The best leaders are the ones that know they can’t be an expert at everything. They often continue to learn and seek out other experts to join their team.

In this episode, Part 2 of our conversation with former educator turned Edtech CEO, Maya Gat shares how she continues to lean into the idea of humility and the power of learning. She expands on how she is always a learner and how she translated her skills as a teacher to her role leading a company.

Maya is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Branching Minds, where she focuses on building partnerships with districts and product design. She has spent 17 years working with children, youth, and adults as an educator in various capacities both inside and outside of the school system. She has previously taught young children ages 2-3, and students in grades 2-4 in New York City. Maya has also taught English and Mathematics internationally to children, teenagers, and adults in Istanbul, Turkey, and has written math curriculum in Jerusalem, Israel. She led youth advocacy groups in Pennsylvania and directed after-school programs in California, Florida, and New York. Ms. Gat received her M.S. in Childhood and Early Childhood Education from Sarah Lawrence College. She also holds a B.A. in Urban Studies and Fine Arts from the University of Pennsylvania.

Quotes:

"But I think that for me, the goal is not mastery, the goal is learning, the goal is growth, not attainment, and so it always feels fulfilling to me. I try to find power in vulnerability. I try to find joy in awkwardness. To be a learner is to be at the beginning of that learning journey."

"The same things that allow me that allowed me to create an effective classroom community are the same things that allow me to create an effective organizational community."

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