Pat Greco: How do we show up for one another? How do we support one another? How do we actually listen carefully so that we’re solving for the right challenges with the people closest to the work?

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Introduction

Janet Pilcher: Hello everyone, welcome to the Accelerate Your Performance podcast. I’m your host Janet Pilcher, founder and president of Studer Education. And I’m so glad you’re here today, as we make intentional time to invest in our leadership development.

In case this is your first time here, I’ll give you a quick rundown. Accelerate Your Performance is a podcast where we share actionable strategies for leading school districts and educational organizations and highlighting inspiring stories of educational transformation. If you want to create great organizations where people want to work, learn and succeed, you’re in the right place.

And for today’s episode and next, we have our colleague, Dr. Pat Greco, joining us to share key takeaways from our recent attendance at the annual AASA NCE conference. I had such a great time in New Orleans and walked away feeling so much pride for my colleagues and our partner organizations. The talent coming through this conference is unmatched. And I never learn more than when I’m surrounded by my fellow educators.

Today, Pat and I will dive into some of the incredible results our partners shared at the conference, showcasing the impact they’re having in their communities. We’ll also be touching on the importance of supporting all members of the school system, especially those in operational roles, which we’ll be discussing in more detail on our next episode.

So without further ado, let’s welcome back Dr. Pat Greco, Senior Director of Thought Leadership at Studer Education and former retired school superintendent and a partner of Studer Education when she was superintendent in the school district of Menomonee Falls.

Interview

Janet Pilcher: It’s with great pleasure that I welcome back one of our colleagues and someone who has done this work really well in the past and is a great coach to our partners, Pat Greco. Pat, thanks for joining me today.

Pat Greco: Always a pleasure, Janet.

Janet Pilcher: Let’s start out. We just saw each other not long ago at the AASA annual conference, NCE conference. And you had an opportunity to present to some aspiring superintendents and aspiring leaders’ groups and then to lead some panels with our partners being represented there. So, you know, just, I loved being there, hearing what they’ve done and their accomplishments. It makes you so proud. So, if you don’t mind, just talk a little bit about the excellent work and results of our partner organizations that we heard on the panels.

Pat Greco: Yeah, and it’s always a pleasure, and Janet, like you said, the panels are extra special because you have the opportunity to pull organizations from really coast to coast. You know, we had Martha from New York all the way to Shawn from California with Jason Radford and Adam Leckie representing Kentucky and Arizona.

And I think the part that’s really remarkable in both the work that they’re doing and then the work that we’re doing alongside is where it’s really a proof point that you can take doable frameworks, you know, for leadership and for organizational improvement. You can go into really different contexts, different organizations, different settings and make really impactful work come to life with leaders that are really leaning in. You know, so I affectionately say you can improve any system up to the level that the leaders are engaged in. You know, the panels represented as well as the roundtables, leaders who are deeply committed to making an impact on both culture and outcomes for their systems. And that’s really what we were able to highlight during the course of the National Conference.

So really, thank each of the leaders engaged with other leaders willing to share their stories and as well as highlight the book that you wrote. You know, because obviously, you know, that also represents additional vignettes of leaders really doing impactful work.

Janet Pilcher: Yes. And one of the things I really, really liked about the presentations is they did talk about what they did and follow the frameworks and the application, and they showed the results for it, Pat. I mean, not just “we’re doing this,” you know, we heard it a number of times, “we’re not just doing activity. We’re not just doing these things, but we’re doing something very specifically and here are the results that we’re getting.” And across the board, you saw just the results that they were focusing on. They’re not necessarily the same, but what their particular need is, their issue is, their problem of practice, so to speak, that they’re trying to solve, and they’re really doubling down on that.

Pat Greco: Yeah, really, and it’s really impactful. So as you think about, you know, Jason Radford talked about when he started the work, their culture was really tender, you know, their feedback was relatively low, and now they have 90% of their employees that are demonstrating faith in the leadership and in the organization as well as top student performance.

Yeah, so when you think about the work of Shawn Tenenbaum in San Benito High School in California, they’re a rapidly growing system and in that rapid growth, leaders have a tendency to focus on the growth, not necessarily the culture. And Shawn really spoke to how they’re keeping the people leaning in, how they’re actually engaging with the voice of the students and the team members, and really demonstrating improved results in that context. So. the results are really significant as you’re thinking about where are they starting and what is the impact of the work that they’re doing.

