Educational Leadership: What Else is Possible?-logo

Educational Leadership: What Else is Possible?

VoiceAmerica

If you’re like us, you have lived through more hours of meetings to explore the many challenges that you face than you really care to count. If you’re like us, you left most of those meetings wondering if any real progress had been made or if the purpose was simply to rearrange the deck chairs and make it appear that something was being done. If you’re like us, after these meetings you have sought out colleagues for comfort, support, and new perspectives in order to make sense of the frustration and apparent madness you find yourself in. We intend to change that. We intend to change the conversation from one that focuses on admiring problems to one that finds the abundant opportunities that exist for the courageous leaders among us who are ready to break out of the status quo to create joyful, high achieving communities. We will tap the energy of leaders across all domains of this vast system to activate the potential that already exists.

Location:

Chicago, IL

Networks:

VoiceAmerica

Description:

If you’re like us, you have lived through more hours of meetings to explore the many challenges that you face than you really care to count. If you’re like us, you left most of those meetings wondering if any real progress had been made or if the purpose was simply to rearrange the deck chairs and make it appear that something was being done. If you’re like us, after these meetings you have sought out colleagues for comfort, support, and new perspectives in order to make sense of the frustration and apparent madness you find yourself in. We intend to change that. We intend to change the conversation from one that focuses on admiring problems to one that finds the abundant opportunities that exist for the courageous leaders among us who are ready to break out of the status quo to create joyful, high achieving communities. We will tap the energy of leaders across all domains of this vast system to activate the potential that already exists.

Language:

English

Contact:

(773) 278-5752


Episodes

The Art of Struggle

6/27/2013
Today’s leaders face a barrage of challenges, brought on by a weak economy and a fast moving, rapidly changing business environment. Still, leaders at all levels are reluctant to openly acknowledge their struggles for fear of appearing weak, indecisive, or even incompetent. But one top leadership expert with a background in psychology suggests that great leadership is in fact signified by struggle. In LEADERSHIP AND THE ART OF STRUGGLE: How Great Leaders Grow through Challenge and Adversity (Berrett-Koehler; paperback; March 11, 2013), former Microsoft executive Steven Snyder argues that struggle is an innate part of leadership that should be embraced as an opportunity for breakthrough success rather than feared as a career-killer. The key to this mindset shift, according to Snyder, is in viewing struggle as an art to be mastered. Join us for this conversation to explore new possibilities that exist when struggle is viewed as an art to be mastered.

Duration:00:56:19

Working with Difficult People

6/20/2013
Do you have resistant administrators, teachers or staff in your school or district? If you do, then you have experienced the impact of this resistance on the culture of your school or district, including, but not limited to, resentment, retaliation, lower morale, and lack of progress toward goals. In this conversation, Jerry will speak with us about how to work with those who may be creating resistance in your organization. He will highlight the invisible forces at work in every relationship, techniques to uncover these forces, tested strategies for winning over difficult people, and strategies to prevent trouble from happening in the first place.

Duration:00:55:28

Leadership and Self Deception

6/13/2013
According to Arbinger the problems that typically prevent superior performance in organizations are the result of a little-known deeper problem called “self-deception”. Problems in communication, accountability, trust, leadership, productivity, motivation—and so on—can all be traced to this single root cause. So: What is self-deception? How does it undermine performance? Can it be “treated”? If so, how? And most importantly: What can life be like without it—both at work and elsewhere? For leaders in particular, these questions stake out the new frontier in understanding and improving performance—and quality of life—in organizations.

Duration:00:58:28

Coach Centric Leadership for Education Professionals

6/6/2013
The Coach Centric Leadership™ for Education Professionals program is founded on the guiding principles that the school leader is integral in creating an environment where cultures of engagement flourish and that through the use of a proven coaching methodology, these cultures result in higher levels of self and organizational efficacy which leads to increased student achievement. Join us as we learn about how leaders are transformed through this process and how they create a culture of responsibility, engagement and achievement. We will be speaking with Stacy Hebert, the Managing Director of the Educational Markets Division of iPEC and we are happy to have Lawrence Lussier back to talk with us more about the impact that this learning has had on him, his leaders and the student achievement in his district. Be ready to call in with your questions for our guests!

Duration:00:55:02

No More Business as Usual

5/30/2013
Einstein reminded us that the problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them. But how do we start to think differently? Is it even possible to think differently in such deeply engrained systems? Join us for a conversation with guests Steve and Chutisa Bowman who will talk with us about their model of innovation based on their book, Now More Business as Usual. Discover how to break out of the old paradigm and create a new paradigm that will inspire people to perform their very best and set your school or district on the path of generative progress. Come away from this conversation with a new point of view about the possibilities.

