In episode 6, Dr. Lang interviews Gaggle.net founder and CEO, Jeff Patterson who leads an educational technology firm that assists districts in detecting risky student behavior, self-harm, and other potentially life threatening behavior through electronic means via school software. Jeff is a UCLA grad who came about starting Gaggle as a budding entrepreneur in 1998 and has evolved the company through learning some tough lessons and evolving to meet the needs of 21st century schools.
Jeff drops some great learning and leadership knowledge throughout the episode such as:
"As an entrepreneur, I am not good at anything, I am a mediocre at everything."
"You may be educated, but I am not sure you are smart."
"We have conditioned people that we know the path to success and happiness, but of course know those are not the same things."
"I love to embrace the opposite of what I currently believe; it is important to try on ideas different than my own."
"Everyone deserves to be heard, to be listened to is to be loved."
"My confidence comes from years and years of self-doubt."
Jeff talks about his view on higher education in the United States and how at times, he has viewed it as a barrier to innovative and creative systems and even organizational learning.
Jeff goes on to share some tidbits about how to incorporate new learning into the context of your own life by "scheduling" integration time on your calendar as to remind you in ways to be making attempts to grow on a consistent basis.
Jeff wraps up the interview sharing what he has learned about battling gophers in a friend's yard, becoming more fluent in Spanish, and of course the role of DAD!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffhpatterson/