Shawn Tennenbaum: One of our mottoes is, you know, our belief is that continuous improvement is a daily action. And if we’re shooting for continuous improvement every day, well, we really need to ask, you know, the folks that are part of the equation.

[Intro music plays in the background.]

Introduction

Janet Pilcher: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Accelerate Your Performance podcast. I’m your host, Janet Pilcher.

And today I’m excited to welcome back Dr. Shawn Tennenbaum of the San Benito High School District in Hollister, California. Shawn’s been on the show before to talk about rounding, and I’ll leave that link in the show notes so you can listen to it as a refresher.

In this conversation today, we go a little bit deeper to hear more about how he approaches rounding and specifically how he uses it along with district surveys to create a continuous feedback loop of improvement. Such an important episode to listen to. Love this connection, you all. He’ll also touch on the role of rounding in providing excellent service. And that’s our bottom line is being of service to those we serve each and every day.

But first, a little bit about him. Shawn has dedicated the past 32 years serving students, parents and school communities. He’s been a teacher, coach, administrator and now superintendent. His numerous awards throughout his career speak to his commitment to excellence, continuous learning, and growth. So let’s dive in and get to it with Shawn.

Interview

Janet Pilcher: It’s with great pleasure that I welcome Shawn to our show today. Shawn, welcome. Good to have you with us.

Shawn Tennenbaum: Oh, Janet, it’s my pleasure and it’s great to be back with you.

Janet Pilcher: Absolutely.  So let’s start off, share a bit about your district’s journey with rounding because that’s what we’re going to talk about today. A little bit about rounding and connection to some surveys and a feedback loop. That’s where we’ll go with the conversation.

But if you would just start out with a little bit about your journey with rounding and how you got started with rounding in your district, and what you’re doing with it at a high level.

Shawn Tennenbaum: Yeah, thank you, Janet. And first and foremost, thank you for the opportunity to share with you today. I do have to give a shout out to Dr. Amy Fowler, our partner. She’s been a wonderful, wonderful teammate. And really, the journey started with her. She brought a concept to us from the Studer Education kind of playbook. We have a firm belief in gathering input and feedback.

We have a firm belief in trying to engage and support student voice, staff voice, hearing from our parents. But we really hadn’t formalized a system. We were gathering survey data. We would have meetings. We would have some kind of input sessions. And I’m sure superintendents across the nation all do the same, right? They have different forums.

Well, when Amy brought us rounding, it was a way to systematize capturing input on a meaningful topic that we could then actually turn into actionable items. So we were gathering input. We were taking a look at how we would take action on those items, if you will. And ultimately, we started with the board of trustees. So you can imagine, we didn’t start with the staff members. We didn’t start with our, you know, our leaders on campus. We took a leap of faith. And boy, I tell you what, that was a leap of faith.

Janet Pilcher: Yeah.

Shawn Tennenbaum: So we had our five elected officials and myself rounding with community members about the necessity for a new high school in our district. And the necessity came about because we’re a growing district. But really, it was a necessity because our board members were getting like an onslaught, if you will, of community questions or stopped at Nob Hill or any other of the, you know, shopping centers and being asked questions. So rather than them being reactive, we actually took the offensive and it worked out brilliantly. And then from there, we started to cascade it through the district.

Janet Pilcher: Yeah. So that’s interesting. And so you were really looking at how you could leverage that tactic in a way that with a really difficult situation, or, you know, something that’s difficult to key message and manage. I love that, Shawn, you know, just a good way to start. But yeah, very bold on your part there.

Shawn Tennenbaum: Well, I thought we would start at the top, right? [laughs]

Janet Pilcher: Yeah. [laughs]

Shawn Tennenbaum: I mean, if we really think about it, you know, the board needed tools too.

Janet Pilcher: Yeah.

Shawn Tennenbaum: And I think we often, as superintendents and school leaders, you know, we’re training down.

Janet Pilcher: Yeah.

Shawn Tennenbaum: We’re educating, we’re supporting our leaders. And I thought to myself, you know, in working with Amy, let’s give this a shotLove it.

