Christi Barrett: When people can identify the purpose, then they want to be part of the work, right? We want to lead with people. And so having a solid “why” is really important.

Intro

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Janet Pilcher: Hello everyone, welcome to today’s Accelerate Your Performance podcast. I’m your host, Janet Pilcher, and I’m grateful to connect with you today to share strategies and tactics for hardwiring excellence in education.

Last week, I kicked off the new year by sharing four focus areas that we’re going to zero in on how to be the best that you can be in really “up” our game. And I invite you to spend 2025 with me on those areas. Here they are: pressing hard, supporting our teams, studying data, and honing in on a few key measures.

This week, I want to dive into one tactic that really ties all those focus areas together. We’re going to take a closer look at huddles. If you’re new to huddles, you’re in the right place. If you’ve been doing them for a while, that’s great, too. No matter where you are on your leadership journey, I guarantee you’ll learn something new today or hear something that will spark an idea to implement with your own leadership teams. In fact, by the end of today’s episode, you’ll see just how much impact that consistent huddles can have on driving real change.

Before we jump in, let me introduce our guest. I’m happy to welcome Dr. Christi Barrett back to the show for her third appearance. You’ll remember Christi from past episodes, which we’ll link to in our show notes if you’d like to go back and listen, it’s well worth your time.

She’s currently the superintendent of Hemet Unified School District in Hemet, California, and has won superintendent of the year three times in her region. Christi is highly skilled at implementing huddles with her leadership team. Let’s dive in so you can hear how she uses this strategy to address the needs of her students.

Interview

Janet Pilcher: It’s with great pleasure that I welcome Christi Barrett to our show today, and so thankful for your time today, Christi, thank you.

Christi Barrett: My pleasure. I always look forward to these opportunities.

Janet Pilcher: Let’s start. A little bit of reflection on leadership today, on leadership skills, and very specifically, focusing in on huddles. And it’s interesting, Christi, as we look at our work over time, rounding has been one of our most used tactics and what people find is useful, but huddles are beginning to become that as well as we’ve introduced those. So you use huddles so well. So I wanted to look at how we’re focusing on leadership skills and how that ties into the way that you use huddles.

So I’m just gonna kind of start with a more conceptual question, just kind of reading through something that’s been center in my mind. It’s important to develop leaders to support their teams with a mindset that leaders not have led well until their teams have performed well. This means that leaders need to have coaching relationships with their teams and to have established a positive organizational culture where people trust their leaders. As a leader, and you look at that, what does that mean to you?

Christi Barrett: It actually hits really close to home in that we talk very overtly as a collective leadership team about what makes a good team. And often people will go to the relational side, “well, we get along, we solve problems together.” And a distinction that we’ve talked about is that if you don’t have outcomes that improve and sustain as a result of that relational piece of the team and also the technical work that happens within a team, then really you’re just a group of people who enjoy getting along. And so to be an effective team–

Janet Pilcher: Yeah.

Christi Barrett: –you must have both. You must have outcomes and you must work well together, and working well together, it does mean that you get along, but it also means that you lean into healthy tension and conflict and you also look for opportunities to create that disruption because otherwise we run the risk of being in the status quo, which is a pitfall for us.

Janet Pilcher: I love that. I was just in a conversation last week when we’re looking at how we develop leaders and somebody would say something like, “well, she’s a nice person as a leader.” And I’m like, “okay, but you can be a nice person, but being a nice person doesn’t make you a great leader,” right, Christi?

Christi Barrett: That’s right. That’s right.

Janet Pilcher: And not that we’re not, I mean, nice and being good to our people is really important, but looking at those outcomes really becomes significant. And the engagement aspect of getting people involved in facing some of those facts and the improvement piece really begins to build that engagement. So I love that frame of reference that you have there.

You know, the one thing we talked about at What’s Right in Education, we really focus in on skills. So there’s the tactical things that we do, but most of the tactical pieces that we do in the work at Studer Education are really around very specific leadership skills. For example, and focus on four: seek input from others to make good decisions, listen to feedback from others, probe individual thoughts for deeper understanding, apply feedback to improve.

