tuning in.
Bio: Dr. Uyi Osunde has been the superintendent of schools in Stratford, Connecticut since 2021. Dr. Osunde possesses a wealth of school leadership experience, serving as a high school principal, an assistant principal and counselor in Connecticut high schools.
Further Info: In 2014, a former colleague of Uyi's, Scott Goldsmith, wrote an incredibly moving piece. He chronicled Uyi's college and professional football career in such a human-centered way. I urge listeners to follow the link to learn more about Dr. Osunde's life and tremendous display of resilience.
This episode is brought to you, in part, by the Waters Center for Systems Thinking. The Waters Center helps people understand what systems thinking is and how to incorporate the Habits, tools and concepts of systems thinking into their work and life to achieve desired results. To learn more, go to waterscenterst.org.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available on Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com. You can order it there.
Intro: Hello Imperfect Leaders! Nearly all leaders craft a narrative to help define their organization, to define the values of that organization, and to establish a compelling purpose. Storytelling is a one way to do that. Story, as my mentor Linda Henke says, "triggers emotions and conections that are seldom accessed in other kinds of language."
Metaphor is another way. Some leaders use the metaphor of a symphony conductor to describe their role – coordinating immensely talented people to perform something complex so beautifully. An umpire is another great metaphor. An umpire creates confidence when they are clear on what is a ball and what is a strike. They maintain integrity of the game and also have a front row seat to the strategy and talent unfolding right before their eyes.
My guest didn’t tell me he had been selected to be one of 16 Little League World Series umpires in 2013. Out of 10,000 people who applied from around the world, and after a 20-year process with many steps along the way, he kept progressing toward the promised land of Williamsport, PA. I was thrilled to learn this, and also not surprised.
John Bell is my guest. We talk about leadership and decision making. We talk about advice for all leaders, and especially those hired to lead a school district in their hometown. John didn't shy away from a professional wild pitch that was thrown at him. Brushed back, he stayed focused on children. Thanks for tuning in!
Bio: John Bell is the superintendent of the Port Jervis School District in Port Jervis, NY. He has been in that role since 2022, but he is not new to Port Jervis. He previously served as assistant superintendent for instruction at Port Jervis from 2006-2012 and returning to Port Jervis, he was superintendent at a neighboring district for 10 years.
This episode is brought to you, in part, by the Waters Center for Systems Thinking. The Waters Center helps people understand what systems thinking is and how to incorporate the Habits, tools and concepts of systems thinking into their work and life to achieve desired results. To learn more, go to waterscenterst.org.
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available on Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com. You can order it there.
Intro: Hello Imperfect Leaders! Choosing a name for a public building is a challenging process. With schools, a new name often includes the choosing of a mascot as well. Renaming a school or changing a mascot is often even more difficult. Community members will allege you're erasing history. I was a superintendent presiding over the renaming of Robert E. Lee Elementary School in Missouri! Most recently, I served on a renaming committee in the Seattle area. The committee process was well conceived and thoughtfully carried out by one of the school district’s leaders, Amii Thompson. She made sure to make decisions with those most impacted, in this case, the Suquamish Tribe.
Now, imagine if you were the principal and your school board decided on a Thursday night to remove an offensive mascot effective immediately. My guest is Dr. Andrew Dolloff, superintendent of Yarmouth Schools in Yarmouth, Maine. His After Action Review is about exactly that! Thanks for tuning in.
Bio: Dr. Andrew Dolloff has been the superintendent of schools in Yarmouth, Maine since 2014. He is a 35-year veteran of Maine public schools, having begun his career as a chemistry teacher and basketball coach in central Maine before moving into school administration in Greater Portland in 1996. Andrew has served as a superintendent, assistant superintendent, high school principal, high school assistant principal, and athletic administrator. For 9nearly 10 years he has served a community that is deeply personal to him as his grandfather graduated from Yarmouth High School. I have no doubt that leading in a hometown district must have made it even more meaningful when he was named Maine’s Superintendent of the Year in 2021.
This episode is brought to you, in part, by the Waters Center for Systems Thinking. The Waters Center helps people understand what systems thinking is and how to incorporate the Habits, tools and concepts of systems thinking into their work and life to achieve desired results. To learn more, go to waterscenterst.org.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available on Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com. You can order it there.
Intro: Hello Imperfect Leaders! Hope is a powerful theme for today’s conversation.
My guest today starts with a quote from poet, activist, and National Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman. I found it to be such a perfect way to start our conversation because my guest, Ms. Hattie Tate, speaks to hope. She speaks to how important it is to maintain hope. In fact, she reflects on the words of Amanda Gorman and reminds listeners how “every day, we have not lost hope.”
And the key to maintaining this hope is a simple one to say aloud and sometimes so hard to achieve. It’s relationships. The influence and impact that comes from a deep and genuine relationship. So to kick off this really inspiring conversation with Hattie Tate, a district leader in Oakland, CA, I give you four more stanzas from an Amanda Gorman poem New Day’s Lyric, written and performed as the pandemic began to experience a waning (vaccines we on the horizon and brighter days appeared to be imminent). She wrote:
Are now these moments we make, The moments we meet, And our hearts, once all together beaten, Now all together beat.
Never is that more important than those working with our children struggling to achieve their promise. Often labeled as at-risk, Hattie discusses this with honesty and optimism. In her After-Action Review, she reflects on career choices - a deeply personal conversation. Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: Ms. Hattie Tate has many titles. They include educator, principal, and administrator in the Oakland Unified School District in Oakland, CA. She has been the principal of an alternative school, has worked with the Department of Violence Prevention/DVP, Oakland, CA 2011-2023, has served as an Administrator/Coordinator for the Juvenile Justice Center, has been a leader with Youth Diversion and Re-Entry Strategy, and has been an important piece to Stanford University’s Impact Labs as a researcher.
This episode is brought to you, in part, by the Waters Center for Systems Thinking. The Waters Center helps people understand what systems thinking is and how to incorporate the Habits, tools and concepts of systems thinking into their work and life to achieve desired results. To learn more, go to waterscenterst.org.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available on Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com. You can order it there.
Intro: Hello Imperfect Leaders! A few months ago, I read White Bird by RJ. Palacio. It is such a powerful story, a graphic novel. The story of a Jewish child in France, hidden by a non-Jewish family, during World War II. I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone interested in knowing more about the Holocaust – or is looking for a book to help future generations understand what happened so that it may never happen again. It’s a story about friendship. It’s a story about regrets. It’s a story about courage. It’s a story about standing up against injustice. It’s about dreaming about a better future and doing something about it.
While I was speaking to my guest today, the story popped into my head. My guest describes the shift in how leaders can lead. He talks about the current landscape and how by working closely with others (I was struck by how often he talked about his colleagues by name) – by working with others, great things can happen.
My guest is Max Silverman. He talks about shifting an entire system – transforming it, really. For those who are not familiar with the the organization he leads, the Center for Educational Leadership (CEL) leads national projects to implement new systems to improve leadership effectiveness by supporting the growth of superintendents, principals and teacher leader teams.
Thanks for tuning in.
Bio: Max Silverman is the executive director of the University of Washington's Center for Educational Leadership (CEL) where he provides leadership for improving school systems focused on equitable outcomes for students. Throughout his career, Max has served in a variety of leadership positions including classroom teacher, school principal, district leader, and most recently as deputy director of CEL.
This episode is brought to you, in part, by the Waters Center for Systems Thinking. The Waters Center helps people understand what systems thinking is and how to incorporate the Habits, tools and concepts of systems thinking into their work and life to achieve desired results. To learn more, go to waterscenterst.org.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available on Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com. You can order it there.
Intro: Imperfect Leaders! Welcome to SEASON 2 of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast. I can't believe it! Thank you for all the support you've provided me over this last year. I've learned so much during my conversations with leaders from all over our country. This week, we continue into our second season, and it's a great one!
My guest this week is Jennifer Hogan. Right off the bat, you’re going to hear me refer to Jennifer as a retired educator. Jennifer Hogan was a retired educator when she and I spoke. She told me off air that she was considering getting back into it, and well, she did! I’m thrilled for the teachers and children and families at Hoover High School because they're getting a thoughtful, compassionate, and human-centered leader. They already know that because this is really a welcome home for Principal Hogan.
Jennifer's topic is so relatable because it is one that is so familiar to so many leaders. Let me put it this way... we all talk about grit or resilience and the truth is, grit is learned through experience. We all begin our leadership roles with a lack of experience. So we lead with our hearts. When we look back, we are glad we led with our hearts, and we realize how much we’ve learned. Sometimes, we have to take a step back to take a giant leap forward. Our experiences build resilience. Thanks for tuning in.
Bio: Jennifer has served different roles throughout her 27-year career. She has been a teacher, a coach, and an administrator. She is passionate about leadership, culture, and teaching & learning. Jennifer is the creator of The Compelled Educator, which helps teachers and leaders find meaningful resources for personal and professional well-being, growth, and development.
This episode is brought to you, in part, by the Waters Center for Systems Thinking. The Waters Center helps people understand what systems thinking is and how to incorporate the Habits, tools and concepts of systems thinking into their work and life to achieve desired results. To learn more, go to waterscenterst.org. ----
Brene Brown #Dare to Lead #Armored leadership #Daring leadership #Alabama EdChat Compelled Educator #human-centered leadership Hoover High School ----
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
Imperfect Leaders! My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available on Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com. You can order it there.
Intro: Hello Imperfect Leaders and welcome back to Part 2 of my conversation with Joe Santana. If you tuned in last week, you learned about ERGs (or Employee Resource Groups) and how they contribute to every type of organization. Joe told us about the difference between two terms, signals and noise, when I asked him about organizations being subjected to opposition from some policy makers. If you haven’t listened to it yet, please go to last week’s episode first and then come on back to this one.
In this episode, Joe participates in an After Action Review and talks about a decision he made and what he learned from that decision. It's true, I used the word 'pivot' in the title. Among superintendents, this word is verboten because of the number of times we were encouraged to pivot during the pandemic. I told Joe we prefer midcourse correction instead! This episode is such a good episode because while Joe is talking about how he built a platform with over 300 million listeners, it is easy for a district leader to consider programs, strategies, and public relations approaches that required a piv...a midcourse correction. Thanks for tuning in.
Bio: Joe Santana is Chairman of CDO PowerCircle, an association of top DEI leaders. Joe is also the creator and host of the award-winning ERG PowerTalk podcast reaching over 300 million listeners AND he is also an author of many articles and books, including his latest, Supercharge Your ERG’s Tips to Power-up Your ERG/BRG Strategy. His work has been published in multiple languages.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available on Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com. You can order it there.
