Category: Leader Chat Podcasts

Listening to Jeff talk with Kwame Johnson is a treat. Kwame has an inspiring story, and his passion for the importance of our youth being mentored and having reliable relationships is a gift. Kwame has leveraged his own experience into what is now his life’s work, and the difference he is making is incredible. Leaders will love Kwame simply because he is forward thinking and reminds us all to simply lead aligned to our ‘WHY’….

Have you heard the phrase “hope is not a strategy”? What if it is? This conversation between Jeff and Casey Gwinn, a coauthor of Hope Rising, How the Science of HOPE Can Change Your Life, will likely impact your perspective about what hope actually is and the power it can play in lives if understood and embraced. As you are about to hear, this is great stuff….

Our goal with our leader chats is to provide our educational leaders with pragmatic input, advice, and direction that adds to their skillset and perspective. It’s fair to say that we nailed it with this episode due to the work of David Noble and Carol Kauffman. Their book, Real Time Leadership is one we highly suggest you look into right away. When you listen to their wise advice, likely you will understand why. One thing that is great about this discussion, is that their leadership expertise in fact does not only pertain to education….

This discussion with Todd Whitaker is DENSE. Clearly, School Change is a topic unto itself, but the art and strategy of LEADING it is different. Jeff and Todd were like peas in a pod and could have gone on forever. Blame me or thank me, but we finally had to push them to end the discussion otherwise, they may have talked all day. You are going to love this….

Educational leaders should not ONLY listen to and learn from educators. Districts and schools may be complicated places, but there are also other organizations that are committed to serving our youth that do incredible work. Case in point . . . this week Jeff talks with Jim Clark, the CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. They serve 5,100 centers/locations impacting 4.6 million students! Yeah, you read that right. A massive undertaking and leadership responsibility. You can’t listen to this and NOT learn something about strategy, navigating the complexity of the current times, and servant leadership….

If you have not experienced or heard of our current challenges related to our teacher force, you are either lucky or not paying attention. It’s a significant challenge now and promises to be only more so in the future. In this Leader Chat Jeff engages Dr. Richard Ingersoll who is a leading expert on America’s elementary and secondary teaching force, and a professor in education and sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. Likely, we could not have found a better leader to talk with on this subject. The good news is that leaders can make a difference in dealing with this challenge as Ingersoll points out….

One thing that is so cool about our Leader Chats is the diversity of those we talk with. We are so fortunate to have access to great leaders that we can all learn from. Jon Hage, CEO of Charter Schools USA, joined us to discuss their vision, hopes, and challenges and all that they have learned along the way. As you will notice, Jon is passionate about the mission of impacting the lives of kids, and his leadership insights can help all of us learn and grow….

Educational leaders should be in-tune with educational trends . . .  what has happened, what is current, and most importantly-what is around the bend. The dilemma for leaders is time. The lives of educational leaders are so busy, it makes paying attention to educational trends difficult. Kevin Hogan can help. Tracking innovative ideas and trends in education is what Hogan does, and in this Leader Chat, he and Jeff discuss what leaders should or could be paying attention to right now….

Have you heard of the Seven Mindsets? Jeff Waller’s work spearheaded the movement. It’s been spreading throughout the country for several years, and it has never been more relevant than now. His book, Ridiculously Amazing Schools, builds on everything that he and his team have learned about what leadership characteristics are needed for schools to be amazing. As ‘the Jeffs’ talk, you will be touched and intrigued….

Jeff Duncan-Andrade is a passionate educator, man, and father who has dedicated himself to serving his community. Listen to this two-part Leader Chat….