Learning Can’t Wait · Episode 192
Michael Lombardo: Authentic leadership , Team culture & Feedback
- Michael Lombardo
Hosted by Hayley Spira-Bauer, Chief Academic Officer at Fullmind
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Michael Lombardo: Authentic leadership , Team culture & Feedback
Episode summary
Only a two-minute fragment of this episode's transcript was available. In it, Michael Lombardo responds to a holiday-season question about education organizations worth supporting. He notes that community-based nonprofits have been hit harder by federal funding changes than K-12 systems because they over-relied on that funding, and recommends Reading Partners, the volunteer literacy organization he helped found nearly 20 years ago, the early childhood nonprofit Jumpstart, and local YMCAs, which he calls the backbone of many communities. The full conversation, including his role and background, is not in the source file.
Key takeaways
- Education nonprofits have been hurt more by federal funding cuts than school districts
- Reading Partners offers volunteers a direct way to support early reading
- Jumpstart is an evidence-based early childhood organization worth supporting
- YMCAs are the backbone of many communities and partner with schools and programs
About this episode
The episode features Michael Lombardo as he explores the core principles of authentic leadership, emphasizing trust, empathy, and open communication as essential foundations for building strong, effective teams. Drawing from his own career experiences, he shares practical strategies for fostering a positive workplace culture, navigating challenges with integrity, and empowering individuals to grow. His insights offer listeners actionable guidance on how to lead with purpose and create meaningful impact within their organizations.
Full transcript
Transcript generated from the recording; minor errors may remain.
Hayley Spira-Bauer: So, Michael, this is being recorded right before the holiday season, or right in the midst of purchasing gifts for people and making donations. I know that many of us in education have organizations we hold really close to our hearts. What are some of yours?
Michael Lombardo: Yeah, you know, it's… I hate to be a downer around the holidays, but these organizations do such important work in education, and it is really an ecosystem of not just the school district, but a number of community-based organizations all around them. And they are hurting right now.Federal funding has impacted them much more than it has the K-12 system overall.They over-indexed that funding source. And so, yeah, so think about the education nonprofits in your community. I have to shout out Reading Partners, an organization that I helped found now, gosh, almost 20 years ago, and that does volunteer literacy programs all across the United States. It's a great experience as a volunteer, so if you don't want to give money, you can give your time, but also. A great way to impact early reading, if you're lazy like me and care about that as an issue. There's another really terrific nonprofit called Jumpstart that does programming for early childhood in pre-K and TK. They are also an evidence-based, terrific organization that helps to move the needle. And then, I gotta shout out the YMCAs.The Ys are the backbone of many communities.
Hayley Spira-Bauer: Fair enough.
Michael Lombardo: They are providing all kinds of resources and support. We have a terrific partnership with both the YMCA of Greater San Francisco and the YMCA of Silicon Valley at Brightby, but give to your why. Join your why, give to your why. They are a huge part of the community.
Hayley Spira-Bauer: I love it. These are some great suggestions.