Presented and produced by Seán Delaney

This week on the podcast I speak to Michael Moriarty, who has been leading in education and other sectors for a number of decades, as a teacher, a principal, Head of Education and Training Boards Ireland and as CEO of a local radio station. His new book, Every Leader's Reality Guide: Strategies to Release Your True Leadership Potential has been released and it distills the lessons about leading that Michael learned through mentorship, training and self-reflection on his various roles. Among the topics we discuss on the podcast are the following:

How leadership begins with self-awareness and self-reflection.
How leadership in education differs to other leadership roles
The source of authority
How he looked to leaders he admired for inspiration
Power comes from respect rather than position
His experience of being bullied in post-primary school and how he learned the importance of standing up for himself
Being isolated in his professional role
The importance of allies and alliances
Building a media profile
Establishing credibility as a leader and the ability to communicate
The importance of having mentors
How a leader shows they value people
Reading leadership books and biographies (e.g. Boris Johnson’s book on Churchill)
Leadership and influence
The stance he took in a job interview for a leadership position
Why you should hire people who are better than you
Why leaders need to be able to say “sorry”
Learning leadership through union politics
How he came to head up a radio station
His ongoing pursuit of challenges in his work

Michael mentioned a number of inspirational resources during the interview, including the following:

Senator Ted Kennedy’s 1980 Convention speech

Stephen R. Covey The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Dale Carnegie How to Win Friends and Influence People

John C Maxwell Talent is Never Enough

Search for the Hero by M People

Programme 378, Michael Moriarty on Leadership in Education (6-11-19)