Intro: Hello Imperfect Leaders. Sometimes, when I am listening to a podcast, I hear the host say, “This week, we’re only playing part 1 of a two-part podcast.” And I think to myself, “Do they really have that much good material to warrant two weeks or are they just being lazy??” Most of the time, it’s really because the guest does have a lot of good examples to share. That’s definitely the case this week with my guest, Joe Santana.
You’re really going to enjoy Joe (not in the sense of when your mother would tell you you'll be so happy if you got a haircut - oh, was that just me?). I mean it, you REALLY are going to enjoy this episode and the follow up next week.
In Part 1, you are going to learn more about Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and why they really are important for any organization, especially for school districts. Thanks for tuning in!
Bio: Joe Santana is Chairman of CDO PowerCircle, an association of top DEI leaders. Joe is also the creator and host of the award-winning ERG PowerTalk podcast reaching over 300 million listeners AND he is also an author of many articles and books, including his latest, Supercharge Your ERG’s Tips to Power-up Your ERG/BRG Strategy. His work has been published in multiple languages.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available on Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com. You can order it there.
Intro: Hartford, Connecticut was the location of my very first hockey game. The Hartford Whalers vs the NY Rangers. And what a scene it was. During the second period, there was an obvious offense because both benches cleared and both teams were absolutely brawling! I find myself in Hartford at least once a year and so every year, I revisit, in my mind, that very violent episode in my life. But now, after talking with my guest, Dr. Torres-Rodriguez, I have a delightful replacement memory and for that, I am grateful.
My mentor, Dr. Linda Henke, the creator of the human-centered school transformation model I speak so much about wrote:
The shift away from the heroic leader who goes it alone, to the transformational leader who attends to the field is perhaps the most fundamental change in the work of school leadership.
She continues by asking readers to rethink the metaphor of a leader as hero and consider, instead, a different metaphor --- someone like a midwife or a gardener or a minister. Someone who tends to the needs of others.
My guest this week cares so deeply for her district because her district is so personal to her - she graduated from the district and then returned to lead it.
She leverages the voices of her entire system, inside and outside the organization, including the voices of her children. She considers the technical skills, the emotional intelligence, and a lens focused on equity in order to make sound decisions.
And she uses all of this knowledge and skill in recounting her after action review – the recommendation to her board to consolidate or close schools in her school district. Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: Dr. Torres-Rodriguez was named the 2022 National Superintendent of the Year by the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS), received the 2019 Award for Educational Leadership from the Connecticut Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (CALAS) as well as the 2019 Prospanica National Brillante Award for Educational Excellence.
Dr. Torres-Rodriguez is a member of the Governor’s Workforce Council and serves on the Hartford Promise Board. She also co-chairs the Mayor’s Cabinet for Young Children in Hartford.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available on Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com. You can order it there.
AND if you liked it, would you please leave a positive review on Amazon?
Intro: A few months ago, I found myself driving some logging roads on Vancouver Island. A few days later, I wandered into an independent bookstore and saw a book by Harley Rustad called Big Lonely Doug. Who was Big Lonely Doug and what made him Doug so lonely?! Big Lonely Doug is a massive Douglas Fir – the second largest tree in all of Canada. And I had totally missed seeing it. I must have driven right past both the Avatar Grove and Big Lonely Doug! Learning about Doug has been amazing.
The book is a great resource for thinking about and teaching systems thinking. For one thing, you really learn about how trees are not individual entities, but rather connected to each other. You learn about mycorrhiza and how these fungi establish a symbiotic association with plant roots (they improve nutrition and stabilization for them).
I know I am geeking out a bit on this intro, but as I read this book, I thought about the internal system of the forest and what it needs and the external systems that influence these forests (logging companies and the communities relying on the jobs, local, regional, federal, and tribal governments establishing policies about the trees, conservationists, climate scientists, the general public). As an educational leader, I couldn't help but think about schools and school systems when reading this book.
And you can’t help but think of my guest this week who is working hard in the Washington DC to build enduring systems for children, with them and their families. Dr. Bren Elliott is my guest. In her After-Action Review, we discuss a topic that so many leaders have had to face - feeling pressured to fill a position and making an unsuccessful hire.
BIO: Dr. Bren Elliott is the chief of school improvement and supports for District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). In her role, she leads efforts to see that the district meets the goals outlined in its strategic plan.
Prior to DCPS, Dr. Elliott worked in Tennessee and North Carolina as a teacher, an assistant principal, a principal, an area director, and an assistant superintendent. Plus! Dr. Elliott is a former officer in the United States Army and completed 10 years of military service.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available on Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com. You can order it there.
AND if you liked it, would you please leave a positive review on Amazon?
Imperfect Leaders, in my third year as a superintendent, I learned about what can only be referred to as opportunity hoarding (in my recorded intro, I didn't know who coined the phrase - Charles Tilly appears to be an original thinker on this term).
What do I mean by opportunity hoarding? Well, we allowed 8th graders to take Algebra 2 (they had taken Algebra 1 in 6th grade and Geometry in 7th grade and NOW they were taking Algebra 2). The problem was there were only 5 kids assigned to the class and they had a full-time teacher. The regular 8th grade math class had more than 30 kids in the class. It was opportunity hoarding and what’s worse, my kid was one of the 5. I decided we needed to eliminate the option. We worked with families to find options for the handful of families who wanted their children to take Algebra 2.
Dr. Mike Rossie is my guest today. In the first segment, he talks about engaging his community (spotlighting student and employee voice) and using appreciative inquiry questions like “WHAT DO WE DO WELL” to frame the district's goals.
Then, in our second segment, his After Action Review is similar to mine. It’s about making the decision as a new superintendent to eliminate the advanced math track at his middle schools in July. So when parents got their child’s schedule, the advanced class was not there. His description of 500 parents packed into an auditorium all lined up behind microphones to give him feedback… well, he paints quite a picture. 😳
Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: Dr. Michael Rossi is my guest. Michael has spent his entire 36-year professional career in education, as a teacher, coach, supervisor, college professor, principal, and, for the last 19 years, as a public-school superintendent. Michael is the superintendent for Lenape Valley Regional High School in Stanhope, N.J.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
An imperfect leader, TLI, peter stiepleman, dr. peter stiepleman, imperfect leaders, school culture, education, culture, school, positive school culture, principal, superintendent, aspiring superintendent, new superintendent, experienced superintendent, leadership, district leadership, school leadership, school leadership thoughts, inspiration, strategic planning, leadership development, human-centered leadership, collective aspiration, nested patterns, leaders’ learning work, educators, superintendent pipeline, Model for Human Centered School, AASA, Mike Rossi, New Jersey,
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! You can now order my book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here, and if there is no hyperlink, go to peterstiepleman.com, you can order it there.
AND if you liked it, would you please leave a positive review? I’m hoping to earn 35 positive reviews on Amazon. Thanks!
When I was a superintendent, I was called to a meeting with an economics professor. What he wanted to discuss with me was the use of results on standardized tests to evaluate the effectiveness of a teacher. I bristled at the idea of looking only at the score on an external test to determine whether or not a teacher was effective.
When asked if I would consider looking at growth data instead – meaning how much growth a child made over a 10-month period to determine a teacher’s effectiveness, I became less hostile. I do think there is value in this. For one thing, I can remember using this type of data analysis to conclude that children in an elementary class were actually regressing over the first months of school. We used that information and intervened quickly to provide support.
I do struggle with the appropriateness of rewarding only one teacher for a child’s growth. What about rewarding the entire school? Yes, I can get behind that. Think about it. You’ve got an excellent reading teacher. They are Reading Recovery trained and equipped to save a child’s life. HOWEVER, the child only comes to school because every morning, he gets to eat breakfast with the custodian, someone who has taken an interest in the child’s life. Or maybe she gets to stay after school and participate in the swim club the PE teacher hosts every Tuesday and Thursday at the local pool. Or perhaps they get to process their traumas with the school counselor and tend to the school’s gecko in the science teacher’s classroom.
Schools are a mosaic. They are many small pieces coming together to make something beautiful. My guest today, Dr. Brian Gill, is a researcher who helps schools understand what their data is telling them. He talks about avoiding the mistake of making an inference the data doesn’t support. Brian offers four pieces advice called Don’t Let Statistics Become “Damned Lies”.
A different look at leadership this week. I was so into our conmversation, I went way over the typical time I usually take with a guest. 😳 Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: Dr. Brian Gill is a senior fellow on K-12 education policy at Mathematica and director of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Educational Laboratory for the US Department of Education.
An Imperfect Leader is brought to you by EdConnective whose mission is to ensure student success through transformative teacher training.
EdConnective helps teachers move from awareness about strategies and frameworks to successful and consistent implementation. Their friendly coaches celebrate classroom success with teachers and, with concrete classroom data, support teachers in their growth, one step at a time.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot. During the pandemic, student teachers didn’t get a chance to do their student teaching with children. They started teaching in classrooms – and they need help. Across the nation, states are adopting higher expectations to make up for learning loss. That’s where EdConnective fits in. Their vision is that every student deserves a great teacher, and every teacher deserves a great coach! Find out more by contacting them at EdConnective.com ---
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
An imperfect leader, TLI, peter stiepleman, Dr. peter stiepleman, imperfect leaders, school culture, education, culture, school, positive school culture, principal, superintendent, aspiring superintendent, new superintendent, experienced superintendent, leadership, district leadership, school leadership, school leadership thoughts, inspiration, strategic planning, leadership development, human-centered leadership, collective aspiration, nested patterns, leaders’ learning work, educators, superintendent pipeline, Model for Human Centered School, AASA, Brian Gill, Mathematica
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! You can now order my book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here, and if there is no hyperlink, go to peterstiepleman.com, you can order it there.
AND if you liked it, would you please leave a positive review? I’m hoping to earn 35 positive reviews on Amazon. Thanks!
When you become a leader, you either inherit a strategic plan or you are tasked with creating one. Strategic planning is not easy. Often, leaders make the misstep of rushing the process and end up creating one with just a few people. Strategic planning is a collaborative process.
Strategic planning must start with appreciative inquiry (seeing what’s going well and seeking ways to get more of it). In the end, strategic planning must yield something I call a compelling purpose and THAT happens when you are able to answer these two questions as a communuty:
- What do we want to create together?
- How do we want to be together?
Getting to that shared image is where you start. And the way you do that is what I call harvesting the collective wisdom of your internal and external systems. My guest today did just that. He asked an essential question, and through stakeholder meetings, a process he followed with the help of Studor Education, he harvested the wisdom of his community. He got to "what do we want to create together?"
Mr. Sergio Mendoza is my guest. I really enjoyed our time together. Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: Mr. Sergio Mendoza has been an educator for more than 35 years, most recently serving as Superintendent of the Burton School District in Porterville, CA. (located in California’s San Joaquin Valley).
