Conversations with Erica with Guest David Halbert
Erica Mattison: [00:00:00] Welcome to Conversations with Erica. I'm your host, executive coach Erica Mattison. I'm talking with my longtime friend, David Halbert, executive director of Baystate Progress. David has dedicated his career to strengthening communities across Massachusetts and brings a grounded, purpose-driven approach to leadership.
He offers insights on growth, impact, and supporting others that can help you lead with more clarity and confidence in your own life and work.
I am delighted to be joined by my longtime friend, David Halbert. David and I have known each other for almost 20 years. Is that right, David?
David Halbert: Something along those lines.
Baby staffers in Beacon Hill.
Erica Mattison: Exactly. So what are you up to these days?
David Halbert: First off, thank you so much for having me. My day job is serving as executive director of an organization called Baystate Progress.
We are the state's [00:01:00] progressive donor table. We work as a group of social justice funders to organize household, individual, institutional, and organizational donors to help invest in organizations that are helping to move Massachusetts a little bit to the left.
One of the responses that I often get is, can Massachusetts go more to the left? My job is to help us make up that delta from where we're at as a state to where we could be in terms of how we empower communities, particularly historically underrepresented, marginalized communities. So making sure that they have the skills, the training, and the access to education, to other vehicles of empowerment to make their best case for the things that they need for their communities.
I'm constantly looking for individuals or organizations that may be in values-based alignment with the work that we are trying to do with the organizations that we've historically supported, or other organizations that we may support in the future. Also, making sure that we're serving as a good conduit for our existing membership when they're seeking information from [00:02:00] organizations that we're in partnership with and thinking about how we as an organization can be the best partner to broader movement building. So a lot of meetings, a lot of coalitions, and also making the case for why it actually is important to invest in a more progressive Massachusetts.
We're a funding intermediary, that's our technical term, so a lot of it as well is looking and seeing what's happening in terms of best practices from peers.
Erica Mattison: I know from our previous conversations that you've been doing outreach and having conversations with colleagues across the country for years now, you've been making a lot of changes in the organization, really bolstering it.
What are you seeing as some of those best practices that you've either been able to incorporate into your work here in Massachusetts or would like to?
David Halbert: A big function of that is how we're thinking about long-term planning. So for a lot of organizations, you know, they're working to put out the fires that are right in front of them.
And they're very real and they need the resources in order to do that. One of the reasons that we think our model actually works [00:03:00] well is because it gives us a little bit of remove. We're not a primary programmer, right? We don't run these programs. We're helping to support and fund them, and that gives us a little bit of distance to look at the landscape.
Writ large across the state and they say, Hey, what are the things that are missing here? For example, a great example of that is in many states, um, they have organizations that are called lead and then typically some kind of name, you know, adjacent to that, and they're connected to an organization called the Pipeline Fund.
I always say it's a little bit of a misnomer because Pipeline doesn't write giant checks, but they do help stand up these talent development pipelines typically related to whatever the conditions on the ground are, whatever the political and social and civics conditions on the ground are. But they do work to help make sure that not just candidates, but in some states campaign staff and some.
Civic leaders as well are coming together, not just being trained in giving skills development, um, but also being in conversation with one another for resiliency and sustainability practices. In addition, they help to [00:04:00] convene existing programs like Emerge or Leaders Council and others to make sure that they're looking at a map and saying who's doing what work where, and who's not doing work in places, and figuring out where those areas of need really are. So we're working right now very intentionally in conversation with pipeline to think about what that could look like for Massachusetts, how we could get that off the ground.
Erica Mattison: So it sounds like a lot of coordination, identifying gaps, working across different organizations to seek to fill those gaps?
David Halbert: Absolutely. A significant amount of it is strategic analysis. The people who are in organizations who are committing their funds to the work that we're directing towards, they're doing so very generously. Part of covenant that we have with them, making sure that we are engaging in due diligence, in ways that are equitable and equity centered as well.
Understanding that, you know, a traditional grant application, for example, may not be a great fit. If we were thinking about movement building for under-resourced communities because they don't have full-time development [00:05:00] staff. There may be issues around making sure that we're being culturally competent.
So it's taking that long term, 30,000 strategic analytical view of things and then drilling it down to how it manifests on the ground. Each individual organization, each individual community constituent that we're working with.
Erica Mattison: Can you break it down into really concrete terms?
David Halbert: Yeah, absolutely. When I talk to people, when they ask what I do, I always tell you the easiest way to explain it is fundraising. We're trying to get more resources for these organizations. A number of years ago, prior to my time here. The community of donors under a different name, at the time, the Progressive Massachusetts Funders Collaborative, was one of the groups that was helping to stand up what is now the Massachusetts Voter Table. It's a 5 0 1 C3 organization that does work on voter education, voter engagement, making sure that communities know what their voting rights are, what it is affecting them at the voting level, and doing so in a very intentional way.
What they focus on, once again, those marginalized and historically underrepresented communities, not exclusively, but really leaning into that. [00:06:00] So our group was very instrumental in providing the initial capital to help get that project off the ground. It's been a significant success and it's expanded into a program now called the Democracy Hubs, which serve as little nodes all across the state, where they have anchor organizations and then smaller groups are able to connect with those for technical assistance, funding as well, and doing things at a regional level.
