I’ve worked with people in the upper echelons of business, academia, government, coaching, community organizing, and more. Of them all, I consider Chris Lehmann the most effective and accomplished leader. He happens to be a long time friend and former teammate I competed at Nationals with in the 90s, but that’s not why I consider him so effective and accomplished.
He is the founding Principal of the Science Leadership Academy public high school in Philadelphia and a major organizer of the community where I learned about inquiry-driven project-based learning, which has become a major part of my practice. He co-founded a major institution that has succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations. He has a large, growing, passionate, and effective community around him.
This video shows his acceptance of the 2014 McGraw Prize in Education—the Nobel Prize of education. You don’t get to see him at work, but you can see his humility, passion, focus, respect for his constituents, and some of his school’s achievements.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJk70QAZjls
Here is a short video the McGraw people made about him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg7Ku22XGbs