Janet Pilcher: Love it. Yeah. And it ended up being really successful for you all.

Shawn Tennenbaum: It did.

Janet Pilcher:  So a nice way to start. You know, and as we continue to talk, I know as we will begin to focus on the district service excellence survey, the support services survey. And service excellence, it’s so dear to my heart, Shawn. Just it, services, we’re here to serve, and our ability to serve well has always been meaningful to me. And I know is to you. So how does internally rounding, you know, support that goal of really helping you be a good service to others?

Shawn Tennenbaum: Yeah, no, Janet, I agree with you wholeheartedly. And, you know, I think, one, I’m honored and proud to be a steward for the district. And I know that my time is, you know, it’s finite. It has a start and an end. And so my goal is to maximize every opportunity to serve our community well. And it’s not just the greater community, it’s the internal community as well.

And to do that, we have to have a system of gathering support and gathering input and gathering feedback. And what are we doing? If we’re trying to make change, and, you know, one of our mottos is, you know, our belief is that continuous improvement is a daily action. And if we’re shooting for continuous improvement every day, well, we really need to ask, you know, the folks that are part of the equation.

We have our students, we have our staff, we have our parents, we have our industry partners, we have our business leaders, we have our faith-based organizations. The list goes on and on. And, you know, as one of the top five employers in our county, you know, we want to serve well. But we also want to receive feedback. So rounding really, really comported well with our ethos and our value system.

Janet Pilcher: Yeah, so good. And so let’s talk a little bit about how you do that and what that looks like. And so we’ve been leading up to it, but you’ve integrated rounding with your district services survey. And I’ve heard you mentioned, when we talked earlier a little bit today, about you drive with the feedback loop that connects rounding and the survey together. Love to hear like, how do you, how does that look like and how are you using that with your team?

Shawn Tennenbaum: Yeah, first and foremost, I should have done it eight years ago.

Janet Pilcher: [laughs]

Shawn Tennenbaum: I mean, if I could look back in time and say, “well, I should have done one thing, it’s this.” So in working with Dr. Fowler, you know, we started to build a graphic organizer, a tool. And the tool was really a visual representation of how we would engage the type of tool we would engage with the timeframe. And then ultimately, what would we do with that?

So we started with the concept of rounding. And rounding is not a one size fits all box. We have a beginning, we have two rounding sessions during the school year, and one at the end. So we have a quarterly rounding schedule. That built the feedback loop, if you will, for rounding.

The first and the last are entirely driven by the beginning of the school year and the end of the school year. Number two and number three in the cycle are all departmental focused. And so departmental focus means: what do I need to work on as a leader? If we’re using the DSS survey well, and we’re correlating, which we do, we have both a fall and a spring DSS survey, we look at the results and we create an action plan.

And to give you an example, Janet, if I’m rounding with department or my department and staff members in my department, and timeliness may not be where I want it to be, then I should be rounding about timeliness and the actions I might take or I am taking to see if I’m making improvement and to gather and elicit feedback. That then is built into our feedback loop.

So we start with rounding as a whole, then we break into departmental focused rounding, and then we provide the DSS survey. We analyze the results, we go through the rounding cycle in number three, and then we have DSS survey number two, and then we finish with rounding number four, all with the eye to continuous improvement, and all with the eye to really the pillars of Studer. And when we talk about our commitment to excellence and service excellence, and so that’s where our journey is taking us.

Janet Pilcher: Yeah. And the way that you have integrated rounding with the survey is so powerful, Shawn, because sometimes, and I’ve heard you talk about this, sometimes there’s the survey and that’s what we do, and then there’s rounding and that’s what we do, and then there’s something else in what we do. But what you’ve really done is say, “no, we’re doing one thing.” I’ve heard you say that, like, we’re doing one thing, it’s not four or five different things. Does that make sense to you there?

Shawn Tennenbaum: Absolutely. And that one thing is gathering feedback. And then when you have the feedback, taking action. And so you’re so right, Janet. What we wanted to create was a system of interdependence, a system of connectedness.

