H2H: A Quick Guide to Leading Educators and Making a Difference

Education leaders are routinely called upon to help change the minds and feelings of students, parents, administrators, staff and peers. Changing hearts and minds is difficult. Data and logic are note enough. Our guest says that knowing how to change the story playing in the minds of others is the key to getting others to change their mental or emotional positions.

Timothy D. Wilson is Sherrell J. Aston Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. He has published over 100 articles in scholarly journals, edited books, and published, Redirect: The Surprising New Science of Psychological Change. Patrick Larkin is the newly appointed Assistant Superintendent for Learning for Burlington Public Schools in Massachusetts. He was recently selected as one of three national Digital Principal Award winner by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

The education world is not exempt. Education leaders have rivals and enemies. In this segment our guest presents new science which explains why it's so difficult to turn workplace enemies into allies. He then builds on this new knowledge to offer a viable strategy for getting more of your rivals to becoming willing collaborators.

Brian Uzzi, Richard L. Thomas Professor of Leadership and Organizational. Business School, MBA, Executive Education, Executive Program, Kellogg School of Management; Justin Baeder is a public school principal in Seattle, Washington. He speaks and writes about principal performance and productivity, and is a doctoral student at the University of Washington in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies. He writes "Leader Talk" at Education Week. writes a blog called "On Performance."

In this segment we look at what causes so many education leaders to be so kind, compassionate, nurturing and supportive of others, yet so hard on themselves. Our guests say that being kind to yourself is a critical leadership skill. Without this ability its difficult to succeed. Learn how to start being kinder to yourself right now.

Kristin Neff, PhD, is currently an Associate Professor of Human Development and Culture at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, conducting the first empirical studies on self-compassion over a decade ago. She is author of the book "Self-Compassion." Ann McClain Terrell with over 30 years of professional experience in the field of early childhood education, the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Milwaukee Public Schools. Nancy Flanagan is a retired teacher, with 31 years as a K-12 Music specialist in the Hartland, Michigan schools. Flanagan is co-founder of the Network of Michigan Educators and her blog, Teacher in a Strange Land, is featured on Education Week's Teacher.

When should an education leader disrupt and shake up their organization? According to our guests the answer is now and the question is how. Tune in to learn about the value of disruptive leadership and how to skillfully use disruption to take your organization to a new level of performance.

Whitney Johnson is a leading thinker on driving innovation via personal disruption and is the co-founder of Clayton Christensen’s investment firm Rose Park Advisors (Disruptive Innovation Fund). A frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review and the author of Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream. Betty Pearsall is the University Director of Child Care at the City University of New York. She has worked in early care and education programs at the City University of New York since 1981, first as group teacher, then Assistant Director of the Early Childhood Learning Center at LaGuardia Community College. David Bloomfield is Professor of Education Leadership, Law, and Policy at Brooklyn College and the City University.

Most will agree that forgiving and forgetting is a lot easier said than done. In this segment we look at what happens when petty hurts and offenses create grudges in early childhood settings. Moreover, we look at how education leaders can help create work place where people can more easily and rapidly get over the small stuff.

Britta Larsen graduated from Wellesley College in 2004 with a BA in psychology. She received her MA and Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the University of California, San Diego, where she studied social interactions and cardiovascular health. Her research has explored the physiological effects of stress and recovery from stress, with a focus on social cognitive processes such as social support, rumination, and forgiveness. Susan Offutt is the Executive Director at the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership, providing leadership and overseeing the day-to-day operations that relate to the orchestration of tasks and establishment of systems.

Most experienced education leaders know and acknowledge that gossip can be very destructive to an organization. One solution is a zero tolerance gossip policy, but do these policies work and more importantly, are they really good for your organization. Tune in and find out.

Matthew Feinberg earned his PhD from UC Berkeley in 2012 and is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. Beth Weissenberger is a Co-Founder and Vice Chairman with The Handel Group®. She has over 25 years as an expert corporate coach. David Bloomfield is Professor of Education Leadership, Law, and Policy at Brooklyn College and the City University.

Leadership transitions are inherently complicated and rich with the potential for problems. However, taking over the reigns from a founder of an organization poses a unique set of issues for the new leader. In this segment our guests offer insights on how to step out of the shadow of the founder and lead.

Tom McLaughlin formed McLaughlin & Associates after nearly two decades as a nonprofit consulting specialist with two national accounting and consulting firms. Susan Offutt is the Executive Director at the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership..

Free spirited, unstructured leaders who often fly by the seat of their pants are often viewed as less competent, less responsible and less reliable. But is it really true that highly structured, highly organized leaders are more effective? Tune in as we discuss.

Professor Eric Abrahamson is the Hughie E. Mills Professor of Business Management at Columbia Business School. Hile Rutledge, MSOD President and Principal Consultant, a certified master trainer with both the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) assessment and the EQ-i 2.0 (Emotional Intelligence) assessment. David Bloomfield is Professor of Education Leadership, Law, and Policy at the City University.

How an education leader approaches a new leadership position can profoundly impact how effective she will be with that group. There's the risk of being perceived as too bossy or too weak to lead effectively. In this segment we look at how new leaders can strike the right balance from day one.

Stephen J. Sauer is an assistant professor in the Organizational Studies department at Clarkson University’s School of Business. His research focuses on issues of leadership, status and diversity in management teams, and entrepre- neurial team processes. David Bloomfield is Professor of Education Leadership, Law, and Policy at Brooklyn College and the City University.

The seemingly endless stream of new education reforms, policies, campaigns and gimmicks has left many educators exasperated and difficult to motivate or manage. Here are some tips for working with those who are fed up and tuned out.

Michelle Gielan is Co-Founder of the Institute for Applied Positive Research, where she researches the connection between a positive brain and success in business, health and relationships. She is also a Partner at Good Think Inc, a positive psychology consulting firm. Justin Snider is a contributing editor at The Hechinger Report and teaches undergraduate writing at Columbia University, where he is also completing his doctorate in Politics and Education.