Ep26 Michelle Mickens, 2022 Georgia Teacher of the Year Finalist: Leadership Development Podcast

 HOST: This leadership development podcast is brought to you by: Ovi Vasquez, Inspirational Leadership Keynote Speaker. Fatherless farm boy from rural Guatemala—Inspiring teams to peak performance. He challenges teams to embrace change and step into bold leadership through leadership culture. He grew up in a village without electricity, learned English in two years, graduated from high school in three years, earned a B.A. in management, in two years.  Ovi has worked for Apple, Tesla, Salesforce, and Uber. He is a TEDx speaker, author, and social entrepreneur. 

GUEST BIO:  Michelle Mickens is a voracious advocate for public schools and principled, student-centered education policies. Michelle is a 2022 Georgia Teacher of the Year Finalist, a 2023-24 Georgia Department of Education Teacher Policy Fellow, and a National Network of State Teachers of the Year- Voices for Honest Education Fellow in 2024.

Find our guest at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellemickens70
 Find our host at: https://www.ovinspires.com
 

Leadership Keywords: educational leadership, servant leadership, talent retention, Gen Z leadership, mentorship, psychological safety, values-driven leadership, organizational culture, visibility, advocacy, community impact 

Leadership Summary: In this episode, Michelle Mickens shares how family, early educators, and advocacy shaped her leadership voice. She explains why leaders must balance compassion with firmness, allow others to lead, and make their work visible without shame. Her insights apply directly to executives and educators seeking to retain high performers, reduce burnout, and build cultures people want to belong to. 

10 Takeaways on Leadership
✅ Leadership is personal and relational
✅ Serve people before systems
✅ Honesty builds trust
✅ Compassion and firmness can coexist
✅ Let others lead to grow leaders
✅ Listening reduces burnout
✅ Gen Z values flexibility and respect
✅ Visibility matters for impact
✅ Culture drives retention
✅ Leadership requires getting your hands dirty 

5 Titles for Leadership
✅ Leadership Is Personal: Lessons From Michelle Mickens
✅ Compassion and Firmness: The Balance Great Leaders Keep
✅ From Classroom to Capitol: Advocacy as Leadership
✅ Let Them Lead: Growing Leaders Through Trust
✅ Why People Follow Leaders Who Listen 

5 Sound Bites for Leadership
🗣 “Leadership is very personal.”
🗣 “You don’t grow leaders by telling them what to do.”
🗣 “Compassion and firmness belong together.”
🗣 “If people can’t relate to you, they won’t follow you.”
🗣 “Be passionate about yourself and your work.” 

10 Chapters on Leadership
00:00 – Meet Michelle Mickens
02:00 – Defining Leadership
04:00 – Family and Blue-Collar Roots
07:00 – Teachers Who Shaped Her
09:00 – Advocacy and Visibility
12:00 – Growing Leaders Through Trust
16:00 – Gen Z and Modern Work
19:00 – Retaining High Performers
23:00 – Burnout and Culture
27:00 – Leadership Excellence Defined 

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