Dr. Andy Szeto: Picking Up the Pieces

Walter McKenzie
1 day ago
3 min read

Excerpt from Leading Before the Title: Growing Leadership Across Multiple Tracks published by The Worthy Educator Press December 15, 2025.

It happened during an afternoon art class at the school-age daycare program. A glass jar tipped and shattered across the floor. I jumped up, ready to clean it. I figured I would grab a broom and start sweeping.

But the site director stepped in calmly. “No. Use damp towels,” she said. “Dry ones push the shards around. Damp ones hold them.”

I never would have thought of that. I wouldn’t have thought to check the kids’ shoes either. Or to block off the area. Or to move slowly so no one panicked.

And I definitely wouldn’t have known what came next-how to report the incident, notify the parent of the child who got a small cut, or remember to tell the teacher that the jar came from her shelf in the shared room.

Her actions were simple and complex at the same time. Quiet. Precise. Intentional. And always one step ahead of what I knew to do.

Later that year, I applied for a grant from USTA to bring tennis into our program. I didn’t play tennis. I didn’t even know much about it. But I saw it as a chance to give our kids something new and active. We got the grant, and I was proud. What I didn’t expect was how much follow-up came with it. There were receipts to track, reports to submit, and details that had to line up with the original proposal. I thought the hard part was securing the funding. In many ways, that was just the beginning.

She didn’t take over. She sat beside me, walked me through the process, and helped me make sure everything stayed aligned. It wasn’t just about paperwork. It was about following through on a commitment and making sure the systems worked behind the scenes. I didn’t have a name for it at the time, but what she showed me was coherence.

Those were the kinds of lessons no one teaches directly-the hidden tracks. They live in the quiet follow-up, the unseen planning, the thoughtful coordination that makes the visible work possible. They are what hold things together.

I was still in teacher ed then, learning what leadership looks like in real time. And she didn’t just model it. She brought me into it.

Years later, after we had gone in different directions professionally, she reached out again. She encouraged me to get involved with A3, an organization I now hold close. Even with time and distance, she made the connection feel just as personal. It had been nearly twenty years since those early days, but her support had never gone away. It had simply taken new form.

Today, we both serve on that board. I now have the privilege of serving as president. A building in Flushing bears her name, a lasting tribute to her impact. But what stays with me most are the quiet moments. The times when leadership looked like mentoring someone through a grant, or showing them how to stay calm while cleaning up broken glass.

Her influence did not just shape one role. It reached across multiple tracks-community, instruction, operations, mentorship-and planted the seeds for a way of leading that continues to grow. She showed me that leadership that multiplies does not come from titles or visibility. It comes from offering presence, modeling care, and helping others find their footing.

Even now, many of the principles in this book - curiosity, coherence, contribution - are rooted in what I learned by watching her lead from beside me, not in front of me.

By the way, the site director in this story is Lois C. Lee, the longtime leader at the Chinese American Planning Council in Flushing, Queens. A legend in her own right, Lois shaped generations of community early childhood educators and youth workers. The Lois C. Lee Early Childhood Center in Flushing now bears her name, a tribute to her decades of impact. Her story is also featured here. Her quiet, intentional influence helped form the very leadership principles explored in this book.

My new book, Leading Before the Title: Growing Leadership Across Multiple Tracks, is written for emerging and experienced educators seeking practical, honest, and deeply human insights into how leadership develops long before anyone hands you a title.

Explore more of my work: Lead Forward, a Worthy Educator feature!

And see more writing and resources at drandyszeto.com!

More to come - thank you for reading and leading forward.

Lead Forward is an exclusive feature by Dr. Andy Szeto on The Worthy Educator. Check back regularly for new insights for aspiring leaders!