Episode 70: The Leader Inside with Lauren Kaufman

Lauren tells that she was inspired to write the book, The Leader Inside, because of her journey and the people who mentored her along the way, including her parents who were teachers and a special teacher who she names on the show.

She told us a story about how George Couros challenged her to blog and then eventually write a book. She writes to reflect on her learning, and the pieces about coaching and mentoring resonated most, which led her to the content and the title of her book.

She hopes that the book will help people to recognize their gifts and amplify them for themselves and others.

She tells us a story about her own growth and the realization that it's special to be able to collaborate with people and learn through interactions with others.

Lauren calls out the importance and nobility in having a career in education. Don’t miss what she says about intentionally identifying your personal core values and then connecting them to the vision and mission of your school or district.

Joe asked about the power of mentorship. Lauren dives into her former role as a mentor coordinator and the need for a great mentor match, especially in early-career educators.

She reminds us about mentoring standards and professional learning networks that can both guide and support our work.

In the mentor-mentee relationship, the mentee has a ton of value and the framing should be that both people are learning with and from one another.

She talks about her reading habits, reading more than one book at a time, and what she calls “slow reading.”

Lauren says that it’s the leader’s job to create structure and processes for others to lead.