I mean, those are actions that we take that you have very specific skills, leadership skills, in order to do those things well. Huddles are an example of how you have to apply those actions and the skills that connect to that. So talk a little bit, Christi, about how the huddles align to the leadership skills and then, you know, how you explain the way you use huddles. Talk about the relevance of huddles in that regard.

Christi Barrett: Yes. I’ll start by framing the bigger belief that we hold related to building leadership capacity in our organization. And it’s very much what you just alluded to and that it’s also more than being well-liked. We lean in on Margaret Wheatley’s “Below and Above the Green Line” work. And so we, as a team, understand that below the green line, the relational piece of the work is necessary, as is the above the green line, which is the technical piece, the tactical piece of the work. And it is also true that as a leader, you must do both things well. If you’re only relational, your success will be limited. If you are only able to live in the technical space, your ability to be effective will be limited. You must do both. And so huddles is one place where we model that in real time every day.

And so as I take us deeper into our huddles, I think it’s also important just on an aside to note, it’s one piece of a much larger system that we’ve designed to nurture and build the capacity of our leaders. And so with huddles, we are hyper-focused on a very important distractor in our schools and that is student behavior. And there are many things that contribute to that.

And so every day, as a leadership team, we bring our assistant principals, our principals, cabinet, myself, and a handful of directors together every day to say, “what happened yesterday? What are the bright spots in the organization as it relates to student behavior and specifically aggressive student behavior? And where did we have some challenges?” And we break into four smaller groups because we’re a mid-sized district here in the state of California. So we, literally there’s about 80 to 90 people on the huddle every morning. So we break into four smaller groups and cabinet is facilitating each one of those teams.

And so as we’re in those teams, we have a simple, simple small data, right? We have a Google sheet at the end of every day, our principal logs how many acts of aggression they had, and then we’ve become more sophisticated on, well, “where did it happen? What grade level? Is it a student with disabilities? Was there active supervision?” And so all of that background knowledge is already gathered into that Google Doc and cabinet is aware of it before we go into the huddle.

And so then once we’re in the huddle, we have an agenda to then facilitate dialogue in the group. As we’re talking about bright spots, for example, let’s take a school site that has gone an entire week without any acts of aggression, we will ask, “what do you attribute to that?” Right? We’re wanting to get from lucky to leading. And so inevitably what always comes up in that dialogue is, “well, we’ve engaged our staff. This is the way that we’ve engaged them. We’ve implemented this particular change idea. We monitored it to see if it worked.”

And so in real time, we have these exemplars that are not only sharing their great work, but it provides a mini lesson for the rest of the leaders in this space. And when we have a site where they’ve had a difficult day or a difficult few days, we ask the same types of probing questions. “What can you tell us about that? What are the ways that you’re thinking about the problem?”

We’re also trying to shift the thinking from it’s not a people issue, it’s a systems issue. How are we investigating the system related to that particular problem? What’s a change idea? Are there any other thoughts that the team can contribute to that? And so now they have a real time sounding board and a set of thought partners to go through that process with. And so we have had exceptional gains related to student discipline.

The reduction, honestly, is astounding. And it’s not because we are ignoring or no longer suspending students. It’s because the problems don’t exist. We’ve moved from the band-aid approach of solving problems to solving to root, and then, lo and behold, problems that school site A had were also problems that school site B had. And so now, with very little effort, the learning and the strategies that are working are beginning to scale very naturally.

We also have it now where this site wants to go and observe this site during lunch or what have you because they’re learning from each other. And so, we’ve in a very natural way facilitated both the relational and the technical side of what it means to lead.

The other benefit, and actually there are many benefits to our huddle, is that it truly has flattened the organization, right? Myself and the executive cabinet team, we are furthest from the work, not because we want to be; it’s just the way the system is designed. And so, our assistant principals and our principals are getting to interact with us each and every day. I think that’s rare. You don’t see that, at least in the spaces I’ve been. You don’t get to have those types of interactions.

And the other thing that it’s done is even though we have many more opportunities to engage with our principals, those opportunities are, they’re not as consistent with our assistant principals. And so now, we’re also getting a daily touch with our assistant principals, which is helping to build our bench, if you will, for future principals. So, there’s a lot of benefit.

