When we talk about leadership in education, it’s easy to rely on broad phrases like “building relationships” or “equity” without defining what those actually look like in daily practice.
In this week’s episode of An Imperfect Leader, co-host Jamie Almanzan and I sat down with Dr. Gustavo Balderas, Superintendent of Puget Sound Educational Service District and former AASA and NABE National Superintendent of the Year. We explored what it takes to turn abstract ideas into concrete, actionable systems.
Here are a couple of themes from our conversation that every leader can appreciate:
1. Process Is as Important as Product: Moving Beyond the Vague
Leaders often face high-stakes, emotional decisions like school consolidations or district boundary shifts. Dr. Balderas shared how slowing down, admitting when a process needs a pause or a mea culpa, and authentically engaging stakeholders changes everything. The ultimate goal isn’t always total consensus; it’s getting to a point where stakeholders can say, “I don’t agree with you, but I understand why you made the decision.”
2. Navigating “Leadership Compression” & Treating Leadership as a Relay Race
With massive leadership transitions post-COVID, many educators are stepping directly from building principalships into the superintendency. Dr. Balderas refers to this as leadership compression (where time in the seat to learn political nuance and system navigation is condensed).
Check out the full episode to hear Dr. Balderas’ inspiring origin story. From growing up in a migrant farmworker family to leading major school systems across the country.
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Follow Host Peter Stiepleman on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-stiepleman-76004819a/ Website: https://imperfectleader.com/
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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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.