Are you leading from a place of fixing… or from a place of presence? 🌱
In the latest episode of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast, I had the honor of sitting down with Elena Aguilar, the visionary behind Transformational Coaching and author of eight bestselling books, including The Art of Coaching and Arise. 📚✨
Leadership can be a lonely journey. We’re often expected to have the answers, solve the problems, and move fast. But Elena reminds us that real transformation doesn’t come from quick fixes—it comes from going deeper and tending to the roots. 🌳
Here are four powerful takeaways from our conversation:
🔹 Prioritize Internal Healing: Your internal state shapes everything around you. As Elena shared, “What you can do of greatest benefit to the world is attend to your own healing.”
🔹 Focus on Your Sphere of Control: When external pressures feel overwhelming, resilience is built by going deeper into what you can influence. 🎯
🔹 Presence Is the Greatest Gift: So many leaders default to “fix-it mode.” But the most impactful thing you can offer is being fully present with the people you serve. 🤍
🔹 Embrace Your Imperfection: Perfection is, in Elena’s words, “absurd and unattainable.” Authentic leadership lives in humility, honesty, and being human.
As Elena beautifully said during the episode:
“The biggest gift you can give is to be absolutely present… The main thing is that you’re showing up, that you’re here.”
🎧 Listen to the full episode to explore how moving beyond compliance and leading from the heart can change both you and the communities you serve.
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Follow Host Peter Stiepleman on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-stiepleman-76004819a/ Website: https://imperfectleader.com/
YouTube (video of conversation):
https://www.youtube.com/@animperfectleaderleadershi5144/featured
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animperfectleader/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@animperfectleader
Follow Co-host Jamie Almanzán on:
Connect with APC Leadership Collaborative for support in navigating complex leadership situations: https://www.apccollab.com
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An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by IXL. Boost learning with a platform proven to deliver results. IXL gives educators a complete K–12 curriculum and personalized learning plans that adapt to every student.
Trusted by over 1 million teachers and 96 of the top 100 school districts, IXL helps schools outperform on state tests, and helps teachers focus on what matters most.
IXL: Powerful data. Personalized learning. Real progress.
Discover what IXL can do for your school at IXL.com/imperfect
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An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
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Go to overyondr.com to learn more.
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The Mosaic Project, one of our favorite organizations, has over 25 years of experience empowering students to celebrate differences, communicate assertively, and resolve conflicts peacefully at their outdoor school. Their innovative SEL curriculum is now available to An Imperfect Leader listeners at a 10% discount through their new documentary film-based Mosaic Classroom Project!
The Project’s ready-to-use lesson plans include film, original music, “gametivities”, and real conversations. We’re proud to partner with The Mosaic Project in helping educators build inclusive, peaceful learning communities! Just mention An Imperfect Leader during the onboarding process to receive the 10% discount.
Learn more about The Mosaic Classroom Project.
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Think differently. Think in systems. Reach out to The Waters Center for Systems Thinking to learn more about how systems thinking capacity building can strengthen your team and organization.
Homepage: http://www.waterscenterst.org
Thinking Tools Studio: https://thinkingtoolsstudio.waterscenterst.org
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An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at imperfectleader.com.
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.