Janet Pilcher: Yeah. You know, as I’ve continued to watch what you all do and your leadership in that work, I work to try to talk about how you transfer it. When I’m talking to another superintendent and we’re looking at a particular area of focus and looking at the date and looking at the trends and saying, ‘hey, that’s a hot spot right there to really kind of double down on,” which is what you all did so well. And it just seems overwhelming, Christi, at first for people when you say, “we’re going to do daily huddles with people, with our leaders coming together.” I’m just curious, like, how did you get them to say, “okay, this is something we should do” and to give that time and to say, there’s, rather than saying, “there’s no way we’re going to be able to do that.” Just curious how you manage through that.

Christi Barrett: Yeah. It is overwhelming. And now I like to say it was and that it’s past tense because you adjust and then once it becomes habitual or hardwired, now it’s just part of what we do. It’s 15 minutes, you know, and so it’s short and it’s impactful. And so what helped us overcome that overwhelming feeling and the what I would initially describe what felt like a burden on the calendar is no longer perceived that way because the time is so valuable. The other thing that we do in huddle every day is not only do we talk about student aggression and how do we work to solve for that thing one, that solves for a lot of other problems on their campuses. So now they’re getting time back, right?

But the other thing that we ask them every day in huddle is what is an immediate need that you have today that if we don’t solve for that, it’s likely that you’re going to have an increased risk of a safety or student incident. And so nine times out of 10, it’s a staffing issue. And so what happens is after they all log off, cabinet stays behind along with some of our directors and in real time, we’re reallocating resources. It’s like, okay, this particular school site doesn’t have a security officer today. Where can we get one, you know, from another site who may be overstaffed or, you know, today we don’t have our one-on-one paraprofessional at this particular site. That’s a necessary thing. How do we help the principal solve for that?

And so they see value in being in that space because not only are we getting better in solving for student discipline issues, but then other needs that they are dealing with and traditionally in the past they’ve had to deal with on their own, we’re now making the lift of the day lighter because we’re doing that for them, right? And so the space is valuable.

Janet Pilcher: Yeah. You know, and I mean, just being proactive with that ask and being able to solve immediately. And I’m sure, you know, for the, for your principals, they probably now look forward to that time. Where they get to have the huddle talk through that. And then I’m sure they’re prepared when they come to that meeting or that session.

You know, as you think about, Christi, from your standpoint, and you think about as a superintendent, you really are teaching and guiding and supporting your team of leaders, your direct connection to your executive leaders who then are supporting the people who report to them and the principals. You know, so I’ve learned or just kind of began over the years just talking about being a good leader really means being a good coach. I mean, we’re really a good coach to our people. And when we’re a good coach, what I’ve found over the years is it’s made me a better leader. I’ve just grown into a better and better leader. So I have a lot to learn, but having that coaching approach makes me better.

You know, just curious, as I say that, does that resonate with you, or how do you perceive the way that you grow as a leader as you’re engaging in this type of process with your teams of leaders?

Christi Barrett: I do agree with what you’ve stated. And I do grow because learning is reciprocal. And for me, I try to be very cognizant of how people are situated in this space. And if we’ve reached a plateau, if so, what do we do about that? And my thinking would not be ignited in the way that it is if I didn’t get to see our leaders problem solving and leading in real time. And so there are things that they have surfaced that I would not have ever identified as a leadership problem that we needed to need it to solve for or build capacity so that we can make forward progress. And so a really good example of that, and I’m just being vulnerable, is when we get our executive team, our cabinet team together, they’ve been in the seats, right? They’ve been in the system for a while. And so it’s easy to take for granted that maybe they don’t need the same type of coaching as others do. And that is not true.

And so that has made me be a better leader for them because I will observe things and I’m like, “okay, let’s talk about that.” So for example, and it was uncomfortable for them, but I was like, “okay, each one of you has your own style of facilitating,” because like I said, we break into four different huddles. And I’m like, each one of you could learn something from somebody else. And I said, “I would like for us to create a schedule where I will release you from your group, and you are going to go observe your fellow cabinet member.”

