An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast

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.

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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 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.

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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.

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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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.

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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.

-------

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.

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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."

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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.

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: 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!

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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.

-------

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.

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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.

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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.

-------

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.

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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.

----

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!

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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! 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!

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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.

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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.

www.peterstiepleman.com