An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast Peter Stiepleman

INTRO: Hello Imperfect Leaders! In this episode, Esusu co-founder, Samir Goel, talks about empowering individuals to build credit and access financial opportunities previously out of reach. 💡
 
Samir shares invaluable insights gleaned from his partner, Wemimo Abbey and mentor Jeff Weiner (emphasizing the crucial role of compassion and transparency).
In part 1, we talk about the company he co-founded and in part 2, we talk about what he has learned about giving feedback to employees. Join us as we talk about the different types of feedback: appreciative, motivational, constructive (and even destructive feedback). Together, we explore the power of compassionate leadership, the importance of transparency, and the dynamics of teamwork in cultivating shared visions. Imperfect leaders, you’re going to love this episode. 
 
BIO:  Samir Goel (along with his partner, Wemimo Abbey) is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Esusu, the leading financial technology company helping individuals save money and build credit. 
Esusu's rent reporting platform captures rental payment data and reports it to credit bureaus to boost credit scores. This allows renters to build and establish their credit scores while helping property owners mitigate against initiating evictions, powered by differentiated data and insights. Founded in 2018, Esusu reaches over 5 million rental units across all 50 states in the United States. Learn more at www.esusurent.com Follow them on Instagram: @myesusu and on Twitter: @getesusu. 
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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.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
 
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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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Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success. Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.

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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.
 
 

INTRO: I told my guest that this podcast has almost exclusively been reserved for district leaders and education-adjacent leaders. While that is true, I think it’s important to live something I say whenever I describe the hierarchy of a school district - and that’s that there are leaders at every level. I believe it’s through our teachers that we can truly transform our schools. So when my guest today revealed herself as an infiltrator, I couldn’t contain myself. So funny! Imperfect Leaders, we’ve been infiltrated by the first teacher to join the podcast.
 
And she’s perfect. I refer to her as a bridge between classroom teachers and district leaders. She pulls back the curtain on how teachers think about leadership and district-wide decisions. It’s not magic, as you’ll quickly learn.
 
In the second part, my guest talks about pushing her agenda on students and how she may have been focused on her needs over the needs of others. Once again, there is a lot to what she says and how leaders lead their districts.
 
So yes, we’ve been infiltrated! It’s full of TLC as only my guest Danielle Nuhfer can deliver it. And I love it. It’s a great episode with so many clear connections to district and school leadership.
 
BIO: Danielle Nuhfer is a former public school teacher turned coach and the author of The Path of the Mindful Teacher, How to Choose Calm Over Chaos and Serenity over Stress, One Step at a Time. She has spent the last 20+ years navigating the ebbs and flows of school systems, while helping clients prioritize their own well-being so that they can be their best inside and outside their classroom and school.
 
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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.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS.
MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
 
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Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? It's a silly question, I know, because I know you are!
Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success.
Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Empat Speech. Empowering students. Empowering Schools.

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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.
 
 

INTRO: I was interested to see how ChatGPT might create an intro for me. I gave it some information and it spat out:
“Welcome to a journey that transcends the conventional boundaries of education. Imagine a school where purpose is not just a buzzword but the very essence that breathes life into every corridor, classroom, and curriculum.”
 
Yeesh. I asked it to sound less like a carnival announcer and it got worse:
 
“Hey there, folks! Get ready for a wild ride into the heart and soul of education – where purpose isn't just a fancy word, but the very lifeblood of every nook and cranny in our schools.”
 
Oof! That’s the very stereotype of a used-car salesman or auctioneer.
 
So instead, let me take it myself and say that my guest today made me think about Rick DuFour and his book "Professional Learning Communities at Work,” especially the concept of purpose-driven schooling, AND SPECIFICALLY how in the absence of a guiding purpose (my guest refers to this as self-awareness), one will find it difficult to do just about anything else. Start with your WHY before you discuss anything else.
 
My guest is John McClothlin and his book introduces us to five traits essential for cultivating an environment where purpose thrives. They are:
1.         Self-awareness
2.         Initiative
3.         Adaptability
4.         Efficiency
5.         Insistence
 John has a military background – it made this conversation a little different, and soooo interesting. I am Peter Stiepleman and this is An Imperfect Leader.
  
BIO: John McGlothlin is my guest. John is former JAG, a former Army paratrooper who served across the US, Europe, and both Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a professor and the author of How to Deal with Damn Near Anything: The Paratrooper's Guide to Life.
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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.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS.
MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
 
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Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? It's a silly question, I know, because I know you are!
Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success.
Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Empat Speech. Empowering students. Empowering Schools.

--------
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
-------

My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.
 