Janet Pilcher: Love it.

Christi Barrett: And so we had a protocol so that we created a safe space, but we had some tension as a cabinet team because they’re like, “oh my gosh,” you know, and so anyway, all that to say it was such a good learning moment for us because in fact, one of them said, “well, this is what we’re asking our leaders to do. What does that mean if we are not willing to do that?” And so it was just, yeah, so that’s the type of learning and growing that I do personally that the team does. It’s so good for us.

Janet Pilcher: Yeah, so good. And you know, it’s just, it’s that vulnerability as a leader and putting yourself into those situations, you know, that does truly make us grow. And we have to be a confident leaders to do that and know that we are continuing to grow.

I don’t know about you, but anytime I even try to get overconfident in leadership thinking I have good leadership skills, it’s the moment that something’s going to happen that I go, “uh-oh.” [laughs]

Christi Barrett: That’s right.

Janet Pilcher: I’m going to [inaudible] myself. Let me ground myself again, Christi, you know.

Christi Barrett: Absolutely. Every couple of months we do a plus delta and then we try to adjust the huddle to, you know, meet the needs and what have you. And yeah, you know, although you receive the plus delta private, the moment that you explained is real, right? It’s like, “Oh, that pinched a little bit. I didn’t recognize that that was an area of growth for me.” So, yes. In agreement.

Janet Pilcher: Yeah, it’s so important for us to do and appreciate you doing that. So, I really appreciate the detail behind the explanation of the huddle. I’m going to close today. If we could just take what you’re doing, and it is a system approach and there are multiple things to do, but this one piece is a small piece that somebody could start to get moving to hardwire and understand what that looks like, feels like, and the outcomes. And if you were just talking to a colleague of yours who just wanted to start it, you know, what are the one or two things you would say, “just do this, just go out and start here.”

Christi Barrett: Yes, I will start by saying you’re exactly right. It can, this is, actually a huddle is a great entry point into the work. And it can be a standalone, you know, to your point. I think the thing that I would recommend is thing one, have clarity in your “why.” Because when people can identify the purpose, then they want to be part of the work, right? We want to lead with people. And so having a solid why is really important.

And once you’ve identified the why, it’s how do we know that the thing that we’ve identified is purposeful to the people that we’re bringing together?

Janet Pilcher: So good.

Christi Barrett: Right. You know, the aggressive behavior, I didn’t pick that, right? It became a crisis in our middle school. And we were struggling in our middle schools and how to approach that. And the huddle was birthed out of that. And now, of course, it’s just morphed over time. But I think if you can have a common rallying cry, that brings down a lot of barriers for you because everyone has an interest in solving.

Janet Pilcher: Yeah, I love that, Christi. And the one thing too that, you know, that I think you all did so well is they could build that rallying cry around the evidence and the data points, right? You took the, I mean, there’s emotion attached to looking at the data, but the clarity in looking at the trend data and where the problems occurred, you know, with no blame of saying “it’s your fault, your fault,” it wasn’t that. It was like, “let’s bring it to the table and let’s solve it together.” That’s something that I just think you all have done so, so well with the execution of the huddles and continuing to look at that evidence as you move forward.

I just always appreciate the connection with you. I just enjoy the conversations. You’re so, learn from you, learn from the work that you all are doing and appreciate you and the extension of the appreciation to your team, Christi, thank you very much.

Christi Barrett: Thank you and always appreciate the opportunity to share. So thank you.

Janet Pilcher: Absolutely.

Conclusion

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Janet Pilcher: Thank you, Christi, for sharing your experience today and demonstrating what it takes to press forward and support your team through the challenges they face in decreasing student aggression. You are an example of a leader who sees the data, dives into it, and identifies how to move forward. Thank you for making yourself available to your team on a daily basis and for leading the deep work that you do.

If you’d like to learn more about huddles, please visit our episode page, which I’ll leave a link to in the show notes. There you can download a sample leader huddle agenda and template so you can get started.

And as always, I thank you for tuning into this episode of Accelerate Your Performance. I look forward to connecting with you next time as we continue to focus on the organizational excellence framework so that we can be our best at work. Have a great week, everyone.