Getting Smart Podcast How Do You Build a Team That Builds, Instead of Building It All Yourself? | Kelly Coffin
Mar 11, 2026
Kelly Coffin, superintendent in Farmington Hills, Michigan known for collaborative district transformation and co-design, discusses building trust and capacity through co-design with educators closest to students. She shares daily visibility routines, resisting the urge to do it all, and testing system readiness with small pilots. The conversation emphasizes authenticity, coherence, and the courage to be vulnerable in public.
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Transformation Happens With A Team
- Transformative change happens with a team, not to a team.
- Kelly Coffin contrasts “go slow to go fast” as creating co-design space instead of doing it yourself for speed.
Strengths Focus From Work With Adjudicated Youth
- Early work with adjudicated youth taught Kelly to look for strengths rather than punish mistakes.
- She spent five years with girls 13–21, learning to empower students others dismissed.
Prioritize Presence Over Office Time
- Be visibly present: spend mornings clearing tasks so afternoons are for being with staff and students.
- Kelly walks buildings, runs Lunch and Learns, and uses an ambassador network to stay connected.