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

Educating children, preparing them for the future and raising student achievement is a serious responsibility. Our guests today say that we'll all do a much better job off meeting those goals if we approach them with a spirit of play. Learn more...

Stuart Brown MD is the founder of the National Institute for Play, where he speaks, consults and educates organizations, corporations, universities, and public policy makers about the importance of play in our lives and the unexpected, serious consequences that occur when play is neglected. 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.

Being an introverted leader can be painful in a world that celebrates charismatic leadership. However, recent research suggests that introverts are actually better leaders than extroverts. Our guest agrees and shares insights, practices and strategies an introverted leader needs to manage situations and the people.

Susan Cain is the author of the New York Times bestseller QUIET: The Power of Introverts in A World That Can't Stop Talking. A former Wall Street lawyer, she has taught negotiation and communication skills at law firms, universities, and corporations. She is an honors graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School.

Our guest studies skilled leaders in crisis and distills their wisdom about how to manage through difficult times. In this segment we look at leadership skills and traits that may be counterintuitive to many education leaders, but are critical to know and master in today's education climate.

Nancy F. Koehn is a Harvard historian who inspires solutions to today’s issues by examining relevant lessons, individuals and moments from the past. She holds the James E. Robison chair of Business Administration at Harvard Business School where her research focuses on entrepreneurial leadership and how leaders, past and present, craft lives of purpose, worth and impact.

It's called 360 degree feedback, the process of staff judging bosses publicly online. It's being viewed as a threat by some and an opportunity to be harnessed by others. In this segment we look at the pros and cons of having your leadership performance judged publicly, by staff, online.

Linda A. Hill is the Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. She is the faculty chair of the Leadership Initiative and has chaired numerous HBS Executive Education programs, including the Young Presidents' Organization Presidents' Seminar and the High Potentials Leadership Program. She is the author, with Kent Lineback, of the best seller Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives of Becoming a Great Leader and the author of Becoming a Manager: How New Managers Master the Challenges of Leadership (2nd Edition).

Working through tough, thorny, ethical conflicts is one of the most difficult challenges education leaders face. In this segment we look at how savvy leaders manage ethical dilemmas when they arise.

Peter Pizzolongo is the Senior Director, Professional Development Solutions, at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Justin Snider is a contributing editor at The Hechinger Report. Stephanie Feeney is Professor Emerita of Education at the University of Hawaii. Dr. Feeney was co-author of the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and two books on professional ethics in early childhood education.

How can leaders maintain a keen mind and stay sharp with age? How can we mentally manage the tsunami of information, increasing complexity and widening mental challenges we face as education leaders? Our guests offer insights and sage advice.

Barbara Strauch is deputy science editor of The New York Times in charge of health and medical science. She is the author of two books, “The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain,’’ on the surprising talents of the middle-aged mind, and “The Primal Teen,’’ on the teenage brain. David Bloomfield is Professor of Education Leadership, Law, and Policy at Brooklyn College and the City University.

Virtual schools are popping up and raising questions about what "school" will be like in the future? Where will learning primarily take place? What will be the role of teachers? What will be the role of principals and directors? What should education leaders be doing and thinking about now to prepare for the road ahead?

Elizabeth A. City is Co-Director of the Doctor of Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) Program and Lecturer on Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Liz has served as a teacher, instructional coach, principal, and consultant. She has had several publications, including Strategy in Action: How School Systems Can Support Powerful Learning and Teaching, coauthored with Rachel E. Curtis (Harvard Education Press, 2009).

According to our guest, too many women in education think of the field as a supportive family. In fact, she asserts, women in education often work in treacherous work environments that require keen survival skills. The issue is real, the topic is taboo, and the need to know these skills is critical to your professional career. Tune in now.

Phyllis Chesler is an Emerita Professor of Psychology and Women's Studies at City University of New York. She is also a best selling author, a legendary feminist leader, and a psychotherapist and expert courtroom witness. David Bloomfield is Professor of Education Leadership, Law, and Policy at Brooklyn College and the City University. He is also an the author and a former school teacher possessing principal and superintendent certification.

Principals and directors are on all day and often into the night, making decision after decision after decision. We know this is not a healthy practice, but who hasn't gotten into the rut of not taking breaks? Our guest says this practice can have profound consequences, compromising your ability to make sound decisions or even handle yourself in critical management situations. Learn more...

Author Roy Baumiester is the Social Psychology Area Director and Francis Eppes Eminent Scholar. Self-control, choice, decision making is part of his ongoing research. Susan Offutt is the Executive Director at the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership.

When it's time to make those tough leadership decisions who do you turn to for trusted advice? Is it always the same handful of people? When should you look outside of your trusted advisors? How do you determine who should be at the table to get the right advice, at the right time, to make to make the right decision?

Bob Frisch, managing partner of The Strategic Offsites Group, is the author of "Who Really Makes the Big Decisions in Your Company?" and his latest book "Who's In The Room? How great leaders structure and manage the teams around them." David Bloomfield is Professor of Education Leadership, Law, and Policy at Brooklyn College and the City University.