What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?
I like to think we’ve shifted the culture at Chicago Public Schools to one where high expectations are actually OK and continuous improvement is something we can aspire to without negativity. A big challenge was to convince people that every child can learn. I like to think I had something to do with us setting that standard.

What has been your most humbling experience?
Going into some high schools in difficult neighborhoods and thinking about what the principal has to deal with every day. They have to deal with parental and community organizations, kids with all kinds of challenges, faculty, and more.

What do you wish you had known at the start of your career?
How critical relationships are to success. It’s not just about being smart or intellectually insightful. Business and organizations are about people and their relationships. Had I known that earlier, I would have done a better job of developing those skills, which didn’t come naturally to me.

What is the hardest part of your job, maybe something people don’t know?
Having the patience to deal with ambiguity and the change process in the public sector. Often it’s obvious what you need to do, but you have to have patience. You’ll get there eventually, but if you move too fast, you’ll blow the whole opportunity.Holding yourself in is sometimes very hard.

What’s the best part of your job?
You meet some extraordinary people. There are 47,000 employees, and while not all of them are great, there are thousands of them who are absolutely committed to helping kids grow. They’re not going to get rich, so you know they’re doing it because of their commitment.

If you had to choose another line of work, what would it be?
That’s hard. I like what I do. I’ve learned to like working with people and helping them harness their energies toward a common objective. I could do that almost anywhere if it was for a good goal.