Do you have a burning desire to make a difference and improve things? Have you found yourself in a leadership position in your field? Perhaps you did not have leadership training as part of your education. Anyone can lead a team and keep things running. But how do you conceptualize a project that makes a difference and improves things?

I am thankful to everyone who inspired, encouraged, and supported me through this incredible journey of writing this book. This book represents many voices, stories, and insights that I am privileged to share. Thank you, Dr. James Barufaldi, Dr. Paul Cobb, Dr. Robert Chang, Mr. Priyan Fernando, Dr. Megan Franke, Dr. Rochelle Gutierrez, Dr. Kamil Jbeily, Dr. Richard Milner, and Dr. Mitchell Nathan...

One of the great myths in life is that studying hard, getting good grades, and learning a discipline well will lead to success. However, making a difference in this world requires something more. Leadership skills are needed to motivate others, harness resources, and come up with innovative ideas to achieve extraordinary things. Very rarely can an individual accomplish great things in isolation!...

An innovative leader has a strong sense of self and beliefs. A leader’s passion inspires others to act. Passion comes from deep within. For example, Dr. Richard Milner shared that he deeply values his African American roots and upbringing. He cares deeply about all students: “particularly about students who are underserved, who are mistreated and labeled as...

Selecting team members that work well together is vital for a successful project. The right combination of team members can make extraordinary things happen. The team must function synergistically together to spark innovative ideas. This chapter explores how to conceptualize the kind of expertise that is needed to solve a problem. Selecting team members requires careful thought.

Once a team is assembled, it is important to consider how the team can productively function together. The most important thing is that everyone understands the goal of the project and their individual role. The initial spark that brings a team together is the leader’s vision. For example, Dr. Kamil A. Jbeily shared an excellent example of the role of the leader’s vision. He pointed to...

A leader needs to create conditions to optimize the flow of creative ideas. What do you love to do? Perhaps you love to paint, or read, plant a garden, or play chess? Think about something that truly excites you. Have you ever found yourself so immersed in doing something that you find terribly interesting and discover that you had lost all sense of time? Was there skill involved in that task? Why...

Leading a team to innovate involves identifying and addressing a real issue or problem that needs to serve a need. Innovation is useful only if it solves real problems and improves things. Therefore, carefully identify the problem from an interdisciplinary perspective. Having an interdisciplinary team is helpful. The innovative leaders pointed out that carefully choosing team members is critical...

Teruni Lamberg, Ph.D., is an associate professor of mathematics education at the University of Nevada, Reno. She received her doctorate in mathematics education at Arizona State University in 2001 and completed a postdoctorate at Vanderbilt University. She is currently an associate professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is the author of Whole Class Mathematics...