An Imperfect Leader is brought to you by EdConnective whose mission is to ensure student success through transformative teacher training.
EdConnective helps teachers move from awareness about strategies and frameworks to successful and consistent implementation. Their friendly coaches celebrate classroom success with teachers and, with concrete classroom data, support teachers in their growth, one step at a time.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot. During the pandemic, student teachers didn’t get a chance to do their student teaching with children. They started teaching in classrooms – and they need help. Across the nation, states are adopting higher expectations to make up for learning loss. That’s where EdConnective fits in. Their vision is that every student deserves a great teacher, and every teacher deserves a great coach! Find out more by contacting them at EdConnective.com ---
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
An imperfect leader, TLI, peter stiepleman, Dr. peter stiepleman, imperfect leaders, school culture, education, culture, school, positive school culture, principal, superintendent, aspiring superintendent, new superintendent, experienced superintendent, leadership, district leadership, school leadership, school leadership thoughts, inspiration, strategic planning, leadership development, human-centered leadership, collective aspiration, nested patterns, leaders’ learning work, educators, superintendent pipeline, Model for Human Centered School, AASA, Sergio Mendoza, Studor Education
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! You can now order my book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here, and if there is no hyperlink, go to peterstiepleman.com, you can order it there.
AND if you liked it, would you please leave a positive review? I’m hoping to earn 35 positive reviews on Amazon. Thanks!
Imperfect Leaders! In this episode, Dave MacLeod is my guest. Dave is not a superintendent, but he and the company he leads, ThoughtExchange, have helped superintendents across the nation harvest the wisdom of their communities to make better decisions.
During the episode, you'll hear Dave say he is a 6 ft. tall white man. There's a reason why that's relevant. Did you know that studies have shown there are more CEOs named David in the Fortune 500 than there are female CEOs in total?? Furthermore the majority of those CEOs are white males who are 6ft. tall.
Additionally, Dave reminds leaders how there are incredible organizations throughout the nation who can advise and train organizations to be antiracist. Specifically, Dave refers listeners to Inroads.org.
This was an incredible conversation! Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: Dave MacLeod is the CEO and a co-founder of ThoughtExchange, the world’s only Enterprise Discussion Management platform powered by anti-bias technology. Dave’s expertise helped create the game-changing platform that’s used by millions at some of the world’s largest organizations like GE Healthcare, SAP, Oracle NetSuite and WestJet. ThoughtExchange invites participants to share insights anonymously—removing bias and getting the most important ideas in front of the leaders who can turn them into action.
Dave is also the author of Scaling Conversations: How Leaders Access the Full Potential of People. Prior to ThoughtExchange, he was a successful entrepreneur who designed businesses and events focused on analog group communication innovation.
Outside of work, Dave keeps busy as a dad of three who loves the outdoors.
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An Imperfect Leader is brought to you by EdConnective whose mission is to ensure student success through transformative teacher training.
EdConnective helps teachers move from awareness about strategies and frameworks to successful and consistent implementation. Their friendly coaches celebrate classroom success with teachers and, with concrete classroom data, support teachers in their growth, one step at a time.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot. During the pandemic, student teachers didn’t get a chance to do their student teaching with children. They started teaching in classrooms – and they need help. Across the nation, states are adopting higher expectations to make up for learning loss. That’s where EdConnective fits in. Their vision is that every student deserves a great teacher, and every teacher deserves a great coach! Find out more by contacting them at EdConnective.com ---
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
An imperfect leader, TLI, peter stiepleman, Dr. peter stiepleman, imperfect leaders, school culture, education, culture, school, positive school culture, principal, superintendent, aspiring superintendent, new superintendent, experienced superintendent, leadership, district leadership, school leadership, school leadership thoughts, inspiration, strategic planning, leadership development, human-centered leadership, collective aspiration, nested patterns, leaders’ learning work, educators, superintendent pipeline, Model for Human Centered School, AASA, Dave Macleod, ThoughtExchange,
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! You can now order my book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here, and if there is no hyperlink, go to peterstiepleman.com, you can order it there.
AND if you liked it, would you please leave a positive review? I’m hoping to get 35 positive reviews on Amazon. Thanks!
Imperfect Leaders!
This week, Dr. Amy Illingworth is my guest. Amy is the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Servies for the Encinitas Union School District in Encinitas, California. She is the author of The Coach ADVenture: Building Powerful Instructional Leadership Skills that Impact Learning.
She is also a prolific blogger for her blog, Reflections on Leadership and Learning.
In our conversation, Amy reminds us, "The person who talks the most learns the most." A lot of great learning this week! Thanks for tuning in!
An Imperfect Leader is brought to you by EdConnective whose mission is to ensure student success through transformative teacher training.
EdConnective helps teachers move from awareness about strategies and frameworks to successful and consistent implementation. Their friendly coaches celebrate classroom success with teachers and, with concrete classroom data, support teachers in their growth, one step at a time.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot. During the pandemic, student teachers didn’t get a chance to do their student teaching with children. They started teaching in classrooms – and they need help. Across the nation, states are adopting higher expectations to make up for learning loss. That’s where EdConnective fits in. Their vision is that every student deserves a great teacher, and every teacher deserves a great coach! Find out more by contacting them at EdConnective.com ---
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
An imperfect leader, TLI, peter stiepleman, Dr. peter stiepleman, imperfect leaders, school culture, education, culture, school, positive school culture, principal, superintendent, aspiring superintendent, new superintendent, experienced superintendent, leadership, district leadership, school leadership, school leadership thoughts, inspiration, strategic planning, leadership development, human-centered leadership, collective aspiration, nested patterns, leaders’ learning work, educators, superintendent pipeline, Model for Human Centered School, AASA, Encinitas, California, Amy Illingworth, Reflections on Leadership and Learning
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! You can order my book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here. Or if there is no hyperlink, please go to Amazon or Barnes & Noble or peterstiepleman.com to order a copy.
AND if you liked it, would you please leave a positive review? I’m hoping to get 35 positive reviews on Amazon. Thanks!
Imperfect Leaders!
In this episode, Dr. Gladys Cruz is my guest. Dr. Cruz is the District Superintendent for Questar III, based In Castleton, NY. In addition to that role, Dr. Cruz serves as a lead teacher for the AASA Aspiring Superintendents Academy for Latino and Latina Leaders and is a mentor in the AASA National Superintendent Certification Program. Dr. Cruz is also the President-Elect of AASA, the School Superintendent’s Association.
After reading her blog posts, and most recently, seeing her presentation in San Antonio, Dr. Cruz brings awareness (and a plan) for addressing superintendent turnover. As an aside, that topic is exactly why I created this podcast. The national average for school superintendents is around three years, and if you’re a woman or a leader of color, it’s even less. In her speech, she mentioned the turnover in New York and Maine and Oregon, so in our conversation, she took a moment to tell us about the theme for her presidency: “Leading in a New Era: New Challenges, New Approaches” and the foundation she hopes to lay for new and aspiring superintendents.
In her After Action Review, she describes the tensions she had to manage during a major construction project. The first site fell through, and she risked losing her the trust of her communities. Thanks for tuning in!
An Imperfect Leader is brought to you by EdConnective whose mission is to ensure student success through transformative teacher training.
EdConnective helps teachers move from awareness about strategies and frameworks to successful and consistent implementation. Their friendly coaches celebrate classroom success with teachers and, with concrete classroom data, support teachers in their growth, one step at a time.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot. During the pandemic, student teachers didn’t get a chance to do their student teaching with children. They started teaching in classrooms – and they need help. Across the nation, states are adopting higher expectations to make up for learning loss. That’s where EdConnective fits in. Their vision is that every student deserves a great teacher, and every teacher deserves a great coach! Find out more by contacting them at EdConnective.com ---
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
An imperfect leader, TLI, peter stiepleman, Dr. peter stiepleman, imperfect leaders, school culture, education, culture, school, positive school culture, principal, superintendent, aspiring superintendent, new superintendent, experienced superintendent, leadership, district leadership, school leadership, school leadership thoughts, inspiration, strategic planning, leadership development, human-centered leadership, collective aspiration, nested patterns, leaders’ learning work, educators, superintendent pipeline, Model for Human Centered School, AASA, Dr. Gladys Cruz, Questar III, Jay Goldman,
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! You can now order my book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here. Or if there is no hyperlink, go to peterstiepleman.com, you can order it there.
AND if you liked it, would you please leave a positive review? I’m hoping to get 35 positive reviews on Amazon. Thanks!
Imperfect Leaders!
In this episode, Dr. Shari Camhi is my guest. We talk about the motto: We're all Here for the Kids! We talk about Ron Berger’s book, An Ethic of Excellence. We talk about what learning spaces currently look like for children and a shift in what they could look like. Dr. Camhi brings people together to rethink the relationship between curriculum and learning spaces - and she even has a word for it: innovatrium. And we talk about excellence - it doesn't begin with a declaration. Give a listen!
BIO: Dr. Shari Camhi has been the superintendent of Baldwin Union Free School District since 2014, and is finishing her term as the president of AASA, the School Superintendent Association. Dr. Camhi is known for being innovative and for being a human-centered leader - always putting people first. She has been recognized by Ed Week as a leader to learn from as well as a superintendent to watch by the National School Public Relations Association.
An Imperfect Leader is brought to you by EdConnective whose mission is to ensure student success through transformative teacher training.
EdConnective helps teachers move from awareness about strategies and frameworks to successful and consistent implementation. Their friendly coaches celebrate classroom success with teachers and, with concrete classroom data, support teachers in their growth, one step at a time.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot. During the pandemic, student teachers didn’t get a chance to do their student teaching with children. They started teaching in classrooms – and they need help. Across the nation, states are adopting higher expectations to make up for learning loss. That’s where EdConnective fits in. Their vision is that every student deserves a great teacher, and every teacher deserves a great coach! Find out more by contacting them at EdConnective.com ---
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
An imperfect leader, TLI, peter stiepleman, Dr. peter stiepleman, imperfect leaders, school culture, education, culture, school, positive school culture, principal, superintendent, aspiring superintendent, new superintendent, experienced superintendent, leadership, district leadership, school leadership, school leadership thoughts, inspiration, strategic planning, leadership development, human-centered leadership, collective aspiration, nested patterns, leaders’ learning work, educators, superintendent pipeline, Model for Human Centered School, AASA, Baldwin Union Free School District, Shari Camhi
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! You can now order my book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here. Or if there is no hyperlink, go to peterstiepleman.com, you can order it there.
AND if you liked it, would you please leave a positive review? I’m hoping to get 35 positive reviews on Amazon. Thanks!
