Leading From the Middle: Navigate Up, Down & Across | Meredith Herrera

Are you the connective tissue of your school — leading in every direction at once, without the authority to match your responsibility? This episode is your roadmap.

In Episode 46 of The Table Podcast Series, host Bridget Johnson is joined by Board-Certified executive coach Meredith Herrera for a deeply practical conversation on leading from the middle. Together they unpack how to navigate upward to senior leadership without losing your footing, manage and develop the teams beneath you without sacrificing trust, and build lateral influence across departments without positional power. Meredith also names what's rarely said out loud: the compounded burden that women, BIPOC, and neurodivergent leaders carry in middle management roles — and the unique strengths they bring.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to make your proposals an "easy yes" for senior leadership by presenting strong process — not just perfect ideas

• Why middle leaders struggle at the handoff — and the relationship-building habits that prevent it

• How to shift from being liked to being trusted when leading your team, especially former peers

• The three grounding questions that help leaders focus on influence instead of control

• A practical power mapping activity to help you find your sphere of influence when you feel stuck

Featured Guest: Meredith Herrera is a Board-Certified executive coach with nearly 20 years of senior leadership experience in schools and mission-driven organizations. She specializes in coaching historically marginalized leaders — including women, BIPOC, and neurodivergent leaders — through one-on-one coaching, group programs, and team consulting. Connect with her at MHerreraConsulting.com or on LinkedIn.

Recommended Resources: MHerreraConsulting.com | LinkedIn: Meredith Herrera Visit the Deans' Roundtable: https://deansroundtable.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridget-johnson510/ Email: [email protected]