Cognia Leader Chat

Anne Erwin and Jeff clearly go way back. She was a principal working with him when he was a superintendent in Oregon. Anne joined us because she was not an ordinary principal. She turned around the high school in a very unique way and leaned on a community process and bold vision that did in fact come to fruition. Anne is brutally honest, focused, and passionate about what schools, communities, and especially students are capable of.

Mike Rutherford supports teachers and leaders all over the country. His philosophy supports the art, creativity, and capacity of educators. As you listen to this Leader Chat, you will notice that Mike has his finger on the pulse of what was, is, and will be in schools. His perspective and advice for leaders is something we recommend you listen carefully to.

We were so thankful Jimmy Casas was able to join us in person for this Leader Chat. Jimmy and his work supporting leaders is extremely unique. His advice specific to culture is not just philosophical, it’s pragmatic. He provides leaders with protocols and processes. This Leader Chat is informative, but also inspiring. You will love Jimmy Casas!

We are big fans of Dr Tim Elmore. This is his second Leader Chat. Last time we discussed his impressive book, Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership. We invited him back to talk through his newest book, A New Kind of Diversity. His research and insights are invaluable for us as leaders. Here, he and Jeff talk through strategies on how to recognize the challenges of generational diversity in the workplace and leverage them into opportunities. It’s an awesome discussion. 

What is one of the key ingredients for the health of any organization that starts with a ’T’? Likely you guessed it- its TRUST. In a school district, how is trust established between superintendents and principals? That’s what we asked Dr. Justin Benna, a professor in North Dakota who has studied and written on this very topic. Lean in, listen and enjoy!

If one is truly a ‘student of the game’ when it comes to studying and developing their own leadership skills, they likely have read John C. Maxwell’s work. If not, they should. John C. Maxwell is known as the #1 leadership author in the world. In this inspirational Leader Chat, he shares his wisdom, passion, and empathy with us. He is in our corner, and we are thrilled to be working with and learning from him. We can’t wait for him to join us in person during our Leadership Circle Summit in October!

Universal Design for Learning, (UDL) can sometimes be misunderstood or potentially overwhelm teachers and leaders. Not if they listen to or read the work of Katie Novak. She is a teacher at heart and has rich leadership experience. She makes UDL pragmatic and accessible. This Leader Chat episode is incredible!

There are very few topics in education as relevant today as Social and Emotional Health, for students and adults. There is also not any organization as knowledgeable on this topic as the Collaborative for Social and Emotional Learning. The CEO of CASEL, Dr. Aaliyah Samuel, joined us in this Leader Chat. It was a phenomenal and enlightening discussion.

As educational leaders, we all want and need to find peace and satisfaction within the context of the challenging times and work we are experiencing. It’s easier said than done. Kim Strobel provides some insightful and pragmatic advice to us, helping us to keep our head up and moving forward.

In this episode, Jeff engages with Dr. Roger Cleveland about the importance and challenge of embracing cultural proficiency as educators. It’s a political topic, but as you listen, maybe they uncover why it does not have to be. If we have strategies to meet the needs of students, with the awareness that kids come from different backgrounds, experiences, and skill sets and it’s our job to love and teach them all.