How to help your people feel heard with Kaya Henderson

When you’re tasked with solving a problem that has a deep impact on a lot of people, it can feel impossible to deliver results that everyone is happy with. How do you decide whose perspective should shape your decisions, or create change when people don’t even agree on the problem? Kaya Henderson took over leadership of the District of Columbia Public Schools when it was one of the lowest-performing school districts in the country, and in under a decade transformed it into one of the fastest-improving. So what’s her secret? She didn’t do it alone. In this episode, Kaya and Molly take a closer look at how Kaya led a revolution backed by parents, teachers, and other members of the community to deliver results that actually mattered to the people who needed them. Kaya emphasizes the importance of listening and collaborating with the people closest to the problem, communicating clearly when you have to say no, and showing people what they have in common before jumping into heavy negotiations.

Featured guest

• Follow Kaya Henderson on Instagram • , LinkedIn • , and at aspeninstitute.org/people/kaya-henderson/

Connect with the team

• Follow Molly on Instagram • , LinkedIn • , and at glueclub.com/ • Subscribe to Molly’s Substack Lesson • Watch WorkLife videos on YouTube at TEDPods • Follow TED on X • , Instagram • , Facebook • , LinkedIn • , and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts

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