Dr. Paul Coakley: Lessons for School Leaders

In this episode of SchoolCEO Conversations, we speak with Dr. Paul Coakley, the Superintendent of Multnomah ESD in Oregon. Dr. Coakley has spent a lifetime as an educator and as a school administrator. He shares how he united a community to pass the first successful bond in nearly two decades. He also shares his insights on the importance of leaving a legacy, building a personal brand, and knowing when to transition in your career. 

Dr. Coakley discusses topics such as: how to brand yourself effectively to gain community trust, when the right time to pass on the leadership baton is, the importance of knowing your “WHY” as a leader, and so much more.

Dr. Paul Coakley has over 20 years of experience in education as a teacher, principal, human resources director, and superintendent and is currently the Superintendent of the Multnomah Education Service District (ESD) in Oregon. Dr. Coakley holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership and recently published his memoir, "A Reason for Every Season: Memoirs of a Black Superintendent” which we discuss in this episode.

You can pick up your copy of “A Reason for Every Season: Memoirs of a Black Superintendent” from Amazon or Barnes & Noble

Main Discussion Points:

Shifting Your Why Over Time (04:43)

Building Relationships to Lead an Organization (21:11)

Making Difficult Decisions as a Leader (29:46)

When to Transition in Your Career (40:40)

Advice for Superintendents Feeling Isolated (53:53)

Key Quotes: 

“One of the most important things for all school leaders and educators in general is to know your why and to understand what it is.” (02:44)

“If we are constantly working and we don’t make time for ourselves, we actually are less effective than when we’re rested.” (26:06)

“One of the things that I always say is the way you measure a healthy culture is: it’s how long does it take for a group of people to stop talking about a problem and start addressing it?” (48:05)

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