My Guest: This week, Dr. Mike Nelson is my guest. Mike is the Assistant Executive Director for Professional Learning for the Washington Association of School Administrators (or WASA). In our conversation, we talk about an impressive program his district created to improve the achievement of First Nation students and we talk about what happens when you're a new principal and you tell two veteran teachers they must change they way they teach reading (hint: it doesn't go very well!).
Bio: Mike Nelson is the former superintendent of the Enumclaw School District, a school district he served for 21 years – 13 years as the superintendent (and here's a fun fact - Mike attended Enumclaw schools as a student!).
In 2019, he was recognized as the Washington State Superintendent of the Year.
Mike, welcome to an Imperfect Leader.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
An Imperfect Leader is brought to you by EdConnective whose mission is to ensure student success through transformative teacher training.
EdConnective helps teachers move from awareness about strategies and frameworks to successful and consistent implementation. Their friendly coaches celebrate classroom success with teachers and, with concrete classroom data, support teachers in their growth, one step at a time.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot. During the pandemic, student teachers didn’t get a chance to do their student teaching with children. They started teaching in classrooms – and they need help. Across the nation, states are adopting higher expectations to make up for learning loss. That’s where EdConnective fits in. Their vision is that every student deserves a great teacher, and every teacher deserves a great coach! Find out more by contacting them at EdConnective.com ---
An imperfect leader, TLI, peter stiepleman, Dr. peter stiepleman, imperfect leaders, school culture, education, culture, school, positive school culture, principal, superintendent, aspiring superintendent, new superintendent, experienced superintendent, leadership, district leadership, school leadership, school leadership thoughts, inspiration, strategic planning, leadership development, human-centered leadership, collective aspiration, nested patterns, leaders’ learning work, educators, superintendent pipeline, Model for Human Centered School, Mike Nelson, WASA, Washington State
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! You can now order my book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here. Or if there is no hyperlink, go to peterstiepleman.com, you can order it there.
AND if you liked it, would you please leave a positive review? I’m hoping to get 35 positive reviews on Amazon. Thanks!
My Guest: This week, Barbara Haeffner is my guest. Barbara is the Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Innovation for the Meriden Public Schools in Meriden, CT. We talk about her career, we talk about technology, we talk about including those MOST impacted by a decision, and we talked about US Secretary of Education, Secretary Cardona. Barbara worked closely with the US Secretary of Education, who not only grew up in Meriden, CT, but also served as a teacher and administrator in the school district. In fact, Barbara succeeded him as the assistant superintendent of Teaching and Learning. Barbara has some fun stories about Secretary Cardona.
Bio: Barbara Haeffner has many roles in Meriden. She handles K-12 district curriculum, she deals with parental issues relating to instruction, she clarifies board policy and school procedures for parents and the community, and she is responsible for the successful rollout of the Teacher and Leader Evaluation and Development Plan. She handles ALL the most difficult aspects of a school system. You can see why I wanted to talk with her.
Interesting tidbit...Barbara co-authored the book The Great Equalizer: Six Strategies to Make Public Education Work in America which was co-published by Rowman & Littlefield and AASA.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
An Imperfect Leader is brought to you by EdConnective whose mission is to ensure student success through transformative teacher training.
EdConnective helps teachers move from awareness about strategies and frameworks to successful and consistent implementation. Their friendly coaches celebrate classroom success with teachers and, with concrete classroom data, support teachers in their growth, one step at a time.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot. During the pandemic, student teachers didn’t get a chance to do their student teaching with children. They started teaching in classrooms – and they need help. Across the nation, states are adopting higher expectations to make up for learning loss. That’s where EdConnective fits in. Their vision is that every student deserves a great teacher, and every teacher deserves a great coach! Find out more by contacting them at EdConnective.com An imperfect leader, TLI, peter stiepleman, Dr. peter stiepleman, imperfect leaders, school culture, education, culture, school, positive school culture, principal, superintendent, aspiring superintendent, new superintendent, experienced superintendent, leadership, district leadership, school leadership, school leadership thoughts, inspiration, strategic planning, leadership development, human-centered leadership, collective aspiration, nested patterns, leaders’ learning work, educators, superintendent pipeline, Model for Human Centered School, Barbara Haeffner, Meriden, Connecticut, Miguel Cardona, US Secretary of Education, technology
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! You can now order my book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here. Or if there is no hyperlink, go to peterstiepleman.com, you can order it there.
AND if you liked it, would you please leave a positive review? I’m hoping to get 35 positive reviews on Amazon. Thanks!
My Guest: This week, Dr. Thomas Hoerr is my guest. If you’re in education, you likely remember the first out-of-town conference you ever attended. Not because, as a superintendent told me recently, they went to a conference and found themselves being dared to ride a mechanical bull. I think he said something like, “It would have to have been a weekend at Bernie’s kind of thing (where I was actually dead) to get me on one of those things!” Weekend at Bernie’s – ah, a classic. And it does conjure an image of sorts.
Well my first out of town trip was to Albuquerque, NM. I was teacher in Oakland, and I saved my money to fly to Albuquerque to attend a 2-day training with Tom Hoerr from St. Louis. Tom had become a sought-after expert on Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI), and I was really interested to learn more and see how it might provide me with some approaches to teaching bi/multilingual learners.
What if we found ways to attend to the strengths of a child to teach them English as opposed to a drill and kill method? That was my wondering and I was considering writing my dissertation using Gardner’s research. In the end, I found a school in Indonesia who was using MI to teach English as a second language, and well, I was living in California making $29,000 a year, so..... So I settled on the question of why children learn (or don’t learn) English. Drawing on Guadalupe Valdes’s research. The quick answer is it has to do with systems and their design – systems will create exactly what they are meant to create.
But back to Tom Hoerr! I reached out to him recently to tell him he was my first professional learning conference, and that I spent a career using what I learned from him, and how I’d love to have him as a guest on the podcast. And in a lovely display of his interpersonal intelligence, he agreed! Thanks for listening!
Bio: Tom Hoerr led schools for 37 years and is now a Scholar In Residence at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where he teaches prospective principals. Tom was a public-school principal in University City in the St. Louis area before becoming the head of the New City School in St. Louis, a school founded on a commitment to progressive learning and respect for human diversity. Under his leadership, New City began implementing the theory of multiple intelligences (MI) in 1988 and created the world’s first MI Library in 2006.
Tom Hoerr’s new book, The Principal as Chief Empathy Officer, stems from his premise that leadership is based on relationships, and he uses empathy as the tool to help everyone grow. He shows how we can each grow our empathy. Hoerr devotes chapters to empathy and personnel, instructional leadership, DEI, and so on. The book is filled with specific examples, tables, and strategies to help everyone lead in an empathic manner. He also relates leading by empathy to the other Formative Five success skills – self-control, integrity, embracing diversity, and grit – and offers many interesting anecdotes.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
An Imperfect Leader is brought to you by EdConnective whose mission is to ensure student success through transformative teacher training.
EdConnective helps teachers move from awareness about strategies and frameworks to successful and consistent implementation. Their friendly coaches celebrate classroom success with teachers and, with concrete classroom data, support teachers in their growth, one step at a time. I’ve been thinking about this a lot. During the pandemic, student teachers didn’t get a chance to do their student teaching with children. They started teaching in classrooms – and they need help. Across the nation, states are adopting higher expectations to make up for learning loss. That’s where EdConnective fits in. Their vision is that every student deserves a great teacher, and every teacher deserves a great coach! Find out more by contacting them at EdConnective.com An imperfect leader, TLI, peter stiepleman, Dr. peter stiepleman, imperfect leaders, school culture, education, culture, school, positive school culture, principal, superintendent, aspiring superintendent, new superintendent, experienced superintendent, leadership, district leadership, school leadership, school leadership thoughts, inspiration, strategic planning, leadership development, human-centered leadership, collective aspiration, nested patterns, leaders’ learning work, educators, superintendent pipeline, Model for Human Centered School, New City School, Multiple Intelligences, MI, Harvard, Howard Gardner
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! You can now order my book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here. Or if there is no hyperlink, go to peterstiepleman.com, you can order it there.
AND if you liked it, would you please leave a positive review? I’m hoping to get 35 positive reviews on Amazon. Thanks!
My Guest: This week, Dr. Jenn Lowery is my guest. How I wish her name had been Sue as it would have made my whole T-Rex reference work perfectly (Sue is the T-Rex at the Field Museum that was found in Faith, South Dakota). But Jenn Lowery isn't named Sue, and she's not from from Faith, but she is the superintendent of the Tea Area School District in Tea, South Dakota. Her district graduated just 11 students when it started about 20 years ago and now it is significantly larger (and growing). The community has been working to be clear on its WHY. If you’re a Simon Sinek fan (and I value his message), he talks about being clear on your why.
Starting with the why and the importance of understanding your WHY is what Jenn talks about. And I loved how she speaks about moving from compliance to improvement.
My guest is Jenn Lowery. She was recently named the South Dakota Superintendent of the Year. Just listening to her today gives you a really good sense why. Thanks for listening.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
An Imperfect Leader is brought to you by EdConnective whose mission is to ensure student success through transformative teacher training.
EdConnective helps teachers move from awareness about strategies and frameworks to successful and consistent implementation. Their friendly coaches celebrate classroom success with teachers and, with concrete classroom data, support teachers in their growth, one step at a time. I’ve been thinking about this a lot. During the pandemic, student teachers didn’t get a chance to do their student teaching with children. They started teaching in classrooms – and they need help. Across the nation, states are adopting higher expectations to make up for learning loss. That’s where EdConnective fits in. Their vision is that every student deserves a great teacher, and every teacher deserves a great coach! Find out more by contacting them at EdConnective.com An imperfect leader, TLI, peter stiepleman, Dr. peter stiepleman, imperfect leaders, school culture, education, culture, school, positive school culture, principal, superintendent, aspiring superintendent, new superintendent, experienced superintendent, leadership, district leadership, school leadership, school leadership thoughts, inspiration, strategic planning, leadership development, human-centered leadership, collective aspiration, nested patterns, leaders’ learning work, educators, superintendent pipeline, Model for Human Centered School, Simon Sinek
Book Update!
Imperfect Leaders! You can now order my book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here. Or if there is no hyperlink, go to peterstiepleman.com, you can order it there.
My Guest: This week, Brian Troop is my guest.
One of the more powerful back to school administrator meetings I ever led was when I took all the administrators to see Bad Kids, a documentary about an alternative school in Yucca, California.
That documentary and another one, Bully, shaped for me some of my thinking about schools, the cultural field we create for children, and the different pathways we need to create for them as well.
In fact, following the showing of Bad Kids, I invited a panel of kids enrolled in our district’s small boutique high school (sometimes called an alternative high school) to talk about how their building was different from the comprehensive high schools in the district. Specifically, I wanted them to talk about their connection to the principal and her staff saved their lives. It was such a moving moment.