Duration:00:54:06

Making Hope Happen

5/23/2013
Almost all fifth-through-twelfth-graders—95%—say it is likely they will have a better life than their parents. However, in a separate Gallup poll, half of U.S. adults aged 18 and older say they doubt today's youth will have a better life than their parents. Clearly, people are primed to be hopeful—but then something happens. How can we use hope to make our lives—and our children’s and neighbors’ lives—better now and in the future? Senior Scientist and University of Kansas Business professor, Shane J. Lopez, Ph.D. is a positive psychologist and the world’s preeminent expert on hope. He is also the chief architect of the Gallup Student Poll, which measures the hope of hundreds of thousands of students each year to determine how hope drives well-being and achievement. Now, in MAKING HOPE HAPPEN: Create the Future You Want for Yourself and Others, Lopez provides an accessible blueprint for mobilizing the power of hope in every area of your life—and for communicating that hope to others.

Duration:00:57:02

Humergy: The energy that comes from experiencing humor, joy and optimism.

5/16/2013
Include some fun in your day! In this interview we will explore the benefits of humor with a focus on brain research. The relationship between learning, stress and memory are explored a healthy lifestyle, but to maximize the benefits of humor for healthy living. The goal is that participants will be able to identify positive wellness applications and focus on strategies that they can use to improve their humor practice. If you love laughter, this show is for you!?

Duration:00:54:48

Dare to Disagree

5/9/2013
How do organizations think? In her book, Willful Blindness, Margaret Heffernan examines why businesses and the people who run them often ignore the obvious -- with consequences as dire as the global financial crisis and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. In our conversation, Margaret will share with us how good disagreement is central to progress. She will describe (sometimes counter intuitively) how the best partners aren’t echo chambers -- and how great research teams, relationships and businesses allow people to deeply disagree.

Duration:00:54:52

The Capacity for Brilliant Leadership

5/2/2013
How it is that leaders with very different personality traits (e.g., extroversion vs. introversion; tough minded vs. open and flexible) can all demonstrate brilliant leadership? In this week’s conversation, Deborah Helsing, Ed.D will describe Adult Development Theory. A developmental perspective assumes that leadership can be learned; that the central demands and qualities necessary for leadership develop can be intentionally nurtured and developed over time. Efforts to accelerate leader development should attend more to the interior layers of identity development and adult development than to the exterior layers of observable skills and behaviors. From this framework, Deborah will discuss the demands on educational leaders and how to measure capacity for leadership.

Duration:00:56:19

How Can You Succeed, if You Don’t Know Who You Are?

4/25/2013
You probably wouldn’t disagree with the belief that leadership is generated from the inside out. But if you are seeking to enhance your leadership, how do you know what you don’t know about who you are? Larry Ackerman will reveal a dynamic definition of identity and why it is important for leadership development. We will explore the practical meaning of such classic questions as who am I?, what makes me special?, and who can I trust? Explore a new understanding of how human beings function when they are truly in touch with their unique characteristics, and the value-creating potential those characteristics hold.

Duration:00:55:40

The Curious Leader

4/18/2013
Susan will talk about the ways in which curiosity (or its absence) drives the educational enterprise. This is as true for the adults in a school as it is for the children. In fact, without curious adults, it's hard to encourage curiosity in children. Too often educators think that simply acknowledging the power of curiosity is enough. But it's not. Educators must experience curiosity on a regular basis. They must also understand what it takes to nurture it in teachers and children. Nor is curiosity something you can squeeze in around the edges, when other more pressing tasks are finished. Putting curiosity at the center of schools means changing one's priorities, and learning to embrace the periodic discomfort of not knowing.

Duration:00:56:43

Seven Levels of Leadership

4/11/2013
Conscious leaders understand that regardless of how their story is unfolding, they have an active role in creating the story. But these leaders may not understand exactly how they are impacting the way their story unfolds. One way to examine the story is through the seven levels of leadership, created by Bruce D. Schneider, founder of iPEC. Through an understanding of these levels, leaders can quickly identify the lens through which they interpret the events of their story. Understanding these levels also gives the conscious leader choices in how to interpret and respond to situations. In this interview, Susan Gonzales, COO of iPEC, will describe the seven levels of leadership and Lawrence Lussier will be on hand to describe how using this framework has impacted his leadership as a school superintendent and how he has shared this tool with his district. Join us to learn more about choices and opportunities that you may not have recognized before.

Duration:00:55:49

Shifting School Culture with Choice Theory Psychology

4/4/2013
External control, the present psychology of almost all people in the world, is destructive to relationships and engagement. When used, it will destroy the ability of one or both to find satisfaction in that relationship and will result in a disconnection from each other. Being disconnected is the source of almost all human problems such as what is called mental illness, violence, school failure. Choice Theory psychology, developed by William Glasser, replaces external control psychology. By applying Choice Theory principles, school administrators can facilitate a shift in school culture from one based on competition and punishment to a synergistic culture where members share their talents and gifts and feel their contributions are valued. Kim Olver will talk with us about the principles of Choice Theory psychology. We will explore how this applies to the school leader and the impact that Choice Theory in action has on the culture of the school.

Duration:00:57:01