Access Assured: A Conversation with Brenda Harrington
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
Release Date: 06/11/2024
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
Welcome to Season Three of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast. We’re beginning this season with something truly special—we have a co-host! , a partner and equity coach at , will be joining me this season. Jamie brings a wealth of experience in equity work and leadership coaching, and I’m thrilled to have him help us dive even deeper into the complex issues facing education leaders today. Today, we’re excited to welcome , Superintendent of Ithaca Public Schools in New York. Dr. Brown has been recognized as one of the nation’s top school leaders,...
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INTRO: In this episode of An Imperfect Leader, we have a very special guest. The Chief Ruckus Maker of , Danny Bauer, is here. You might be asking yourself what makes a Ruckus Maker. I assure you, I ask Danny that in the episode. Let me set the stage a little bit about why today is exciting. Danny describes himself as: An UNORTHODOX leadership coach and who loves to ask “Why follow the rules when you can make them up?” He hosts a podcast that ranks in the TOP 0.5% of all shows worldwide with over 2 million downloads. And he is a best-selling author of ! He has mentored...
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Intro: Hartford, Connecticut was the location of my very first hockey game. The Hartford Whalers vs the NY Rangers. And what a scene it was. During the second period, there was an obvious offense because both benches cleared and both teams were absolutely brawling! I find myself in Hartford at least once a year and so every year, I revisit, in my mind, that very violent episode in my life. But now, after talking with my guest, Dr. Torres-Rodriguez, I have a delightful replacement memory and for that, I am grateful. My mentor, Dr. Linda Henke, the creator of the human-centered school...
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Hello, Imperfect Leaders! INTRO: Evaluations. In every single profession, employees are evaluated. They are evaluated by their direct supervisors or evaluated by a board of directors. Often they are evaluated by the people they lead in the form of a survey (often referred to as a 360 survey). Plus, there are informal evaluations conducted by the community over social media (those can be brutal). Formal evaluations can be difficult to navigate if there is not a clear process and protocol established at the very beginning. How often have you entered an evaluation meeting only to discover...
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INTRO: In this episode, Matt Robbins is my guest. Matt is the Superintendent of the Daviess County Public Schools in Daviess County, Kentucky. What’s different about Matt is that he didn’t follow a traditional route to the superintendency. His background is in finance. In this episode, we talk a little about how his past experiences help him in his current job. In Part 2, in his After Action Review, he describes a situation all superintendents should be prepared to deal with. What happens when you adopt new routing software for your bus system and it crashes? What happens when the...
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Hello Imperfect Leaders! It's summer!! And for leaders, that means reflection. And it means planning for the coming year. It is for that reason that this week's episode is an encore episode specifically picked with your upcoming year in mind. As Labor Day approaches, Season 3 will kick off. And I am so excited about THAT because will be joining me as a cohost and commentator. It's going to be great! So, sit back and enjoy this encore presentation of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast. Intro: Hope is a powerful theme for today’s conversation. ...
info_outlineAn Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
Hello Imperfect Leaders! It's summer!! And for leaders, that means reflection. And it means planning for the coming year. It is for that reason that this week's episode is an encore episode specifically picked with your upcoming year in mind. As Labor Day approaches, Season 3 will kick off. And I am so excited about THAT because will be joining me as a cohost and commentator. It's going to be great! So, sit back and enjoy this encore presentation of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast. INTRO: Choosing a name for a public building is a...
info_outlineAn Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
Hello Imperfect Leaders! It's summer!! And for leaders, that means reflection. And it means planning for the coming year. It is for that reason that this week's episode is an encore episode specifically picked with your upcoming year in mind. As Labor Day approaches, Season 3 will kick off. And I am so excited about THAT because will be joining me as a cohost and commentator. It's going to be great! So, sit back and enjoy this encore presentation of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast. INTRO: This week, Matt Hornbeck is my guest. He is the...
info_outlineAn Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
Hello Imperfect Leaders! It's summer!! And for leaders, that means reflection. And it means planning for the coming year. It is for that reason that this week's episode is an encore episode specifically picked with your upcoming year in mind. As Labor Day approaches, Season 3 will kick off. And I am so excited about THAT because will be joining me as a cohost and commentator. It's going to be great! So, sit back and enjoy this encore presentation of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast. Intro: Hello Imperfect Leaders! On August 29, 2005,...
info_outlineAn Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
INTRO: Hop on the Energy Bus for our latest podcast episode! This week, we're thrilled to have Dr. Jim Van Allan, a nationally recognized speaker and co-author of , take the wheel. Jim shares his expertise on school leadership, student engagement, and the power of positivity in education. In this episode, discover how Jim's journey and dynamic approach can transform a school's culture. Whether you're an educator, administrator, or just passionate about positive change, this conversation is packed with valuable insights and practical tips, include: Part 1: We dive into the themes of...
info_outlineINTRO: As many of you know, I serve on the Board of Directors for Be the Change Volunteers. We build schools, teacher housing, and bathrooms all over the world (currently in Peru, Malawi, India, Rwanda, Puerto Rico, and Papua New Guinea). It’s an incredible experience – if you ever want to join a build, please let me know – and one thing we try to be mindful about is the return back home after a build. You’ve just seen a lot and experienced a lot, and there is a transition back to your regularly scheduled programming. When I was speaking with my guest today, she highlighted the importance of preparing employees for when they are relocated to another country.
Brenda Harrington is my guest. In Part 1, we talk about her book, Access Denied, which seeks to support the trailblazers in your organization, the one, and often the only one in a work space and the importance for peers to be aware of the cultural field they create, curate, and permit to persist.
In Part 2, we talk about an area of Brenda’s experience that many leaders will relate to: the need to move to a new community, sometimes in a new state (you’ll hear my initial confusion about the term global mobility). Brenda talks about the coaching needed before a leader changes locations and the call to companies to think about an employee’s success.
BIO: Brenda Harrington is the CEO and founder of Adaptive Leadership Strategies, a service business that offers coaching and consulting solutions to help companies develop and grow top talent. In addition to Brenda's work as a CEO, she is also the author of Access Denied.
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An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
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At the end of every interview we have for teacher candidates, we say, “What questions do you have for us?” And they always ask, “What kind of support can I expect?” And we always say, “Don't worry, we'll give you a mentor.”
But it's not real mentorship. I mean, it's support with the difficult kid, or the field trip form, or the grade card. But it isn't coaching.
That's where partners like EdConnective step in. Because they provide real coaching, observations and feedback with practice. EdConnective ensures that every student thrives by facilitating exceptional educator growth. If you're looking for support for your people, for your leaders, for science of reading efforts, for recruitment and retention initiatives, check out EdConnective.com.
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Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
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My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.