My guest this week was similarly inspired. For Brian Troop, it was the documentary, Most Likely To Succeed. The film pushes schools to consider how the world is ever-changing and how schools need to adapt to tomorrow’s needs. We talk about something called the Portrait of a Graduate, the skills and traits children must have to be successful after they leave the school district.
What’s cool about Brian’s district is how they engaged their local community, their business community, and others to help them define life readiness. And one of their goals is to create the environment so that their graduates will consider moving back to the community when they’ve finished their next level of learning – whether that be a trade school a 2 year or 4 year program, the military or internship.
Thanks for listening.
BIO: Dr. Brian Troop became Superintendent of the Ephrata Area School District in Ephrata, Pennsylvania in July 2013. Before that, he served the district as Assistant Superintendent. Brian is a creative leader and a collaborative leader. He and his team have worked to provide opportunities for children. For example, The Cornerstone Projects, year-long projects for each grade level that connect students with a community partner to help build engagement and strengthen relationships between the school and community is so innovative. It’s no wonder Dr. Troop was recognized as the 2023 Pennsylvania Superintendent of the Year.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
An Imperfect Leader is brought to you by EdConnective whose mission is to ensure student success through transformative teacher training.
EdConnective helps teachers move from awareness about strategies and frameworks to successful and consistent implementation. Their friendly coaches celebrate classroom success with teachers and, with concrete classroom data, support teachers in their growth, one step at a time. I’ve been thinking about this a lot. During the pandemic, student teachers didn’t get a chance to do their student teaching with children. They started teaching in classrooms – and they need help. Across the nation, states are adopting higher expectations to make up for learning loss. That’s where EdConnective fits in. Their vision is that every student deserves a great teacher, and every teacher deserves a great coach! Find out more by contacting them at EdConnective.com An imperfect leader, TLI, peter stiepleman, Dr. peter stiepleman, imperfect leaders, school culture, education, culture, school, positive school culture, principal, superintendent, aspiring superintendent, new superintendent, experienced superintendent, leadership, district leadership, school leadership, school leadership thoughts, inspiration, strategic planning, leadership development, human-centered leadership, collective aspiration, nested patterns, leaders’ learning work, educators, superintendent pipeline, Model for Human Centered School
Book Update!
ImperfectLeaders! You can order my new book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here. If there is no hyperlink, go to peterstiepleman.com, you can order it there.
My Guest: In this episode of An Imperfect Leader, we have a very special guest. The Chief Ruckus Maker of Better Leaders Better Schools, Danny Bauer, is here.
You might be asking yourself what makes a Ruckus Maker. I assure you, I ask Danny that in the episode. Let me set the stage a little bit about why today is exciting. Danny describes himself as:
· An UNORTHODOX leadership coach and who loves to ask “Why follow the rules when you can make them up?”
· He hosts a podcast that ranks in the TOP 0.5% of all shows worldwide with over 2 million downloads.
· And he is a best-selling author of Mastermind: Unlocking Talent Within Every School Leader.
And Build Leadership Momentum: How to Create the Perfect Principal Entry Plan is now available!
He has mentored thousands of school leaders through his Better Leaders Better Schools blog, books, podcasts, and powerful coaching experiences.
And he believes with all his might: "When YOU get better, Everyone wins."
BIO (from LinkedIN):
IMAGINE the QUALITY of a school where the Principal and AP does NOT have access to high quality coaching and mentorship on a weekly basis … If you’re anything like me, you don’t have to imagine because that was or is your current reality. Which is why I started the BLBS podcast in 2015. My lived experience as an admin went something like this … District “leadership” meetings didn’t build my capacity. Once a month, principals were gathered so we could be read announcements. If we were lucky, we might discuss the THREE PILLARS in education … 💯 Improve student achievement (yup, that’s important) 🚌 Increase attendance (of course … it’s good to have kids attend school) 🥊 Decrease discipline (safety is important) But that didn’t work for me. These pillars of education were NOT the reason I became an educator and they certainly weren't the issues I was interested in as a leader. I had different questions like … 🤔 How do you craft a meaningful vision that actually guides the work of a school? 🗣 (I personally HATE hard conversations, so...) How does a leader learn to handle crucial conversations effectively? ❓And what could I do to create a more equitable experience for ALL students — especially black and brown ones? So I started exploring those topics on my podcast with the goal of making myself better. Little did I know, that the message would resonate with so many other “Ruckus Makers” in education. Today there are over 1.5 million downloads (I stopped counting) … And in May 2022 I found out that my show ranks in the TOP 0.5% of all podcasts in the world … that’s out of nearly 3 million shows 🤩 🤯 🙇♂️ What started as a project to improve my leadership skills ... Has now turned into a mission to connect, grow, and mentor every school leader who wants to level up. Maybe that’s YOU or a colleague in your district or network. If that's true, I have good news for you because ... I believe that Everyone wins when YOU get better. So whenever you’re ready, here are three ways I can help … 1️⃣ Subscribe to my podcasts anywhere you like to listen. My two podcasts are called Better Leaders Better Schools & the School Leadership Series. 2️⃣ Buy my latest book published by Corwin and AASA (link in my bio above). 3️⃣ And for new connections on LinkedIn only ❗️ ➡️ download a three pack of Communication, Culture, and Execution quick start guides at go.betterleadersbetterschools.com/linkedin Keep Making a Ruckus, Danny danny@betterleadersbetterschools.com
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
An Imperfect Leader is brought to you by EdConnective whose mission is to ensure student success through transformative teacher training.
EdConnective helps teachers move from awareness about strategies and frameworks to successful and consistent implementation. Their friendly coaches celebrate classroom success with teachers and, with concrete classroom data, support teachers in their growth, one step at a time. I’ve been thinking about this a lot. During the pandemic, student teachers didn’t get a chance to do their student teaching with children. They started teaching in classrooms – and they need help. Across the nation, states are adopting higher expectations to make up for learning loss. That’s where EdConnective fits in. Their vision is that every student deserves a great teacher, and every teacher deserves a great coach! Find out more by contacting them at EdConnective.com
Book Update!
ImperfectLeaders! You can preorder my forthcoming book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here. Or if there is no hyperlink, go to peterstiepleman.com, you can order it there.
My Guest: This week, Beth Napleton is my guest. Beth is a Chicago-based executive leadership coach, consultant and the owner and founder of Beth Napleton Consulting.
There are a lot of us out there offering to help school leaders, but what I like about Beth’s focus is that she leverages her extensive experience in education to help them leaders (in her words) clear out the “adult problems” that get in the way of student success. Beth has a leadership quiz available to anyone interested in their continued growth. Follow this link to access it: leadership-quiz.com.
BIO: Beth Napleton is a national award-winning teacher and has been in the education field for over 20 years, having trained close to 2,000 teachers and leaders to success. Most recently, she served as Founder and CEO of a small charter school network on the South Side of Chicago that opened in 2013. All graduates of her schools – most of them first-generation students – were all accepted to four-year colleges.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
An Imperfect Leader is brought to you by EdConnective whose mission is to ensure student success through transformative teacher training.
EdConnective helps teachers move from awareness about strategies and frameworks to successful and consistent implementation. Their friendly coaches celebrate classroom success with teachers and, with concrete classroom data, support teachers in their growth, one step at a time. I’ve been thinking about this a lot. During the pandemic, student teachers didn’t get a chance to do their student teaching with children. They started teaching in classrooms – and they need help. Across the nation, states are adopting higher expectations to make up for learning loss. That’s where EdConnective fits in. Their vision is that every student deserves a great teacher, and every teacher deserves a great coach! Find out more by contacting them at EdConnective.com
Book Update!
ImperfectLeaders! You can preorder my forthcoming book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here. Or if there is no hyperlink, go to peterstiepleman.com, you can order it there.
My Guest: This week, Mark Martin is my guest. Mark is superintendent of Meade County Schools in, Meade County, Kentucky. In the first part of our conversaiton, Mark describes Close the Gap Kentucky, a promising professional development program for school districts to make meaningful plans for the children In their districts. In his After-Action Review, Mark reflects on the agonizing decision many superintendents faced during the pandemic - when to allow children to return to In-person Instruction. Mark was named the superintendent of schools right at the beginning of the pandemic, which made his situation even more difficult. A truly vulnerable and authentic refleciton on an impossible decision.
What is shoshin?
I recently read an article in Fortune magazine. I’m not really sure how it ended up in my mailbox, but I was hooked by the cover photo of the CEO of Salesforce with the title: Efficiency is in. Is Empathy out? The article didn’t exactly answer the question, instead it spoke of the tension CEOs have as they make decisions for the long-term health of their companies, and how those decisions are interpreted as a betrayal of a CEO’s publicly stated values. School and district leaders understand that very well. Efforts to find common ground can be interpreted as capitulation.
There’s was a quote in the article that I liked: The CEO of Salesforce said: I think you have to have, as the Japanese say, shoshin, or beginner’s mind. As the leader, you have to realize that the past is gone, and that you’re going to have to create a new future.” Mark Martin is creating a new future in Meade County. Thanks for listening!
BIO: Before becoming Superintendent of Meade County Schools, Dr. Martin was a director of special education and before that, he spent 12 years as a special education teacher and administrator. His experiences as a special educator have given him insights into how to make school accessible to every learner.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
An Imperfect Leader is brought to you by EdConnective whose mission is to ensure student success through transformative teacher training.
EdConnective helps teachers move from awareness about strategies and frameworks to successful and consistent implementation. Their friendly coaches celebrate classroom success with teachers and, with concrete classroom data, support teachers in their growth, one step at a time. I’ve been thinking about this a lot. During the pandemic, student teachers didn’t get a chance to do their student teaching with children. They started teaching in classrooms – and they need help. Across the nation, states are adopting higher expectations to make up for learning loss. That’s where EdConnective fits in. Their vision is that every student deserves a great teacher, and every teacher deserves a great coach! Find out more by contacting them at EdConnective.com
Book Update!
ImperfectLeaders! You can preorder my forthcoming book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here. Or if there is no hyperlink, go topeterstiepleman.com, you can order it there.
My Guest: This week, Dr. Kirt Hartzler is my guest. Dr. Hartzler has been the Superintendent of Union Public Schools in Tulsa, Oklahoma since 2013. We talk about leading the charge for a community school, which is different from a traditional school (How? Ummm... listen to the episode!). In his After Action Review, he talks about what he learned about holding virtual school on snow days.
Thanks for listening!
BIO: What’s special about Kirt is that he brings to the position a rich institutional knowledge and a strong sense of pride for “The Union Way,” rooted in his extensive teaching and administrative experience in the district.
