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Alberto Carvalho

Los Angeles Unified School District, Superintendent
EPISODE 50

Define Reality (Even When It’s Ugly)

One of your most important jobs as a leader is to define reality. You have to figure out what is really happening in your organization if you want to make it better.

And today’s guest is Alberto Carvalho, the Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and someone who knows exactly how to define reality.

He leads the fourth largest school district in the nation, and it’s quite the success story today. 

But it sure wasn’t when Alberto took charge. Schools were failing. The finances were an absolute mess. And there was a real lack of conviction in leadership positions.

Alberto had to define a tough reality at Miami-Dade. But once he understood what wasn’t working, he used it as the foundation for their turnaround – and you’ll hear exactly how he’s done it. 

This conversation is going to give you the inspiration and courage you need to tackle whatever tough reality you may be facing right now.

You’ll also learn:

  • One breakthrough idea to help you build unity in your top leadership team
  • What to do when a major disruption hits your space (instead of panicking or giving up)
  • Practical ways to bust through bureaucracy and eliminate roadblocks
  • Why it’s so crucial for kids to learn about leadership while they’re young

Take your learning further. Get proven leadership advice from these (free!) resources:

The How Leaders Lead App: A vast library of 90-second leadership lessons to stay sharp on the go 

Daily Insight Emails: One small (but powerful!) leadership principle to focus on each day

Whichever you choose, you can be sure you’ll get the trusted leadership advice you need to advance your career, develop your team, and grow your business.

More from Alberto Carvalho

Take time to evaluate the efficiency of your efforts
How are things going? No, really — do you know? Create clear systems and processes to measure your efforts, so you can make smarter decisions about what to focus on.
Have the courage to address underperformers
When team members aren’t meeting the standard you’ve set, address it. It takes courage, but remember: it’s in the best interest of all the other people you serve.
It takes guts to lead real change
The right strategy won’t matter if your leaders won’t act. Hire people who are willing to make bold (and often unpopular) decisions, because change depends on it!

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Short (but powerful) leadership advice from entrepreneurs and CEOs of top companies like JPMorgan Chase, Target, Starbucks and more.

Clips

  • Never let a crisis go to waste
    Alberto Carvalho
    Alberto Carvalho
    Los Angeles Unified School District, Superintendent
  • When you’re facing a tsunami of challenges, surf it
    Alberto Carvalho
    Alberto Carvalho
    Los Angeles Unified School District, Superintendent
  • Your senior leaders need the right mindset and “willset”
    Alberto Carvalho
    Alberto Carvalho
    Los Angeles Unified School District, Superintendent
  • Don’t give into the gravitational pull of the status quo
    Alberto Carvalho
    Alberto Carvalho
    Los Angeles Unified School District, Superintendent
  • Take time to evaluate the efficiency of your efforts
    Alberto Carvalho
    Alberto Carvalho
    Los Angeles Unified School District, Superintendent
  • Have the courage to address underperformers
    Alberto Carvalho
    Alberto Carvalho
    Los Angeles Unified School District, Superintendent
  • Work with unions, not against them
    Alberto Carvalho
    Alberto Carvalho
    Los Angeles Unified School District, Superintendent
  • Not all things are equally valuable
    Alberto Carvalho
    Alberto Carvalho
    Los Angeles Unified School District, Superintendent

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