Michael L. Kaufman, MSW, PhD, combines the heart of a social worker with the head of a business executive to lead companies, effect change, and improve lives.
As Managing Director of Premier Education Partners, Mike is committed to transforming the lives of K-12+ students with special needs through innovative and impactful educational programs. His leadership journey includes a career-defining tenure as the head of Specialized Education Services Inc., a private special education organization of day schools that grew to 75+ programs under his leadership, and the launch of TalkPath™ Live, a teletherapy company that has delivered tens of thousands of in-school support services sessions for students nationwide.
Mike’s diverse expertise stems from degrees in accounting, social work, and clinical psychology, along with completing Harvard Business School’s prestigious Key Executives Program. A sought-after speaker, thought leader, and educator, he has taught graduate-level courses at Rutgers University and continues to inspire through his mentorship, advocacy, and focus on meaningful change in education and beyond.
This one-on-one interview shares Mike’s background and experience writing Doing Good & Doing Well: Inspiring Helping Professionals to Become Leaders in Their Organizations.
Tell us about Doing Good & Doing Well: Inspiring Helping Professionals to Become Leaders in Their Organizations.
Helping professionals are everyday heroes who routinely and selflessly improve the lives of others. But many don’t realize that they are part of a valuable pool of future leaders—that their specific traits, distinct aptitudes, and inherent servant leader mindset not only prepare them, but uncommonly equip them to rise to the highest tiers of organizational leadership.
In Doing Good & Doing Well, I draw from my 30-year career to show how helpers’ skills, approaches, and values can guide them beyond in-the-field work to the upper echelons of their organization’s management structure. Through personal anecdotes, case studies, and cultural examples, readers will discover how to harness their innate potential to lead with impact, advance their career, and elevate not only the people they serve, but themselves as well.
It’s time for helping professionals to recognize their power, embrace their worth, and step into leadership roles where their talents and training are so desperately needed. Together, we can all continue to do good and also do well—for yourself, your organization, and society at large.
What inspired you to write Doing Good & Doing Well: Inspiring Helping Professionals to Become Leaders in Their Organizations?
The inspiration for writing this book was twofold.
First, during my decades of experience in the social services, I made many observations about what drives teams and learned many lessons climbing the ladder to C-suite positions. I felt compelled to share the knowledge and insights I acquired with my fellow helping professionals—to show them that it’s possible to blaze their own leadership trail and that they are more qualified to do so than they might believe.
Second, while teaching at my alma mater, the Rutgers School of Social Work, I saw how interested my students were in a career trajectory that would allow them to transition from the field to the corner office. Having successfully made that leap myself, I wanted to relay practical and inspirational guidance tailored specifically to those professionals who have chosen to dedicate their careers to being change-makers in their communities and positive influences in the world. That’s how Doing Good & Doing Well was born.
How did your background and experience influence your writing?
I began my career in the helping professions as a boots-on-the-ground social worker in underserved communities, especially working on behalf of underprivileged children and families.
My lifelong draw to working with children and adolescents in need soon led me to employment with a privatized special education company, where I not only mastered the ropes of the special education sphere, but rose from School Director in Training, to School Principal, to Regional Manager, to COO, then to CEO.
When I first earned my MSW and started as a field worker, I never imagined I’d reach the C-suite while I was still in my 30s, let alone thrive there. I didn’t even know I wanted to reach the C-suite at the start of my career!
But as I discovered my particular aptitudes and gifts, I realized there were others with untapped aspirations just like mine—and I was motivated to share my journey to help them rise too.
What is one message you would like readers to remember?
You don’t have to be either someone who does good in the world for others or someone who makes a good living running a company or managing others. You can be both—you can remain committed to the greater good of society and still lead a for-profit or non-profit organization or become a successful entrepreneur.
Don’t doubt your leadership potential—the work you do every day proves that you have it. Don’t limit the application of your skillset—it is both more expansive and effective than you may realize.
Advocate for your own career advancement as passionately and fiercely as you advocate for your clients, patients, and students, because the world needs compassionate, emotionally intelligent crisis managers and problem solvers in leadership roles more than ever.
If you want to be a business leader, you have it in you. Use this book to ignite that spark and light your journey forward.
Purchasing the Book
Doing Good & Doing Well: Inspiring Helping Professionals to Become Leaders in Their Organizations has received positive reviews from well-known literary organizations, authors, and reviewers around the world. Mark Claypool, President and CEO of Galileo Education Inc., writes, “A fresh and much-needed guidebook on how to turn one’s passion for helping others into an opportunity to help many people instead of just a few … It is full of wisdom earned the hard way and fills an information gap for like-minded social entrepreneurs.” In addition, Donna Marie Simon, CEO of Step by Step Behavioral Therapy, writes, “An empowering, brilliant, and genuine treasure … a must-read for any helper who truly wants to be the change that makes a difference … and live the life of your dreams.”
The book is available for sale on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Rowman & Littlefield, and other online bookstores. Readers are encouraged to purchase their copy today: https://www.amazon.com/Doing-Good-Well-Professionals-Organizations/dp/1475868308/
To connect with Mike and learn more about his work, visit: https://www.michaellkaufman.com. You can also find him on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok.
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