Janet Pilcher: Yeah, so good. And Shawn was just on recently and he talked about the, really how he’s using the surveys and the rounding process and operating those two, just fantastic work. So, you know, the other thing that I had the honor to do is sit in the aspiring superintendents, aspiring leaders session that you led, Pat. And when I was in that session and listening and getting to know some of the potential superintendents of the future, it’s bright. You know, I mean, it’s bright with the talent that’s in there. So, you know, talk about that. I mean, talk about what you see because you get a chance to work with these types of leaders all year long.

Pat Greco: Yeah, and really appreciate you highlighting that Janet and Dave Schuler at AASA and the AASA team is working really hard to provide that level of support for leaders relatively early in their career. And then also leaders from across the country to come together in smaller groups, not just at the conference, but leaning into cohort support for the leaders.

And we have the ability to work alongside AASA and that work on the development of the Nine Principles, the focus on the execution framework for improvement for organizational improvement, and really building that foundation so that leaders can see that work. The cohorts are a gift because often we think, you know, you think about, you know, the struggles within the work that we’re doing, but we have leaders that are deeply committed to making an impact, dedicating the time for their own learning, dedicating the commitment to really share those insights back at their sites, learn from one another.

It’s really easy to stay regional with your development. These are people that are really focused on how can we actually lean into our own learning, but then learn from leaders across the nation. So the aspiring leaders, like you said, you know, are, we’re in good hands as we take a look at the men and women who are really wanting to serve their communities in a really significant way.

Janet Pilcher: Yeah, so good. I had a chance to sit by Charlotte at Bogalusa School District. She and I were elbow partners the whole day, and it was just so much fun for me to be an active participant in that process and, you know, to learn from each other. So I appreciate you, Pat, doing that as a service for us and appreciate AASA really giving us that opportunity to connect to the future, the future leaders of our profession.

You know, the other thing as I was sitting there that day and throughout the conference, I heard you say a number of times that you’re working on culture and strategy. You start with culture so you can execute the strategy. I might not say it in your language there, but that’s what I heard. But talk about this a little bit more because I think that’s so significant in the way that we do our work and how our partners are really getting the results.

Pat Greco: Yeah, and Janet, when you think about it, it really goes back to our roots from the classroom. You know, so there are people who teach a content area and happen to teach children, and there are people that really teach children and then, you know, bring in the content area. Leadership isn’t different than that.

You know, so when you’re building the capability of teams, it’s really building those strong relationships so that you’re building capacity to weather hard stuff, but you’re doing it in a really significant way of supporting people individually and collectively. And that culture, you know, how do we show up for one another? How do we support one another? How do we actually listen carefully so that we’re solving for the right challenges with the people closest to the work?

That culture for the work really gives us the ability to apply key strategies and then lean into really significant results. And we’re seeing really significant results happen in organizations where traditionally, their cultures were tender, they started there first, they actually leaned into “how do we problem solve together?” As a result, they’re getting better outcomes operationally and academically. Math is improving, systems are improving, service is improving, the other feedback is improving, the team is healthy because they started with that culture and then strategy to execution.

Janet Pilcher: Yeah, so good. And just, you know, someone asked me after one of the sessions, you know, “how do you, how do you get this going?” And I said, “you just start somewhere,” you know, like you say, you just start very specifically one thing and you build, and then it becomes part of your DNA. And that’s what we’re really seeing there. It just becomes part of how they wake up every day and do the work that they do. That touched my heart that it just, it’s, it just becomes so part of who they are as leaders.

Pat Greco: Yeah, and, and Janet, the other piece that, you know, when you think about, we’re grounded in what the research indicates we should be doing. And often, when we take a look at strategy to execution, the way in which the strategy is designed is too heavy. You know, so as we’re, as we’re working with teams, we’re really trying to figure out, how do we get underneath those lightest tools, strategies and execution, so that we can do the complicated stuff, but we don’t start there.

You know, the ability to actually understand, start small, and then scaffold, and then communicate effectively and scaffold, and then, you know, continuing to tell the story of what impact the smaller teams are happening, but really build the system and processes to spread really has significant impact.

