The Listening Leader

“First, The Listening Leader understands that school transformation, if it is to be sustainable, requires a long-term investment: There are not quick fixes, ‘turnarounds,’ or short cuts.”
—Shane Safir, The Listening Leader, 2017

The Listening Leader Book

The Listening Leader is a practical guide that will inspire school, district, and teacher leaders to make substantive change and increase equitable student outcomes. Rooted in the values of equity, relationships, and listening, this luminous book helps reimagine what is possible in education today. Drawing from more than twenty years of experience in public schools, Shane Safir incorporates hands-on strategies and powerful stories to show us how to leverage one of the most vital tools of leadership: listening.

The Listening Leader Learning Offerings

Listening Leader Keynote:

45-75 minutes with optional fireside author chat

Listening is the key to becoming a transformative educational leader at any level of the system. Drawing on The Listening Leader: Creating the Conditions for Equitable School Transformation (Jossey-Bass, 2017), this dynamic keynote will inspire you with frameworks and practical tools to enact substantive, equity-centered change and cultivate radical inclusion in your community. Rooted in the values of equity, relationality, and deep listening, Listening Leadership helps us reimagine what is possible in education today. Drawing from more than 25 years in the education field, bestselling author Shane Safir will help you self-assess your leadership against several archetypal models, consider the nature of complex vs. complicated change, and practice the art of deep listening to build relational capital. This keynote is a powerful complement to schools and districts seeking to embark on a Street Data transformation journey as Listening Leadership is a critical condition for impact in the Street Data model.

According to author Zaretta Hammond,
"This book is a 'must have' for any leader trying to move the needle on equity. Drawing from her lived experience as a principal and leadership coach, Safir offers stories that give insight and practical strategies that get results. It's one you'll keep coming back to."

Becoming a Warm Demander

3-part series with Jessica Wei Huang

The skills of a Warm Demander are indispensable for leaders on the path toward equity and inclusion. Warm Demander leaders expect a great deal of their colleagues, create a strong, equity-centered vision with their school communities, and have the skills to call others “in” when harm is caused.

Co-facilitated by Jessica Huang and Shane Safir, this 3-part mini-series workshop includes a deep dive into the Warm Demander framework coupled with an exploration of Six Stances of a Listening Leader, featured in The Listening Leader: Creating the Conditions for Equitable School Transformation (Jossey-Bass, 2017). The series supports participants at all levels of leadership to develop the skill set and toolkit needed to hold high expectations for colleagues in a supportive and caring environment. You will witness and practice Warm Demander conversations that weave in Deep and Strategic Listening stances. You will develop your own agency as a Listening Leader. You will build capacity to facilitate the kinds of restorative, healing conversations that are so deeply needed in this day and age.

Listening Leader Community of Practice

1-day launch plus 3-4 virtual sessions

In this capacity-building series, leaders of all levels will explore the Essential Question (EQ): How do effective educational leaders move, act, and lead in ways that support school transformation? Using The Listening Leader: Creating the Conditions for Equitable School Transformation (Jossey-Bass, 2017) as an anchor text, participants will learn practical leadership skills and embodied ways of being that facilitate transformative change in schools. The Community of Practice addresses the following content and leadership capacities:

Storientation/Situating Oneself – developing and learning to tell one’s leadership story, values, and vision
Leadership Archetypes – a deep dive self-assessment and orientation to Listening Leadership
Neuroscience of Listening Leadership – understanding how the brain works, the function of social threats, and how to create a brain-friendly working environment
Six Stances of a Listening Leader – Exploring, practicing, and reflecting on the impact of 3 concrete Deep Listening practices and 3 concrete Strategic Listening practices
Listening to Families and Students – Dig into best practices for each
Navigating Complex Change – learn a 6-step framework for navigating complex change
Facilitating Meetings and Adult Learning – Gain practical tools and frameworks for assessing group dynamics and designing effective, humanizing meetings
Chartering team dynamics - Ensure alignment of group expectations, agreements and decision-making processes to counter the impact of power, privilege and positionality.

Book Reviews

"This luminous book guides school leaders in developing a school culture of trust, empowerment, and excellence. With compassion and clarity, Safir coaches the hard work of leading and sustaining change—while keeping our focus squarely on equity for every learner.”

Kathleen Cushman, co-author, Belonging and Becoming: The Power of Social and Emotional Learning in High Schools

“Shane Safir has written a brilliant book. As engaging as it is informative and as revelatory as it is relevant. It is a must read for school leaders and those who aspire to lead.”

Chris Emdin, associate professor of science education, Teachers College, Columbia University

“At a time when leaders are in search of different approaches to transform schools, we have a new approach. Shane Safir offers a compelling framework on how to engage in listening as an innovative approach to leadership. Through listening in caring, empathetic, and relational ways, the ingredients for equity can become a reality. An excellent read for school leaders. Read, listen, and learn!”

Tyrone C. Howard, professor and associate dean, University of California Los Angeles

“Equitable school transformation is what is most needed in today’s schools, and The Listening Leader provides the guidance and practical tools for educators to achieve it. Shane Safir pulls on her deep knowledge of academic and professional learning communities in order to provide educators with a special resource that we can all readily use. This book is a ‘must-have’ for anyone seeking to positively transform their learning community.”

Raquel Topete, Former Instructional Coach, East Side Union High School District

Listening Leader Partners

Alcine Mumby

With over 25 years of experience designing and leading educational systems, Alcine Mumby is the founder and CEO of ADLM Consulting and co-host of Street Data Pod. Until recently, Alcine was the Vice President of Program and the Director of ELP's Deeper Learning Leadership Forum (DLLF) for Envision Learning Partners, the consulting arm of Envision Education. (Envision Education prepares students to be successful in college through access to high quality project-based learning, performance-based assessment systems, and meaningful work-based learning experiences.) In her role as VP of Program, Alcine guided school, district, and state level leaders in NH, VA, KY, CA, CO, NM, and other educational organizations to create high quality performance assessment systems aligned to 21st century competencies. Prior to consulting, Alcine taught Humanities and was a teacher leader at one of the first small schools in the Bronx where

Jessica Wei Huang

Jessica Wei Huang (“Way Hwong”) is an educator & school leader with more than 20 years of experience as a classroom teacher, school principal and leadership coach/facilitator. She has a wide range of knowledge for how to build equitable school communities through her on-the-ground work in schools and her support and coaching of educator leaders and teams. Jessica has a Bachelor’s of Foreign Service from Georgetown University, a Master’s of Education from Stanford University, and is currently working on her PhD on Education and Social Justice from the University of San Diego. Her experience in both the public school system in the US and in international schools equips her to lead in a wide-variety of cultural-contexts. Jessica has worked as a school leader, and teacher in international schools in Singapore and Taiwan. Jessica is a certified leadership coach through the Association of California School Administrators and a certified mindful facilitator of discussions on race and identity. She connects this belief to her consulting work focused on leadership coaching and educational-equity professional development with schools, districts, independent and international schools