Dr. Kirt Hartzler started at Union Public Schools in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1986 as a high school social science instructor. Through the years, he has coached, served as a high school assistant principal, as the 8th Grade Center principal, and as the director of Secondary Education. He was the assistant superintendent for Teaching and Learning from 2003 to 2010, and the district’s Deputy Superintendent before being names Superintendent.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
An Imperfect Leader is brought to you by EdConnective whose mission is to ensure student success through transformative teacher training.
EdConnective helps teachers move from awareness about strategies and frameworks to successful and consistent implementation. Their friendly coaches celebrate classroom success with teachers and, with concrete classroom data, support teachers in their growth, one step at a time. I’ve been thinking about this a lot. During the pandemic, student teachers didn’t get a chance to do their student teaching with children. They started teaching in classrooms – and they need help. Across the nation, states are adopting higher expectations to make up for learning loss. That’s where EdConnective fits in. Their vision is that every student deserves a great teacher, and every teacher deserves a great coach! Find out more by contacting them at EdConnective.com
Book Update! You can preorder my forthcoming book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here. Or if there is no hyperlink, go to peterstiepleman.com, you can order it there.
Imperfect Leaders! Today on an Imperfect Leader, Dr. Mike Redmond is my guest. Mike has been the Superintendent of Shakopee Public Schools, in Shakopee, Minnesota since 2018.
In our conversation, we talk about best practices when it comes to planning for a bond election In your district. In his After Action Review, Mike describes lessons learned when implementing district-wide change and the importance of making decisions with the people most impacted.
Thanks for listening!
BIO: Before becoming Shakopee's Superintendent, Mike served as the Superintendent for Goodhue Public Schools in Goodhue, Minnesota. He was an Executive Director of Secondary Education for Stillwater Area Public Schools, served as principal of John Glenn Middle School in Maplewood, Minnesota, and has been an assistant principal, a social studies teacher, a soccer coach and a basketball coach.
Mike is an active member of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators as well as the Association of Metropolitan School Districts. Dr. Redmond is also an adjunct professor for Winona State.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
www.peterstiepleman.com
Book Update! You can preorder my forthcoming book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here. Or if there is no hyperlink, go to peterstiepleman.com and order it there.
Imperfect Leaders! This week on an Imperfect Leader, Dr. Vickie Murillo is my guest. Dr. Murillo has served as the Superintendent of the Council Bluffs Community School District in Council Bluffs, Iowa since July of 2017.
As Superintendent, Dr. Murillo has charted a course to ensure all students are future ready. She has done this by championing Early College Academy located on the campus of Iowa Western Community College (allowing high school students to graduate with a high school diploma and an associate degree). She has proudly supported innovative programming like TradeWorks Academy, which is a certified pre-apprenticeship program for high school sophomores and juniors.
In her After Action Review, she describes the creation of Diploma Plus One Pathways and for every good reason, she’s is so excited about one her district’s kid from Council Bluffs, Iowa who is a Quest Bridge Scholar. I’ve linked to Quest Bridge in the episode notes so you know what a BIG deal that is.
Her list of achievements and interests are really impressive. Thanks for listening!
Book Update! You can preorder my forthcoming book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here. Or if there is no hyperlink, go to peterstiepleman.com and order it there.
Imperfect Leaders! This week, Matt Hornbeck is my guest. He is the principal of Hampstead Hill Academy in Baltimore, Maryland. In our conversation, we talk about the importance of relationships in schools and we talk about restorative practices (he describes the process of fixing what has been broken so so well).
In his After Action Review, we talk about the early years of leadership and what can be learned when a leader focuses more on what they want as opposed to documenting what they don’t want. The topic is staff attendance. Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: Matt is an established leader in Baltimore, Maryland. Before becoming a principal at Hampstead Hill Academy, a Baltimore City charter school, he was an educational consultant with large urban districts on resource allocation and principal training. He holds a master’s degree in educational administration as well as a law degree.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
Hello Imperfect Leaders! This week, Dr. Adam Swinyard is my guest. Adam is the superintendent of the Spokane Public Schools in Spokane, Washington.
The first part of our conversation is dedicated to Adam's dissertation research and how there is a correlation between principals who regularly assess school culture with the success of the children in that school. I found it to be really interesting. Adam's After Action Review is all about the pandemic. Adam is smart and inspiring. Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: The Spokane Public Schools board of directors named Dr. Adam Swinyard superintendent in the summer of 2020. Dr. Swinyard previously served as the district’s associate superintendent for teaching and learning and director of secondary schools. Prior to working in district administration, Dr. Swinyard was the principal at Sacajawea Middle School in Spokane from 2013 – 2016
AND, Dr. Swinyard was recently recognized as the 2023 Washington State Superintendent of the Year.
- Adam's Twitter handle is @SuptSwinyard
Book Update! You can preorder my forthcoming book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here. Or if there is no hyperlink, go to peterstiepleman.com and order it there.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
Dr. Nick Polyak is my guest. Nick is the superintendent for Leyden Community High School District in Cook County, Illinois. During our conversation, we talk about The Unfinished Leader, a book he has co-written with colleagues (they've written a few!). He also describes a community of lead learners he brings together through #suptchat, a Twitter community he co-moderates.
Nick describes the process he followed when accepting a new superintendency, and how his greatest lesson was to include those most impacted by his decision to accept the job. Thanks for tuning in!
Bio: Dr. Nick Polyak has served as a math teacher and tennis and soccer coach before moving into administrative roles at the building and central office levels. As the leader of Leyden schools, the school district has received many recognitions, including the College Board to the National School Board Association.
Book Update! You can preorder my forthcoming book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here.
Or if there is no hyperlink, go to peterstiepleman.com and order it there.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
Hello Imperfect Leaders! In this episode of An Imperfect Leader, Dr. Tony Aylsworth is my guest. As many know, the aim of this podcast is to learn about how superintendents think, plan, lead, use systems, and learn lessons. In this episode, Tony tells us about his experience leading two school district in Iowa simultaneously and he tells us about what he learned from a bond election (and how EVERY vote counts). Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: Tony has been the Superintendent of the Pleasantville Community Schools, in Pleasantville, Iowa since 2014. Before that, he was a high school principal. Tony has been an adjunct instructor at multiple colleges and universities, including Iowa State University. He can be found on Twitter by following @Taylsworth.
Book Update! You can preorder my forthcoming book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
In this episode of an Imperfect Leader, Nate Levenson is my guest. In our conversation, we talk about the budgeting process and the importance of engaging in high levels of collaboration. During his After Action Review, Nate describes his experience of eliminating the school's crossing guards, a decision he believed to be the right one based on the data. He learned a lot about the politics surrounding a decision.
BIO: Nate is a former Massachusetts superintendent and is president of New Solutions K12. Nate is an author, most recently publishing Six Shifts to Improve Special Education and Other Interventions (by Harvard Education Press).
I met Nate a few years ago, at just the right time. I was making a transition in my leadership approach and was looking for ways to engage in distributed leadership when it came to budgeting. I read Smarter Budgets, Smarter Schools and asked Nate if he'd work with our organization to help us make better decisions. We went on to make better decisions - together.
Book Update! You can preorder my forthcoming book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action. Click on the link here.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
First of AWL (that's first of all for you non-New Yorkers), my Long Island accent appears in full force from time to time during my conversation with Andrew Marotta. Mr. Marotta is a high school principal and self-described as “an energetic and enthusiastic school leader who has put his positive imprint on his beloved school, Port Jervis High School, in Port Jervis, NY.”
In his After Action Review, Andrew reflects on how leaders must consider how their interpersonal behaviors bring people in or push people away. He called it "A WHOLE LOTTA Marotta!"
BIO: Andrew Marotta is the principal of Port Jervis High School. I have listened to his podcast, ELB (Education Leadership and Beyond) and I can attest to the energy and enthusiasm he brings to education. I’ve listened to a few episodes and you can’t help but feel energized!
Andrew has been a volunteer with Augustinian Friars in Italy, a teacher in Staten Island, and a Division 1 basketball official. He is now a leader, motivational speaker, podcaster, and author. Click on the image below to learn more about Mr. Marotta's books.
Hello Imperfect Leaders!
This week, Dr. Mark T. Bedell is my guest. Mark and I became friends during his 6 years as the Superintendent of the Kansas City Public Schools, but Mark is no longer a Missouri resident. He began a four-year term as Superintendent of Anne Arundel County Public Schools on July 1, 2022, Maryland’s fourth largest school district.
BIO:
Dr. Bedell is a talented, caring teacher, administrator and proven public school leader with a track record of success in urban districts. In 2022, he led Kansas City Public Schools to full accreditation status for the first time in more than 20 years.
Dr. Bedell has spent his career pushing for educational equity. Under his steady leadership, Kansas City Public Schools created an innovative Equity Policy to direct the school system’s resources and programs to give every student the opportunity to reach their greatest potential.
Dr. Bedell has received many recognitions, including being named a “Superintendent to Watch” by the National School Public Relations Association and a “New Superintendent of the Year” by the Missouri Association of School Administrators. He was named to 435 magazine’s Top 50 Power List as one of the most powerful people to shape the Kansas City region and to The Kansas City Business Journal’s Power 100 List. He was also recognized by The Kansas City Star as one of the 51 most influential Missourians.
In 2020, Dr. Bedell was a finalist for the Green-Garner Award, the top honor for urban school leaders across the country.
Dr. Bedell has written several articles and opinion pieces for newspapers, magazines, and journals. His numerous speaking engagements, awards, national board service for several high-level organizations and equity-centered keynotes make him a leading Superintendent in public education.
His most important honors, however, have come from students. In 2018, students at Southeast High School in Kansas City presented Dr. Bedell with an award for his efforts on their behalf and the positive impact he would have on future students. In 2022, Middle College students named Dr. Bedell “Superintendent of the Century.” The Middle College program started by Dr. Bedell has changed the lives of nearly 300 Kansas City Public Schools students who otherwise would have dropped out of high school.
Dr. Bedell and his wife, Robyn, an attorney, have three children. Their two oldest graduated from Kansas City Public Schools and now attend HBCUs. Their youngest is excited to be starting middle school in Anne Arundel County Public Schools in August.
[SOURCE: https://www.aacps.org/domain/249]
In this episode of An Imperfect Leader, Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez is my guest. Dr. Torres-Rodriguez is the Superintendent in Hartford, CT, a school district with about 17,000 students. Leslie cares so deeply for her district because her district is so personal to her - she graduated from the Hartford Public Schools and then returned to lead it.