Janet Pilcher: Yeah, so good. You know, Pat, the other thing I heard you talk about throughout the conference that resonated with me and it was consistent is you talked about half of our workforce and school systems is in support areas, like operations and academic support. And, and these staff members also need support and development. So talk a little bit more about that.

Pat Greco: Yeah, and Janet, when we think about it, it’s almost a blind spot for our field that we are so student-centered, which is our core purpose. And there’s no doubt that that’s, you know, that’s that core mission, that core focus. The challenge that we have is we’ve also become blinded to half of our employees are typically not classroom teachers. You know, there’s support team members, front office team members, night custodians, maintenance workers, drivers, food service workers, and the ability to grow the team in a healthy way, both culture and have them be really confident in knowing how to do their work really well. That’s actually what drives a healthy system.

And so when, when I say it’s typically a blind spot, we think about our year starting on July one, you know, with onboarding going in the summer. Half of our employees are not classroom teachers, and we’re really hiring all year long. But we get into that mental framework of a calendar year of a school system. And we’re actually not really seeing the barriers we as leaders are building right back within our systems of not designing month over month onboarding support for all team members, really that close listening and that that deep problem-solving with the people closest to the work on both the instructional and the operational side.

Janet Pilcher: Yeah, and so good. And I could see that resonate, Pat, you know, when I was sitting in the sessions, and you would say that, you know, you could see people like,” Oh, my gosh, you know, I,” it is that blind spot. It’s almost like, “I didn’t think of that. Oh, my gosh, I should think a little bit more.”

You know, so, that’s one thing I love about our work is that we really look at the people of an organization and try to provide the best for them so that they can be at their best and leaders being critical in that formula. Next podcast, we’re gonna, we’re gonna jump into an example of that. I’ve, you and I are gonna have a conversation very specifically about how you build operational excellence and look at something very specific on how you provide that support.

But Pat, I just really appreciate the opportunity. I’m so glad I had an opportunity to go to AASA. My job there is to just take it in, listen, listen to the work of our partners. And I left there, I was in New Orleans, and I’m in Pensacola, so I got a chance to drive home after being there. And my reflections were just pride, you know, just really proud, proud of our coaches, proud of people like you who are doing the heavy lifting out there. And, you know, just proud of the people that we get to serve each and every day. It was, it’s such a highlight to see that.

Pat Greco: Yeah, and Janet, the other piece that you should be reflecting on is really also impact, you know, because as, you know, as the founder of the work that we do, you know, you worked really hard to build that foundation of the research around leadership, that research around strategy to execution, you know, you do the work, you know, in with our higher ed partners and the community college partners.

Many people don’t realize you’re taking organizations that are near bankrupt to actually top performers, and just paralleling the work that we’re doing in K12 with those higher ed partners. So I was grateful you were there to be able to see that work unfold on that K12 piece, and really get the honor for what you’ve created in our field. And after more than a decade of work, really the impact that you’re having on both K12 education communities, the impact for students, and the ability to change lives for students as they’re going into their careers within community colleges. So I appreciate being alongside that work and really honor the work that you’ve built as a foundation.

Janet Pilcher: Thank you so much, Pat. It is truly, truly work that I think both of us know is the right work to do.

Pat Greco: It is.

Janet Pilcher: And that’s, you know, that partnering with you in that process is so, so important. We, you know, we say the word “make a difference,” but this truly is—

Pat Greco: —making a difference.Yeah, yeah, no better work available to us as leaders and on behalf of our communities.

Janet Pilcher: Yeah. Pat, thanks so much. We’ll hit the next podcast to get a little bit more in detail on some specifics on operational excellence. Thank you.

Pat Greco: That’d be great.

Conclusion

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Janet Pilcher: Thank you, Pat, for your dedication to our partners and their organizations. You have such an effective way of communicating complex ideas. And I’m grateful for you and your ability to connect with leaders to help them improve their organization’s performance. I’m lucky to call you both a colleague and a friend.

If you enjoyed this episode, you’ll want to connect with us at our Virtual Destination High Performance conference. We pack three focused two-and-a-half-hour days with actionable learning, and Pat will be there teaching a mini masterclass alongside Dr. Jennifer Martin of Hemet Unified School District. They’ll be speaking—Oh yeah, you guessed it—making the complex simple. Register now and make plans to learn how to streamline your processes to greater efficiency and impact. To register, please go to studereducation.com/events to learn more.

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