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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

 

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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.

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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!

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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.

 

----

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! 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.

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An Imperfect Leader is brought to you by EdConnective whose mission is to ensure student success through transformative teacher training.

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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

 

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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. 

 

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

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.

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, 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, 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.