In her After Action Review, she describes the process she used to make the recommendation to consolidate (close) schools in her school district. Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: Dr. Torres-Rodriguez was named the 2022 National Superintendent of the Year by the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS), received the 2019 Award for Educational Leadership from the Connecticut Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (CALAS) as well as the 2019 Prospanica National Brillante Award for Educational Excellence.
Dr. Torres-Rodriguez is a member of the Governor’s Workforce Council and serves on the Hartford Promise Board. She also co-chairs the Mayor’s Cabinet for Young Children in Hartford.
This week on An Imperfect Leader, Dr. Kenny Rodrequez is my guest. Dr. Rodrequez has been the Superintendent of the Grandview C-4 School District since 2016.
In our conversation, Kenny references the work his district has done on Introducing children to authentic experiences, including Project Lead the Way. Kenny uses the power of language to convey his thoughts on systems and system thinking. More than anything, he makes some of the most genuine reflections about the global pandemic. Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: Dr. Rodrequez has served in several capacities throughout his career. He created and implemented the first Early College High School program in Tulsa, Oklahoma through a partnership with Tulsa Community College.
In Oklahoma, he served as a lead examiner for the Oklahoma Quality Award Foundation, based upon the Baldrige process.
In both Oklahoma and Missouri, he has done extensive work on the implementation of new teacher evaluation systems in an effort to raise academic achievement and build collaborative relationships between teachers and administrators.
This week, on An Imperfect Leader, Dr. Alena E. Zachery-Ross is my guest. This conversation has it all. We talk about an annual Fail Fest where Alena's team put a spotlight on actions that fell short. We talk about board relations and how leaders often learn the hard lesson of learning how to partner with their board. We talk about the low of resigning from her position to the highs of having her work become the model for the entire state of Michigan. Thanks for tuning in!
BIO: Dr. Zachery-Ross is a self-described native Detroiter and has dedicated her career to educating others.
She has served as a classroom teacher, a school psychologist, a teacher consultant, a principal and assistant superintendent (and pastor and motivational speaker, as well!). She has been superintendent of the Muskegon Heights Public School Academy System, the Okemos Public Schools and currently leads Ypsilanti Community Schools.
@Podchaser
This week on An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action, Dr. Rob Clayton is my guest. As superintendent of the Warren County Public Schools in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Rob has seen a 25% growth in students, which now number about 18,000 in grades pre-K through 12 representing 103 different languages. In this episode, Rob shows how managing and leading that kind of growth requires a lot of skills.
BIO: Dr. Rob Clayton has been a science teacher, a track coach, a basketball coach, a football coach, an assistant principal, a principal, and a superintendent. Dr. Clayton was recently named Kentucky’s 2023 Superintendent of the Year by the Kentucky Association of School Administrators and less than a month ago, he was recognized as the 2022 National Superintendent of the Year by the National Association of School Superintendents (NASS).
www.peterstiepleman.com
In this episode of an Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action, David Geurin is my guest. David is in his first year as Superintendent of Fair Play School District in Southwest Missouri. His After Action Review topic is one leaders in ANY field have to negotiate. When do you step in to support? A teacher in his district was having a hard time with a challenging parent. Dave coached and supported. Looking back, he had some new thoughts on how he handled the situation. Give a listen!
BIO: David has been the principal of a National Blue Ribbon School. He has been honored as principal of the year for his region. In 2017, he was surprised and honored to be recognized as a National Association of Secondary Principals as a Digital Principal.
David has been humble about his successes, crediting a growth mindset and a culture of collaboration in his schools. More than anything, he finds ways to give the best learning opportunities for students.
I have so enjoyed getting to know David. When you get a chance, check out David's blog: https://www.davidgeurin.com/
In this episode of An Imperfect Leader, Dave MacLeod is my guest. Dave is NOT a superintendent, but he and the company he leads, ThoughtExchange, have helped superintendents across the nation harvest the wisdom of their communities to make better decisions.
During the episode, you'll hear Dave say he is a 6 ft. tall white man. There's a reason why that's relevant. Did you know that studies have shown there are more CEOs named David in the Fortune 500 than there are female CEOs in total?? Furthermore the majority of those CEOs are white males who are 6ft. tall.
Additionally, Dave reminds leaders how there are incredible organizations throughout the nation who can advise and train organizations to be antiracist. Specifically, Dave refers listeners to Inroads.org.
This was an incredible conversation!
BIO:
Dave MacLeod is the CEO and a co-founder of ThoughtExchange, the world’s only Enterprise Discussion Management platform powered by anti-bias technology. Dave’s expertise helped create the game-changing platform that’s used by millions at some of the world’s largest organizations like GE Healthcare, SAP, Oracle NetSuite and WestJet. ThoughtExchange invites participants to share insights anonymously—removing bias and getting the most important ideas in front of the leaders who can turn them into action. Dave is also the author of Scaling Conversations: How Leaders Access the Full Potential of People. Prior to ThoughtExchange, he was a successful entrepreneur who designed businesses and events focused on analog group communication innovation.
Outside of work, Dave keeps busy as a dad of three who loves the outdoors.
I almost called this episode What's More Valuable Than Mithril? This Episode with Bryan Luizzi. I resisted because of the obvious Lord of the Rings reference, and how it might resonate with a very select group of leaders! This episode is a terrific one. We talk about Bryan's time teaching principals in Jordan and I ask him to talk a little about a real innovation in his community - the planetarium (or soon to be known as the Dome). In his After Action Review, Bryan reflects back on his participation in an education outreach trip to Finland. He returned with a great idea for adjusting the high school grading periods. It did NOT go as planned. Give a listen!
BIO: Dr. Bryan Luizzi has been the Superintendent of the New Canaan Public Schools in New Canaan, CT since 2014. Bryan began his teaching career at Newtown High School as an English teacher. He also served as the manager of technology operations for the Newtown school district. He served in a few administrative positions in the Brookfield school system and was principal of Brookfield High School for five years before becoming the principal of New Canaan High School and then its superintendent.
In this episode of an Imperfect Leader, we’ve invited Alexander Brittain to be my guest. The title of this episode is An Unexpected Leader because Alex didn't necessarily plan to be a superintendent. It sorta just happened. Alex has been a principal and a superintendent, and is currently working in a different capacity.
BIO: Alexander has been a California educator for more than 20 years. In 2022, he completed his term as the superintendent of the Manchester Union Elementary School District. Alexander describes himself as someone who "leads with empathy, kindness and humor, is passionate about the success of others, and is a creative problem solver.
NOTE: This interview is actually the very first interview I ever conducted. I was learning how to record and edit, so it has taken me a little time to bring it back to being in a presentable state. This interview is interesting. I didn’t know my guest previously. His journey to becoming a superintendent, from a philosophy, theology and religion major to teacher caught my attention. His experiences in rural schools was important to me. It also happens to be an episode where I share my experiences going through the hiring process.
In this episode of An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action, Matt Robbins is my guest. Matt is the Superintendent of the Daviess County Public Schools in Daviess County, Kentucky. What’s different about Matt is that he didn’t follow a traditional route to the superintendency. His background is in finance. In this episode, we talk a little about how his past experiences help him in his current job. His After Action Review is one all superintendents should be prepared to deal with. What happens when you adopt new routing software for your bus system and it crashes? What happens when the crash occurs RIGHT before the school year begins and you have to postpone the start of school? A really good episode!
BIO: Matt Robbins serves as Superintendent of the Daviess County Public Schools, a district with nearly 12,000 students and 2,000 staff members in 12 elementary schools, three middle schools and three high schools.
Matt serves as the team leader for the finance & operations training program for KASA’s NextGen new KY superintendent program and has done this for six years now.
Matt is also President of Kentucky’s Council for Better Education that ensures equity and adequacy of funding for Kentucky’s public schools. As a part of this work, Matt has most recently led Kentucky public schools districts in a lawsuit that involves funding private schools in Kentucky. That case is now on appeal before the Kentucky Supreme Court.
Matt led the Daviess County Public Schools district in completing a new five year strategic plan in June 2022. This was done in partnership with Studer Education and Dr. Deanna Ashby. This plan defines the district’s mission and vision along with charting a detailed plan of measurable actions that will guide the district through 2027 and beyond.
He previously served as the district’s assistant superintendent for finance and operations, overseeing a budget of $142.7 million. Under his leadership, the district’s finance, facilities, food services and transportation departments have earned “exemplary” ratings from the Kentucky Department of Education.
Matt served as senior accountant at Riney, Hancock & Co. CPAs from 1993-96 before joining the Owensboro Public Schools district as assistant superintendent for finance and maintenance in 1997. Since joining DCPS, Matt has also served as accounting manager, business manager and director of finance. He has a bachelor of science degree from the University of Kentucky and earned a master’s degree in education administration and superintendent endorsement from the University of Louisville in 2012.
Matt has been married for 21 years to his wife Luanne and has three children – Olivia, Lily Grace, and Brady. He loves spending time involved with youth sports, golf, and hunting. Matt has two dogs – Sophie (King Charles Cavalier Spaniel) and Reagan (English crème Golden Retriever). Matt is an enormous UK sports fan, particularly football and basketball. His favorite movies are Tombstone, Forest Gump, and Dead Poets Society. Matt enjoys all types of music and arts, including Bluegrass Music (ROMP festival), country music, modern pop, and artists such as Billy Joel, Elton John, Adelle, and Bruno Mars.
Today on an Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action, Dr. Scott Woolstenhulme joins us. Scott and I talk about the use of social media to engage stakeholders. Plus, we talk about a challenge most school leaders encounter - the adoption of technology. Determining the best time to purchase hardware and/or software is a complex question. In this case, the state was providing the technology, but the infrastructure just wasn't there.
BIO: Scott grew up on a small farm just outside of Victor, Idaho. He has been a high school teacher, an assistant principal, the principal of an elementary school, a District School Improvement Coordinator, a Director of Assessment, a Director of Technology, a Director of Human Resources, and an Assistant Superintendent, and now the Superintendent of Bonneville Joint School District 93 in Idaho Falls, Idaho (the fifth largest district in Idaho).
If you’ve got time, I would encourage you to learn more about Scott’s very public stance to protect public schools from privatization. A really well written op-ed.
This week, Dr. Jim Wipke to joins the podcast. Jim talks about the power of supporting resilience (a dimension from the Human-Centered School Transformation Model) and he breaks down a decision he made during the pandemic - the decision to bring back kindergartners.
BIO: Dr. Jim Wipke has been the Superintendent of the Ladue School District, outside of St. Louis, since 2019 and has extensive experience at all levels of the public school education system.
Jim also enjoys highlighting his own lived experiences, as well as spotlighting the amazing people in his personal and professional life. Through his blog, "From My View" and podcast, "See. Serve. Connect.", he covers a variety of subjects.