 

Dr. Monique Darrisaw-Akil, the Superintendent of the Uniondale School District, is my guest. One simply had to read the following excerpt from the Long Island Herald to know why had to talk with Dr. Akil:
“Residents throughout Uniondale will tell you — this community, once grappling with educational challenges that seemed insurmountable, has undergone a remarkable transformation under the leadership of the Herald Beacon’s inaugural Person of the Year, Monique Darrisaw-Akil, the superintendent of the Uniondale School District.”
When she took over in Uniondale, the district faced many challenges:
·      Lagging graduation rates
·      Below-average proficiency scores
·      Outdated infrastructure.
 
Dr. Akil has been credited with orchestrating a massive cultural and educational shift, including adding additional student resources. When I asked her about it, she was made it very clear that (a) she was the beneficiary of a good plan and (b) she the people she gets to work with are exceptional. A good plan and good people are great predictors for success!
 
In the first part of the conversation, we talk about the successes being seen Uniondale and in the second part, we discuss the adoption of a tech product and how the roll out didn’t go as planned. Here was a tool that was going to revolutionize a system they were working on. They launched and it was not good. It's a GREAT episode. One of my favorites!
 
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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.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS.
MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
 
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Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? It's a silly question, I know, because I know you are!
Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success.
Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Empat Speech. Empowering students. Empowering Schools.

--------
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
-------

My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.
 

INTRO: About a year ago, at about the one-year anniversary of Justice Ginsburg’s death, I was asked by my family to be a part a school naming committee in Philadelphia. There was a school there considering her name for the new name, and I was to represent Justice Ginsburg. 
In the end, the school community didn’t choose to name the school Ruth Bader Ginsburg Elementary School. Instead, they chose Gloria Casarez Elementary School. Gloria was an LGBTQ+ advocate who served Philadelphia’s City Hall as the director of LGBT Affairs from 2008 to 2014 and she was attended this school as child. This was the perfect way to honor a local hero who died too early.
The renaming process did something really rewarding for me. It gave me the opportunity to meet this week’s podcast guest, Julio Nuñez. In the first part of the conversation, Julio tells us about the process for changing the name of his elementary school in the Kensington Neighborhood of Philadelphia.
In the second part, Julio talks about his first principalship and the intensity of being a school/district leader, and the mental health toll it takes on a leader, especially leaders typically underrepresented in leadership roles.
Throughout our conversation, I kept thinking of a quote my aunt famously said:
"Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you."
 Julio does just that. It’s a great episode.

 
BIO: Julio Nuñez is my guest. Julio serves the children, families, and staff as the principal of Roosevelt Campus of the Norristown Area High School, outside of Philadelphia.
His leadership journey, which spans a broad range of experiences, is firmly rooted in his desire for service and self-improvement.  He values compassion, courage, citizenship, and resilience above all else.
Julio studied public policy at Georgetown University, graduated from Temple University with a degree in Journalism, Economics, and Political Science, and earned a master's degree in second language acquisition from Drexel University. Julio is pursuing his doctoral degree in Educational Leadership at Saint Joseph’s University, focused on immigrant and bilingual communities.
NOTE: In our conversation, Julio  described a scenario in a piece he wrote in 2022 that speaks to the ripple effect – or unintended consequences – of a decision. In the scenario he described the process of “leveling” (now known as “enrollment-driven resource review”). We talk about the consequences of this practice, and how he draws a line from consolidating and eliminating a teacher to gun violence.
------
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.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS.
MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
 
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Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? It's a silly question, I know, because I know you are!
Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success.
Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Empat Speech. Empowering students. Empowering Schools.

--------
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
-------

My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.
 

INTRO: This week, we feature James Sturm, co-founder of the Center for Cartoon Studies. In this our conversation, we explore the dynamic interplay between the power of language and the power of images in shaping a district's narrative. Join us as we delve into strategies for effectively communication of vision and values. In the second half, James shares a compelling story about navigating a crisis when a flood threatened the campus library, sparking a reflection on proactive leadership, or the bias toward action. Get ready for a thought-provoking conversation on leadership with James Sturm.
 
BIO: James Sturm is a cartoonist and the cofounder of The Center for Cartoon Studies. He is the editor of the Center’s graphic guide series and his writings and illustrations have appeared in publications that include The Chronicle of Higher Education, Slate, The Paris Review, The Onion, The New York Times and on the cover of The New Yorker. James was a 2020-21 Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellow and a 2008 and 2015 MacDowell Colony Fellow. James leads an organization that thinks about the Past, Present, and Potential.

Source: The Comics Journal
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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.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS.
MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
 
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Imperfect Leaders! Are you facing challenges filling open Speech-Language Pathologist positions within your district? It's a silly question, I know, because I know you are!
Empat Speech understands the critical need for qualified professionals in your schools. The recognize that communication lies at the heart of academic success.
Don't let open positions hinder your students' progress. Partner with Empat Speech today and ensure every child in your district has access ot the speech therapy they deserve.
Empat Speech. Empowering students. Empowering Schools.

--------
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
-------

My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.