You know, as a superintendent and you’ve been there as a leader of an organization, gathering feedback is step one. Step two is what do you do with it? And then going back out to the staff members to really get their feedback on the actions that you implemented. Are they working, or are they not? And if we come back to, you know, the beginning of our conversation, you know, you talked about service excellence. I don’t know how in this day and age in 2025, you can lead an organization without doing both that are completely interconnected.

Janet Pilcher: Yes, absolutely. And it’s powerful in terms of the impact results that you get and you’re proving that and you’re showing that, you know, that’s sometimes we can talk about, it is proven. We can look at what we’re doing and then we can look at the results and see those improvements and continuously improve as you talked about.

Shawn Tennenbaum: Well, Janet, the greatest compliment, and I think I shared this earlier with you. We have the quantitative results, which we’re very proud of and they are our North Star. They point us in the right direction. That’s our compass.

But the qualitative when someone says, “Hey, Dr. Tenenbaum, how come you didn’t round with me? I want you to round with me.” I think, “wait a second. Now we’re doing something right. We’re making we’re making headway” and [inaudible] to happen in the organization.

Janet Pilcher: Yeah, and that’s so powerful and people, I always,s people love to be rounded with, and the connection, they love to connect with us, and it’s powerful and important to do. Snd it shows good genuine care and concern, along with how we get the feedback from ways that we can improve. So talk a little bit more. Let’s stay with this for a minute.

Talk a little bit more about the way you analyze your data, identify the trends from the qualitative and quantitative areas, and really focus on the improvement and potential solutions. Talk a little bit about that, Shawn.

Shawn Tennenbaum: Yeah, so I’ll give you a perfect example. We just completed rounding cycle number three, and that was a departmental focus. And so each of our leaders, we have roughly 25 leaders that are rounding with a half dozen to eight people within their department. And so there are clear questions that are developed by the leader to specifically connect with the DSS survey, one of the five key pillars, whether it be timeliness as I mentioned earlier. And so that information is gathered.

We then have each of our supervisors summarize, and we’re now using AI to help us develop the common themes, the common patterns, and really synthesize into an end product. That end product for each leader is then sent to our human resources department, who then will compile all 25 summaries using AI into common themes and patterns district wide and how we’re going to take action on them by department. So for example, if Janet is leading the HR department and Shawn is leading transportation, each of our summaries will go to HR.

A piece of my summary will then probably be emerged and or come forward in the overall summary. And then we then send that out to the staff and the entire district in our school community. And then it’s the responsibility of each leader to identify up to three action items. Those action items are then put into place for themselves between rounding number three and the next DSS survey. So we want small chunks of time. We want actionable items. And we want to take small actions for the greater good.

Janet Pilcher: And that’s, that just shows, Shawn, those are different actions that people are taking, but they truly are integrated into one. That’s a great example of showing, “hey, these aren’t separate actions that we do as leaders. This is just how we integrate the data to what we get as continuous feedback to how we show how we’re doing with the actions, make decisions on how we move forward.” So, so good there.

Shawn Tennenbaum: And Janet, one of the things I would add—

Janet Pilcher: Yeah.

Shawn Tennenbaum: I gave you the qualitative from a staff member. “Hey, Dr. T, when are you going to round with me?” That could be a bumper slogan, by the way.

Janet Pilcher: Yeah. [laughs]

Shawn Tennenbaum: And then at our supervisor meeting, which this is the first time using our DSS surveys in the action plans, supervisors were engaged in a very almost competitive way about sharing their results. “Well, wait a second, Janet, this is what we’re doing” rather than the district or the organization having to pull that out. Now we’re seeing folks be a little bit more gregarious—

Janet Pilcher: Yeah.

Shawn Tennenbaum: —in sharing their, their action plan, so.

Janet Pilcher: That’s good. And it is that, you know, when I talk about hardwire and when hardwiring excellence, that is that hardwiring behavior just becomes a practice, becomes how we do it. We’re deeply connected to our work and what we’re doing, and it just becomes an automatic practice. So we’re not having to be pulled. It’s not pulled out of us or having to be quote forced to do things. That’s such a nice, nice piece.

