Retiring SCF president's teachable moments: Lead with your heart, have fun

Carol Probstfeld took over a school in crisis a decade ago. It’s turned out, she says, to be the best job she’s ever had. 

A trendy leadership saying in the past few years, courtesy of fictional TV soccer coach Ted Lasso, is to “have the memory of a goldfish.” The message? When you, or the team, messes up or something doesn’t go your way you have to quickly forget it and move on, just like the tiny orange fish in the tank does. Flush it (the memory, not the fish) and get ready for the next game or meeting or obstacle.

Carol Probstfeld, the soon-to-be-retired president of State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota in Bradenton, has a different kind of leadership memory story. That of an elephant. It’s a theme that comes up regularly when listening to people talk about Probstfeld or read about her career. The college administrator, known to many as Dr. P, is said to have the memory of an elephant because it’s long and she can readily recall conversations with many people — students, staff and faculty.