It Takes Courage

In this episode, we talk with David Doty, an education leader who has taken on some of the toughest assignments in the field. David shares what it was like to launch a brand-new school district in a deeply divided Utah community and how he later revitalized educational programs for incarcerated adults across the country. We get into what it takes to lead under scrutiny, build trust in fractured environments, and stay grounded in purpose when the pressure is on. This is an episode about the real work of systems change, and the kind of steady leadership that gets it done. Timestamps 1:40 – First guest leading large-scale education projects 2:00 – From Spanish teacher to school attorney to education executive 3:40 – Superintendent of Utah’s first new school district in 100 years 6:00 – Building a $300M district from scratch in 12 months 7:45 – Legal battles and resolving high-stakes conflict 9:00 – Winning support for a massive public project 11:00 – Balancing incompatible demands and calming the chaos 13:05 – “I can’t do this by myself” — rallying the team 14:08 – Turning vision into reality for your people 15:19 – Giving students your best, every time 16:16 – Brown v. Board, equity, and the power of literacy 17:31 – Leading with passion for disadvantaged students 19:00 – Launching coding programs for women in prison 20:00 – Defining scope and success at Western Governors University 23:00 – Who is the real customer: student or employer? 25:00 – The fight against the status quo in education 27:00 – Competing agendas and the challenge of innovation 28:00 – Social media, stakeholders, and leading through noise 29:00 – Pivoting through politics, budgets, and shifting priorities 31:00 – “Try to go it alone, it just doesn’t work” — collaboration in action 33:00 – Facing the mountain, building the team, leading with courage 36:00 – “We’re not just building individuals. We’re building communities.” Helpful Links: David Doty on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidsdoty/ Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube: / @projectinsightpmsw Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5WMdTji... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2419669.rss Sponsored by: Project Insight Project & Portfolio Management Software. Helping growing companies automate, execute, and measure project work across teams, systems, and portfolios. www.projectinsight.com #Leadership #EducationLeadership #ProjectManagement #SystemsChange #SchoolDistrictLeadership #BuildingTrust #LeadingUnderPressure #ChangeManagement #PublicEducation #IncarceratedEducation #CorrectionalEducation #EquityInEducation #VisionaryLeadership #CommunityLeadership #WearYourCapeToWork