Well, as we close today, Shawn, I’d love for you just to wrap up and talk about what do you see as the value of consistently applying the rounding process internally just more from a value standpoint of what it means to you.

Shawn Tennenbaum: Yeah, thank you, Janet. And I’m so honored to be a partner, and I’m so honored to work with Studer and yourself and Dr. Fowler, immensely grateful.

So I think one of the keys in 2025 for a leader of a school district or any business organization for that matter is adaptability and being able to adapt to the circumstances around them. And adaptability is a really interesting thought. How are we adapting to the different, you know, could be mechanisms, the different, you know, pulses that are coming our way.

And I thought about this a lot as we were, you know, trying to be more responsive, if you will, post-COVID. You know, we saw a lot of different unique circumstances post-COVID that we did not see pre-COVID. And were we as adaptable and as agile as we needed to be to respond to the circumstances that were coming to school each day? And I would have to answer no. But in the last three years, if I, if I took what I knew now and were able to apply it immediately after COVID, and I was able to really, as a leader, deploy the feedback loops, the rounding, the DSS surveys, I think we would have been able to close that window. And we might have been able to rebound quicker as an organization.

So the value is, are you able to adapt? Are you able to be agile enough? And are you getting the right information to actually do that? And if you’re not rounding, I truly believe you don’t have the information to adapt.

Janet Pilcher: Yes. And you don’t know, and people are still believing something out there that is a mystery, you know, that you’re, that you’re being reactive instead of proactive to that, right, Shawn, you know. That’s interesting in the way that you put that in terms of the pre-COVID and after COVID and adaptability. I agree. It’s our ability to as leaders to be adaptable. I mean, that’s just part of how we have to function each and every day. And I do think that, I don’t know if it’s different, but it’s more meaningful. And it’s, it’s more of a, of a must have in terms of how we enter our worlds every day. And being able to get that feedback and get the input and act on that and work with our teams becomes extremely critical. Again, that’s not a nice to have as you’re talking about and what you do. That’s really a must have for us.

Shawn Tennenbaum: You know, and I see the future for us, Janet. You know, we talk about rounding with adults and, you know, whether that be staff members, parents, community members. I see the future of education where student leaders are rounding with other students to drive voice and input about how they want to experience their education. You know, there’s that ingredient where, you know, if we really value input and feedback, we should probably receive it from the client who’s actually being served every day. [laughs]

Janet Pilcher: Absolutely. And they will give us great, great feedback. Well, Shawn, I so appreciate you. So appreciate the partnership that we have with you and the district. This has been a delightful conversation. Such important work that you’re doing. And you’re making a difference, a meaningful difference in the lives of students and parents as well as those that you serve each and every day. You are someone who provides great service and is a model for service excellence. Thank you so much.

Shawn Tennenbaum: Thank you, Janet. Thank you for the opportunity. And I look forward to chatting again.

Janet Pilcher: Sounds good.

Conclusion

[Outro music plays in the background.]

Janet Pilcher: Thank you, Shawn, for your dedication to continuous improvement and for sharing your approach to gathering feedback and input. How you’ve integrated it into your culture to drive meaningful change is something that leaders in any field can learn from. I especially love the way you connected the survey input to the rounding conversations to move people forward so that you’re getting positive results. And you’re building care and concern with the people that you work with each and every day and providing the best service that you all can to those you serve each and every day. Thank you for your commitment to excellence.

If you want to learn directly from Shawn himself, you’ll want to join us on our Virtual Destination High Performance Conference. He’ll dive even further into rounding, and he’ll share the rounding questions and results in one of our mini master classes. So you’ll learn what he does, and he’ll teach a little bit so that you can know how you can apply surveys and the rounding conversations and how you begin to build those feedback loops. So don’t miss his master class at studereducation.com/events. I’ll also leave a link in the show notes so that you can connect to it.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance podcast. I hope to see you next week as we continue to work together to achieve organizational excellence. Have a great week, everyone.