

Designing Schools
Dr. Sabba Quidwai
Cultures of innovation begin with a culture of empathy. As you navigate today’s changing world the question remains how do you create these cultures? How do you scale them? And how do you help people develop the mindset and skills to thrive within them?
These are the questions people ask Dr. Sabba Quidwai, researcher, educator and storyteller. Each week we’ll explore the answers with stories and strategies from researchers, education leaders and today’s young people as we explore how might we design schools.
These are the questions people ask Dr. Sabba Quidwai, researcher, educator and storyteller. Each week we’ll explore the answers with stories and strategies from researchers, education leaders and today’s young people as we explore how might we design schools.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 26, 2022 • 42min
EP#70 | How Great Teams Work Better Together PT. 1
Trust is the most important factor in culture activation. It’s the cornerstone of education, and it’s what makes people want to do something. It’s how you get people to take that one step. Trust is the foundation if anything else is to thrive. Larissa and Adam co-founded MakeTeamWork.com, a global company specialising in team development, culture change, and visual collaboration. MakeTeamWork, founded in 2020 and located in Amsterdam, has created a relevant array of services and an impressive client list by developing and facilitating unique learning experiences that help teams build trust and accomplish amazing outcomes. They are thought leaders in applying agility, creativity, and the science of Team & Organisational Development into workplaces around the globe, in person and remotely. Their Quirky Owl program, discussed in the podcast, aims to equip leaders to be authentic while having the tools to develop their high-performing teams. 0:00 Introduction 2:41 Introducing Larissa and Adam 4:27 How MakeTeamWork began just prior to the pandemic 6:39 The growth in the need for team design after the pandemic 9:00 The importance of psychological safety for making great teams 11:45 Defining Trust and Psychological safety 14:27 Introducing Neema and her views on education 15:48 How the pandemic affected Neema's educational practices 22:04 Why is it so hard to build a culture of trust within education? 25:41 How can design thinking help education? 26:41 Where to begin when accessing an organization's culture? 31:01 What leaders can do to improve trust and psychological safety on their teams? Reserve Your Free Ticket for the Launch of the Documentary- https://designingschools.org/documentary Connect with Larissa / Adam / Neema: Website: maketeamwork.com Larissa LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larissamenocci/ Adam LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamambrozy/ MakeTeamWork LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/maketeamwork/ Neema: Twitter - @AvashiaNeema Connect with me, Dr. Sabba Quidwai: Website: https://designingschools.org/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabba-quidwai/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/askMsQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designing_schools/

Jan 19, 2022 • 31min
EP#69 | Part 3: Leadership and Social Influence with Jerry Almendarez
In This Episode We Discuss: The challenges that arise when you don't take ownership of telling your story How leadership and social influence help build trust, encourage creativity, recognize accomplishments, and inspire a collective vision How leaders can nurture and grow talent within an organization How districts can leverage brand ambassador programs How different departments from construction, to site principals can leverage social media Why leaders should embrace an infinite mindset Connect with Jerry on LinkedIn and Twitter Connect with Lynette For more episodes and information visit Designing Schools.

Jan 12, 2022 • 52min
EP#68 | Part 2: Building a Culture of Trust Amongst School Leaders with Jerry Almendarez
In this episode we discuss: How Jerry uses his weekly Friday meetings with his leadership team of over 180 people How creating a culture of vulnerability influenced the conversations that were taking place at the different sites across the district Significant inflection points, both personal and professional, that have shaped Jerry into he leader he is today

Jan 5, 2022 • 19min
EP#67 | Part 1: Leading with Vulnerability to Create a Culture of Innovation with Jerry Almendarez
In This Episode We Discuss: How Jerry defines innovation The framework Jerry uses to develop strategic foresight How being vulnerable led to deep and meaningful relationships with his leadership team The strategies Jerry uses to stay relevant in a rapidly changing world How he overcomes the fear of being vulnerable in public spaces, such as social media platforms Connect with Jerry on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Connect with Sabba on Twitter and Instagram.

Dec 6, 2021 • 32min
EP#66 | How Coding Allows Young People to Solve Problems and Explore Opportunities
Today's episode is a reminder of how much potential today's young people have to create, collaborate and design solutions to areas they are interested in. In this episode we discuss: The mindset and skills Seth believes young people need to have to thrive in today's world How he uncovered a need for creating LinkJoin The value of LinkedIn as a platform for young people Strategies for how students can get started with LinkedIn and how to use it The changes he'd like to see in school as a learner. To learn more about LinkJoin click here. To connect with Seth on LinkedIn click here.

Sep 30, 2021 • 8min
EP#65 | Tips for Sharing Your Story Online
You may have noticed that people kind of say the same thing over and over. They have one message with different versions for different audiences, and that consistency is a big part of their influence. But being consistent on social media doesn’t have to mean coming up with brand new content every day. It could mean showing up consistently with repurposed content or going deeper into old content. In this episode, I give you some tips to tell your story online and increase your influence. Click here for the full episode! To complement the summer series I’ve created a free guide for you to master how to develop the clarity and confidence to showcase your strengths, skills, and ideas in an online portfolio. You can download it here.

Sep 30, 2021 • 7min
EP#64 | 2 Frameworks You Can Use to Start Making Change
Just about everyone believes that the way we do education needs to change. We know the why, so I’m focusing on the how. In this episode, I talk about two different frameworks that can help educators get through the first step. Click here for the full episode! To complement the summer series I’ve created a free guide for you to master how to develop the clarity and confidence to showcase your strengths, skills, and ideas in an online portfolio. You can download it here.

Sep 30, 2021 • 4min
EP#63 | Preparing for the Future Now
“The future is already here – it’s just not very evenly distributed.“ This quote by William Gibson resonates with me so much. Most of the time when we talk about the future, we talk about things that are going to happen. But if you look around the world you may find that these things are already happening. There is so much opportunity in the world today but how do we empower others to fully take advantage of it? In this episode, I rift on this quote and talk about the humble beginnings of my dissertation. Click here for the full episode! To complement the summer series I’ve created a free guide for you to master how to develop the clarity and confidence to showcase your strengths, skills, and ideas in an online portfolio. You can download it here.

Sep 30, 2021 • 10min
EP#62 | Beginning with a Culture of Empathy
The struggle never ends. You solve one problem, just to find a different one later one. But finding the right problem is a huge part of finding the right solution. So no matter what struggle I’m facing, I always remember that cultures of innovation begin with a culture of empathy. And I combat it by focusing on people’s fears and motivations. In this episode, I talk about this concept further. I also bring up the importance of listening. Click here for the full episode! To complement the summer series I’ve created a free guide for you to master how to develop the clarity and confidence to showcase your strengths, skills, and ideas in an online portfolio. You can download it here.

Sep 30, 2021 • 5min
EP#61 | The Story Behind the Podcast
If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you probably know that it started off as an extension of my dissertation, which was a deep dive into the work of Design39Campus. Design39Campus is a collaborative community focused on changing the way we do school. In this episode, I talk about how this idea started and why I chose podcasting as my medium. Click here for the full episode! To complement the summer series I’ve created a free guide for you to master how to develop the clarity and confidence to showcase your strengths, skills, and ideas in an online portfolio. You can download it here.


