“Come to the edge of the cliff,” he said. “We are afraid,” they said. “Come to the edge of the cliff,” he said. “We are afraid,” they said. “Come to the edge of the cliff,” he said. They came. He pushed. They flew. -- Guillaume Apollinaire Full Admission: I’m a Big “Chicken” I can't imagine …
Continue reading Fear of Heights (Can You Spell “Acrophobia?”)
Part 4 of 4 Geoff: Any thoughts on how leaders should develop their personal competencies? Matt: Like I said before about building principals needing coaches. I think every leader needs to find a coach or mentor that they are learning from. I’ve been blessed to have our working relationship over the years. Part of growing …
Part 3 of 4 Geoff: Why did you become a leader? Why did you agree to do it? Matt: For me it was the passion for the work that we do, being passionate about the experiences that schools provide for students and realizing that the best way to maximize that impact is through leading others …
Part 2 of 4 Geoff: Your goal wasn’t to become Deputy Secretary. How did you become Deputy Secretary? Matt: I told my wife when I first got into education that all I ever wanted to be was a teacher, that I didn’t have greater aspirations than that. And then one door after another continued to …
Part 1 of 4 Matt Stem is passionate about his faith, his family, and his work. He's a talented musician and composer who has written, performed, and recorded some really interesting pieces (including the theme music to my concept for a podcast). But the trait I admire most about Matt is his relentless pursuit of …
Curtis and Cheryl at Yosemite National Park Part 4 of 4 Geoff: I know you as a master coach. I think the interesting thing about the pursuit of mastery is so different than the pursuit of being an expert in that, as Maricarmen Gwell says, staying in the “not knowing” is more important than getting …
Curtis and Cheryl above the town of Noli in the Liguria region of Italy. Part 3 of 4 Geoff: Are there other kinds of problems that you see in companies you work with that you could share? Curtis: Lots of problems. They want people to work as teams, but they are paid as individuals. That …