In this episode of An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action, my guest is Dr. Quintin Shepherd of the Victoria Public Schools in Victoria, Texas. We talk about a number of lessons from his book, The Secret to Transformational Leadership, including the difference between #complicated and #complex. We talk about making decisions with those most impacted by the decision you’re going to make and Q (for the record, he encouraged me to call him Q) reflects on his decision to "cancel Halloween!" Q is engaging and fantastic! Give a listen!
BIO: Dr. Shepherd is the superintendent of Victoria Public Schools in Victoria, Texas. Over nearly 30 years, Dr. Shepherd has earned a reputation for being innovative and responsive to his community’s needs. As the superintendent of a district recognized as an Innovation District, Q has continued to build on past successes, established a highly collaborative framework to design the future of learning, and has gone beyond the traditional strategic planning process by harvesting the wisdom of his community. To learn more about Dr. Shepherd and transformational leadership, please sign up for his newsletter at his website: https://www.transformationalleadershipsecret.com/
In this episode of An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action, Dr. Shari Camhi is my guest. We talk about Ron Berger’s book, An Ethic of Excellence. We talk about what learning spaces currently look like for children and a shift in what they could look like. Dr. Camhi brings people together to rethink the relationship between curriculum and learning spaces - and she even has a word for it: innovatrium. And we talk about excellence - it doesn't begin with a declaration. Give a listen!
BIO: Dr. Shari Camhi has been the superintendent of Baldwin Union Free School District since 2014, and is currently the president of AASA, the School Superintendent Association. Dr. Camhi is known for being innovative and for being a human-centered leader - always putting people first. She has been recognized by Ed Week as a leader to learn from as well as a superintendent to watch by the National School Public Relations Association.
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
Imperfect leadership is not a scarlet letter. It’s a badge of honor. It recognizes that serving as a lead learner is about being a vulnerable leader, an empathetic leader, a compassionate leader. I’m proud to be an imperfect leader.
In this episode of An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action, Dr. Kim Pietsch-Miller joins us. Dr. Pietsch-Miller is the Superintendent/CEO of Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical Schools in Columbus, Ohio. I ask Kim to talk about the distinction between planning vs preparing (the topic of a recent article she wrote). Kim talks about establishing values with her community (and living them). Kim also describes the importance of serving children first, and how sometimes that requires courage.
BIO: Dr. Kim Pietsch-Miller is the Superintendent/CEO of Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical Schools in Columbus, OH. She was previously the superintendent of Bexley City Schools in Columbus, Ohio and prior to earning positions as superintendent, she served as Chief Academic Officer, as an assistant superintendent, a principal, an assistant principal, and an English teacher. Check out Kim's blog for inspired reflections on education and leadership.
In this episode of An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action, my guest is the Superintendent from Ferguson-Florissant, Dr. Joe Davis. In our conversation, we talk about programming for #STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math). We talk about #faith. We talk about how leaders monitor progress, and make midcourse course corrections, when needed. You can't talk with Joe Davis and not talk about his greatest passion - mathematics. Give a listen as he deconstructs a decision he made to train teachers to be the best #math teachers.
BIO: Dr. Joe Davis has been the Superintendent of the Ferguson-Florissant School District since 2015. He began his teaching career in North Carolina where he taught middle school and high school mathematics. Dr. Davis has been an assistant principal at both the middle school and high school levels and a principal at every level K-12. In 2012, Dr. Davis joined the Chicago Public Schools as Deputy Chief of Schools and then Superintendent of the Washington County Schools District until 2015.
This week on An Imperfect Leader, Dr. Deanna Ashby is my guest. Deanna is a retired superintendent who now works as a leader coach with Studer Education in Madisonville, Kentucky (link below). Deanna urges school leaders to pause and reflect before planning.
BIO:
Dr. Ashby’s five years as a superintendent built a strong belief in education and her mission in the field. Working in public schools for 29 years, Deanna has come to consider education a calling that has a positive impact on the community.
Deanna has served as a high school business and marketing teacher, guidance counselor, elementary and high school principal, and district administrator, all in Hopkins County Schools.
Source: https://www.studereducation.com/
Dr. Ashby can be found on Twitter: @ashby_de
This week, Dr. Eric Knost, Superintendent of MERS/Missouri Goodwill Excel Center, a system of adult high schools.
During our conversation, we talk about the role of adult high schools and their ties to ecomomic development. We talk about leadership, specifically vulnerable and human-centered leadership.
BIO: Dr. Eric Knost is serving as the Superintendent of MERS/Missouri Goodwill Excel Center. Eric has thirty-four years’ experience in the education field, and seventeen years of experience as a superintendent and deputy superintendent in three school districts in Iowa and Missouri.
This week, I am thrilled to spend time with a friend, Dr. Trisha Kocanda, Superintendent of Fremont 79, a PreK-8 school district outside of Chicago, IL.
During our conversation, we talk about vulnerable leadership (a shout out to Brene Brown!) and we talk about the process for reaching a shared image of what a graduate looks like (sometimes referred to as a portrait of a graduate). She unpacks something all leaders need to consider - succession planning.
BIO: Dr. Trisha Kocanda is the Superintendent of Fremont 79, a PreK through 8th grade district outside of Chicago. Prior to that, she served as Superintendent for Winnetka Public Schools District 36 for 8 years.
This week, I am thrilled to spend time with a friend, Dr. Sharonica Hardin-Bartley, Superintendent of The School District of University City.
During our conversation, we talked about storytelling, heroism, equity, and vulnerable leadership. I am grateful for Sharonica's willingness to be genuine and present. There is so much learning in this episode - for any leader in any industry!
BIO: Dr. Sharonica Hardin-Bartley “an outspoken advocate for racial equity, traumatic-informed practices and student voice in education. Before becoming a the University City's Superintendent, she was the assistant superintendent for human resources and leadership development for the Ritenour School District. Before that, she occupied a number of leadership roles over 15 years for the St. Louis Public Schools.
In 2021, she was awarded Missouri’s Pearce Award. In January, 2022, she was named one of "Five Superintendents to Watch" nationally by "K-12 Dive” and then a month later, in February 2022, she was selected as a prestigious Children and Family Fellow by The Annie E. Casey Foundation.
This week, I am get to visit with Dr. Kevin Carl, Superintendent of Hancock Place, a school district outside of St. Louis.
Kevin talks about his first job at a batting cage. He gives his thoughts on the term an imperfect leader. He talks about learning how to be a little less impulsive when pursuing innovations. And he talks about the art and science of hiring teachers.
BIO: Kevin has served as superintendent for 12 years and is known across the state of Missouri as a thoughtful, open, and forthright leader. So, it was no great surprise when he was named the 2021 recipient of the Missouri Association of School Administrator’s Pearce Award. Follow him on Twitter: @HancockSupt
What's with your logo? Some have asked me about my logo. It has to do with my tendency to be impatient. The butterfly is the result of a metamorphosis. So, too, should be decision making. Idea exploration is the caterpillar. The chrysalis stage suggests finance and staffing are being explored. And when we're ready to launch, well that's the butterfly stage. I needed this reminder on more than one occassion, which is why it became my logo. Lastly, the daruma doll at the center is a reminder of the goals we set and our constant work to achieve them.
Learn more about Imperfect Leaders:
www.human-centeredleaders.com
Music written and arranged by Ian Varley: https://soundcloud.com/inobscura
Artwork by Sam Falbo:
http://www.muxoxo.com/
000002BA 000002BA 00008227 00008227 000A004E 000A004E 00007E86 00007E86 000A0068 000A0068
This week, I am thrilled to visit with a tremendous leader, Dr. Demond Means, Superintendent of the Wauwatosa School District, a school district just outside of Milwaukee.
During our conversation, an incredibly vulnerable reflection by Dr. Means included a decision he made early in his career as a central office leader. He skipped over principals and went directly to teachers during their continuous learning process.
I’ve done something similar. I remember being a new assistant superintendent and going to a family’s kitchen table to problem solve issues their child was having at school. It was a marvelous meeting and I felt so good… until the next day… when I better understood how my actions undermined others.
You gotta listen to that part of the conversation and the importance of recognizing the different perspectives and roles in any given situation!
BIO:
Dr. Demond Means has spent two decades transforming culture, attaining exceptional organizational results, expanding access to enhanced opportunities to historically marginalized student populations, and shifting mindsets in school districts and communities across the country, fulfilling a passion to heighten achievement expectations, and eradicate inequities in education, opportunity, and access for marginalized populations.
Learn more about Imperfect Leaders:
www.human-centeredleaders.com
Music written and arranged by Ian Varley: https://soundcloud.com/inobscura
Artwork by Sam Falbo:
http://www.muxoxo.com/
In this episode of An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action, Dr. Chris Gaines is my guest. Chris will describe the difficult decision to non-renew a teacher as his After-Action Review.
He will talk about the role of timing as a big factor in making a decision (and how he lost a bond election as a result of overlooking it). Additionally, he will give advice to aspiring leaders and leaders new to their positions.
Oh! You’re going to hear Chris mention my presence on Twitter. What I said to him was that most of my followers used to be high school students lobbying for a snow day and me telling them to go to bed! But I took it out because it was me talking and talking and really, the interview is about what we learn from leaders and how they make decisions – not me reworking the an image of the constellations in the night sky to look like the words SNOW DAY!
BIO: Chris Gaines is in his 22nd year as a superintendent – having served 3 districts in that capacity. He also publishes the Chris Gaines Daily, a resource where I have found informative (and sometimes infuriating) articles.
Many listeners will also recognize Chris as a former President of AASA (American Association of School Administrators), the Superintendent’s Association.
Learn more about Imperfect Leaders:
www.human-centeredleaders.com
Music written and arranged by Ian Varley: https://soundcloud.com/inobscura
Artwork by Sam Falbo:
http://www.muxoxo.com/
In this episode of An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action, Dr. Jeanice Swift is my guest. Jeanice will describe introducing a program as her After-Action Review.
She will talk about phasing in major changes and being ok with delays. She will reference the room of adjacent possibilities and how "we make the path by walking it together." She will remind us to think about all the people impacted by decisions, not just some.
BIO: For more than thirty years, Dr. Jeanice Swift has been a classroom teacher, a teacher coach, a principal, and school district administrator. She has been the Superintendent of Schools for the Ann Arbor Public Schools since August 2013.
Jeanice was named the Michigan Superintendent of the Year by the Michigan Association of School Administrators and was recognized as a Superintendent to Watch by the National School Public Relations Association for demonstrating dynamic leadership with a strong emphasis on communication.
Learn more about Imperfect Leaders:
www.human-centeredleaders.com
Music written and arranged by Ian Varley: https://soundcloud.com/inobscura
Artwork by Sam Falbo:
http://www.muxoxo.com/