Daniel Sobel: Elevating Inclusive Education with the Rise of the Practitioner
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
Release Date: 09/02/2025
The Tightrope of Leadership with Dr. Larry Cuban
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
Leadership isnât about finding the perfect solution. Itâs about learning from the daily grind of complexity. In this weekâs episode of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast, I had the chance to speak with , former superintendent, Stanford professor, and author. A few insights that stayed with me, especially for leaders working in high-stakes environments: 1ď¸âŁ Conflict isnât a failure, itâs the work: Dr. Cuban shared that he couldnât recall a single conflict-free day as a superintendent. Leadership is a constant balancing act (boards, unions,...
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Matt Pitman on the Shift from Being âHeardâ to Being âHeldâ in School Leadership
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
What if the problem in our schools isnât a lack of voice, but a lack of connection? In this episode, I had the opportunity to sit down with , author of , for a conversation that challenged many of the leadership norms weâve inherited, especially the idea that effective leaders must remain stoic, distant, or emotionally neutral. Matt makes a compelling case that this model is no longer serving our schools. Instead, he invites leaders to rethink community, voice, and presence; and to move from making people feel heard to making them feel truly held. Here are three insights from our...
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Kaaren Andrews: If We Get Ninth Grade Right, Everything Changes
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
đď¸ New Episode Alert: If We Get Ninth Grade Right, Everything Changes In this episode of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast I get to talk with , National Director of the . This conversation zeroes in on why getting 9th grade right can dramatically improve graduation rates and disrupt long-standing inequities in our system. Here are three big ideas we dig into: 1ď¸âŁ Ninth Grade: The Strongest Predictor of Graduation: Kaaren shares a powerful (and sobering) insight: students who are âon trackâ in ninth grade are three to four times more likely to...
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Mandy Traylor Says Donât Move the Fences: Leading with Care and Community in Veribest ISD
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
Iâm excited to share the latest episode of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast, featuring , Superintendent of Veribest ISD. Mandy offers a powerful look at what it means to lead with transparency, humility, and deep community trust. A few takeaways that stayed with me đ đ¤ Shared Vision, Real Buy-In: Through a Texas Strategic Leadership pilot, Mandy brought together the board, staff, and local businesses to define what a Veribest graduate should be. The result? A vision everyone owns because they created it together. đ Preparing Students for...
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Elena Aguilar on Why Presence Is a Leaderâs Greatest Gift
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
Are you leading from a place of fixing⌠or from a place of presence? đą In the latest episode of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast, I had the honor of sitting down with Elena Aguilar, the visionary behind Transformational Coaching and author of eight bestselling books, including The Art of Coaching and Arise. đ⨠Leadership can be a lonely journey. Weâre often expected to have the answers, solve the problems, and move fast. But Elena reminds us that real transformation doesnât come from quick fixesâit comes from going deeper and...
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Dr. Bryan Luizzi: When Leadership Doesnât Go as Planned (Remastered)
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
The latest episode of An Imperfect Leader features , Superintendent of New Canaan Public Schools, and itâs a powerful reminder that leadership is less about having the answers and more about having the courage to step forward. From Connecticut classrooms to teaching and leading in Jordan, Bryan and I explore what it means to lead people in moments of uncertainty and change. đ§ Three leadership themes to listen for: 1. Leading with âYesâ (and Courage, Not Recklessness): Bryan shares how a âlead with yesâ mindset shaped his career and opened doors to unexpected...
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Richard Lemons on Why You Canât Talk People Into Change and What Actually Works
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
This week, I had the privilege of sitting down with , Executive Director of Partners for Educational Leadership, for a conversation that every system-level leader should spend time with. Richard has spent decades helping leaders tackle the hardest work in education: changing systems without losing our humanity. Here are three themes leaders should listen for: 1. You Canât Talk People Into New Mental Models: Richard reminds us that deeply entrenched beliefs about schooling arenât shifted by better arguments or smarter PowerPoints. They change through radically different...
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Leading Without Flinching with Dr. Nyah Hamlett
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
đď¸ New Episode of An Imperfect Leader Some conversations stay with you long after the recording ends. My conversation with is one of those. Dr. Hamlett, former superintendent of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and now Chief Equity & Development Officer for Montgomery County Public Schools, offers a deeply honest reflection on leadership under pressure. Here are three themes leaders should listen for in this episode: đš 1. âDonât Flinchâ Leadership: Listen for how Nyah defines leadership as choosing courage over convenience, especially...
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Ben Thompson on Building Schools That Strengthen Communities
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
Facility planning and passing a facility bond can be among the most complex (and stressful!) challenges a superintendent faces. On this episode of An Imperfect Leader, I talk with , K-12 Director at and host of the . We explore how the spaces we design for learning can drive stronger student outcomes and strengthen community trust. Here are three takeaways I thought would be interesting for school leaders: Design Drives Outcomes: Ben reminds us thereâs a direct link between the decisions we make about a space and the educational and social outcomes we want to achieve. ...
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Dr. Doug Bolton: Building Resilient Schools One Connection at a Time
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
In this episode of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast we had the pleasure of talking with clinical psychologist, author of , and director of school consultation for Formative Psychological Services. In Doug breaks down what it means to lead in a moment when educators are carrying unprecedented levels of stress and trauma, and how leaders can build schools that feel safe, connected, and resilient. đ In This Episode, We Dig Into: ⢠Connection as the foundation for everything: Doug explains why belonging isnât a nice to have. It directly boosts...
info_outlineđ˘ New Podcast and New Season!
Elevating Inclusive Education with Daniel Sobel on An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast! đ§
We are thrilled to share the beginning of season 4 with this episode featuring Daniel Sobel, an internationally respected voice in inclusion education, and the founder and chair of the International Forum of Inclusion Practitioners. Daniel champions student participation and belonging while tackling systemic issues like teacher training.
In this insightful conversation, we dive into two crucial areas:
1. The Power of Teacher Upskilling for Inclusive Classrooms: Daniel emphasizes that upskilling teachers is the number one strategy to meet the diverse needs of all children in the classroom. He highlights that investing just 5% of the cost of traditional interventions into teacher development could achieve a 95% efficacy rate in addressing inclusion issues.
2. The Vision Behind the Inaugural World Inclusion Congress: As the founder and president of the first-ever World Inclusion Congress, Daniel shares his ambitious vision for this global event, taking place October 15th-17th in Kazakhstan. The Congress aims to âset our own agendaâ for inclusion, elevating the ârise of the practitioner voice.â It will bring together major international bodies like UNESCO and UNICEF, approximately 50 education ministers, world development banks, and over 5,000 participants from across the globe. The goal is to collaborate, identify challenges, capture best practices, and produce a white paper to be launched at the United Nations in New York.
Join us to gain essential insights for system leaders committed to supporting all children and to learn how we can collectively advance inclusive education worldwide!
Learn more about the World Inclusion Congress: www.ifip.group
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Follow Host Peter Stiepleman on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-stiepleman-76004819a/
Website: https://imperfectleader.com/
YouTube (video of conversation):
https://www.youtube.com/@animperfectleaderleadershi5144/featured
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animperfectleader/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@animperfectleader
Follow Co-host Jamie AlmanzĂĄn on:
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Superintendent Support Reimagined!
Zach Taylor and I are creating a reflective, virtual Community of Practice designed exclusively for Superintendents and Senior District Leaders. While calling it An Imperfect Leadership Community of Practice makes sense, I keep advocating for Talk Supt đ.
Want to learn more? Check out our video here đ or visit:
https://imperfectleader.com/imperfect-leadership-community-of-practice/
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An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
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Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
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An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at imperfectleader.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.