The Art of Struggle
June 27, 2013
Hosted by Mary Meduna, Ph.D., RTC, CPC, ELI-MP and Margaret Ruff, M.S.Ed, CPC, ELI-MP
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Guest Information
Episode Description
Today’s leaders face a barrage of challenges, brought on by a weak economy and a fast moving, rapidly changing business environment. Still, leaders at all levels are reluctant to openly acknowledge their struggles for fear of appearing weak, indecisive, or even incompetent. But one top leadership expert with a background in psychology suggests that great leadership is in fact signified by struggle. In LEADERSHIP AND THE ART OF STRUGGLE: How Great Leaders Grow through Challenge and Adversity (Berrett-Koehler; paperback; March 11, 2013), former Microsoft executive Steven Snyder argues that struggle is an innate part of leadership that should be embraced as an opportunity for breakthrough success rather than feared as a career-killer. The key to this mindset shift, according to Snyder, is in viewing struggle as an art to be mastered. Join us for this conversation to explore new possibilities that exist when struggle is viewed as an art to be mastered.
Educational Leadership: What Else is Possible?
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If you’re like us, you have lived through more hours of meetings to explore the many challenges that you face than you really care to count. If you’re like us, you left most of those meetings wondering if any real progress had been made or if the purpose was simply to rearrange the deck chairs and make it appear that something was being done.
If you’re like us, after these meetings you have sought out colleagues for comfort, support, and new perspectives in order to make sense of the frustration and apparent madness you find yourself in.
We intend to change that.
We intend to change the conversation from one that focuses on admiring problems to one that finds the abundant opportunities that exist for the courageous leaders among us who are ready to break out of the status quo to create joyful, high achieving communities.
We will tap the energy of leaders across all domains of this vast system to activate the potential that already exists.
Mary Meduna, Ph.D., RTC, CPC, ELI-MP and Margaret Ruff, M.S.Ed, CPC, ELI-MP
Mary and Margaret share more than 40 years of experience in the public school setting including classroom, building administration, central office, special education administration and parent leadership.
What is unique about their histories is that at every turn, they both took the road less traveled.
What is the road less traveled? On this road, the status quo is questioned, even challenged. On this road, colleagues are honored for their contribution to the team, not for their position on the organizational chart. On this road, the emphasis is on supporting others to grow in their roles, not on doing it for them.
And It HURT, man! Really bad!
With a belief in the value of access to public education for all, and with a belief that leaders with the knowledge, skill, and talent to create a supportive work and learning environment are already in the system, they set out to find a way to support these leaders. Through traditional administration programs and industry-leading coaching programs, they have prepared themselves to develop school leaders who lead with their spirit so that the collective spirit of public education becomes generative and innovative.
Episode Directory
June 2013
- 6/27/2013: The Art of Struggle Listen Now
- 6/20/2013: Working with Difficult People Listen Now
- 6/13/2013: Leadership and Self Deception Listen Now
- 6/6/2013: Coach Centric Leadership for Education Professionals Listen Now
