Leading From Where You Are

I was honored to recently be a guest on John Linney's outstanding podcast, Edspiration. John shares great ideas and does a fantastic job hosting. He has developed a really interesting format for his shows. I've really enjoyed listening to several of his previous podcasts. 

During my interview, we discussed adapting to change, possibility thinking, and leading from where you are, and a few other ideas. I would invite you to listen to the full episode if you get a chance. And be sure to subscribe to the Edspiration podcast in iTunes or through your favorite podcast app. I like to use Stitcher.

Alternatively, you can visit the web home of Edspiration at schoolclimateinstitute.org. Below is a rundown of a few of the key ideas we discussed, and an embedded audio player for your listening convenience.




"The secret to success is leadership, and leadership is about making the lives of your team members better." -Tony Dungy

1. Education has been trying to improve on a system that has been fundamentally the same for 50+ years. How can we think about completely new ways to think about education?

2. Everyone can lead. We need leaders from every corner of the school. A title doesn't make you a leader. A willingness to serve others and to take risks are excellent leadership qualities.

3. If the rate of change in school lags too far behind how things are changing in the world, schooling will become increasingly irrelevant.

4. Possibility thinking goes beyond implementing what we already know. We need to dream big and believe there is probably a better way to do most everything.

5. Innovation starts with better thinking. Innovation is spread through leadership.

6. Risk taking is dependent on the level of trust and safety in the school culture.

7. Make learning personal for teachers. How does our professional learning have potential to improve student learning?

8. How are you connecting with other educators? Build your PLN.

9. If your school is going to be successful, it's because of strong teacher leadership.

Question: How do you lead from where you are? How do you exercise your innovation muscles? Leave a comment below or share on or . I want to hear from you!