How does transformation happen?

I believe that transformation occurs when we embrace paradox and live in the sweet spot.

I’m fortunate to work in the intersection of practice and scholarship.  Teaching in the Graduate Liberal Studies Program at S.M.U. enables me to go deep with my study of leadership, coaching and organizational change.  Consulting with and coaching clients in school districts and charters allows me to interact with those on the front lines of practice.

As an experienced educator, with 25+ years in a large, urban school district as a teacher, principal and developer of principals—and having worked on elementary, middle and high school campuses, as well as in the central office—I now have the perspective of standing just outside the system, looking in, seeing clearly.

These two vantage points–of scholar / practitioner and seeing the system from both inside and outside–allow me to understand that meaningful change involves both:

• Technical (expertise exists to identify and solve problems) and Adaptive (challenge requires new learning to define, solve and implement solutions)

• Internal (self) and External (system)

• Tight (about core principles) and Loose (possible strategies)

• Individual (“small” stories of individuals) and Collective (“large stories of the organization and the subject)

This requires leaders who seek and manage complexity well and who have the courage and confidence to function as lead learners as they–and the organization–move into uncharted, yet exciting, territory.