We know how we think about things here as we're talking Greater Boston and what exists in our day to day is different than folks talking in Western Mass where we both went to college, for example. It's very important that we're continuing to sustain that kind of work.
On a more recent basis, we have two components, a 5 0 1 C3 tax deductible for those who may not know, a charitable side, Baystate Progress, and then a progress action fund, which is a 5 0 1 C 4 organization by tax designation.
5 0 1 C 4 contributions aren't tax deductible, so those dollars are often much harder to get, and that's one of the reasons why our work, we believe, has so much value for those organizations, particularly the smaller ones. [00:07:00] There's one called Act on Mass. It's done a lot of work around legislative transparency that's really borne through particularly late, so we're very happy about that.
Erica Mattison: I was gonna ask about some more examples of what kinds of organizations you're supporting and partnering with, and what kinds of work are they doing.
David Halbert: It really runs the gamut. Much of it is around civic education and around civic engagement, but manifesting in different ways. So act on mass. Their primary focus is increasing transparency on Beacon Hill, where our legislature sits.
As you know, our legislature is many things, but transparent is not typically one of the adjectives folks use for it. So making sure that there's more sunlight right in the work that is happening and how the work of the people is happening there. Making sure that everyday citizens have as much access as possible to the decisions that are being made about their tax dollars, about their communities, which we think is an important part of democracy, writ large, and having a genuine, authentic, more progressive community generally.
Mass Alliance is a different organization. They're an umbrella organization, and they have a [00:08:00] number of different members. They have labor organizations, they have small civic groups coming together to be in conversation with one another about the work that they're doing and how they can use collective power to move the needle, move the agenda.
Erica Mattison: I know because we, we go way back, that you have been passionate about public policy issues for a very long time and you are like an encyclopedia when it comes to certainly greater Boston, Massachusetts, I'm imagining also probably nationally. So tell us a little bit about how you got to where you are. Bring us back in time.
David Halbert: What brought me here is really a story about connection. Three and a half years ago, I was coming off of, uh, run for city council in Boston. I ran for one of the four at large seats. Got to finish in the top four. I finished fifth, so it was just on the outside and trying to figure out what was next. And I got a phone call from my then state senator, uh, Sonia Chang Diaz, and she said, there's this organization, they're looking to hire their [00:09:00] first full-time staff person and scale up in this new inaugural executive director role.
Would you be interested? And she connected me with the person who was helping lead that search, who is a former colleague of hers, and the rest is somewhat history. It's a function of relationships because having run for office and then having spent, as you know, the majority of my career in public service at different levels, you carry those relationships with you even when you leave those jobs.
So you always need to carry yourself in such a way as making sure that the version of you that you're showing up with and putting out there in the world is the one that you want people to see, whether you're being paid for it or not, 'cause you never know where it's gonna lead.
Erica Mattison: Definitely. And sometimes when I am out and about, people will say to me, Erica, you know, everyone.
And I say, well, of course I don't know everyone, but I do have a network. And not to compare, but you know, you, you have a really amazing network. So for people who maybe it [00:10:00] feels intimidating to network to go meet new people or put themselves out there, or even to reengage with people they're already connected to, who they haven't talked to in a long time.
What would you say to them about either some mindset shifts that that might be helpful or some really concrete approaches that could come in handy for them if they're wanting to feel more connected or grow their network?
David Halbert: It's totally understandable that it can be intimidating for folks, right? Not everybody wants to do what you've done for candidates.
What I've done for other candidates and myself, which is like go to stranger's doors, knock on them, and just have conversations. That can be a whole lot, but we're all networking constantly. Really, when you think about it, right? The organizations that we work in professionally, the place that works civically, maybe you're a parent and people at your kid's school, the teachers, the other parents, you're having engagements naturally so
I hope people don't think about it as much as forcing the issue. [00:11:00] You don't have to be a candidate for office and kind of carry it at that level. What it can be very simply is are you finding people who you have commonality with? And starting from there, maybe you're part of a civic organization, maybe you just are neighbors on a street and you think, Hey, there's a streetlight that's out.
Maybe let's talk about it. And thinking about how you can carry those conversations into action. It doesn't have to be some world changing event, but it could just be something small that you know, and you're starting to build from there. Learning what skills and what approaches work for you. Maybe you're somebody who really enjoys the one-on-one face-to-face conversation.
Maybe you're actually more of an epistolary. We'll use one of my English degree words and you love sending emails and things of that nature. It's figuring out what fits comfortably and what makes sense for you as far as your networking, but also don't sell yourself short.
I think a lot of times people do that. They're in these situations where they say, I don't want to network because nobody wants to hear what I have to say. More often than not, I can [00:12:00] speak from experience, people really actually are very interested, as long as that's a two-way street. If you're just talking about yourself, it's one thing, but people love to hear about people, particularly when those people also wanna hear about them.
So making sure that you're using all of those engagements, those discussions as opportunities for learning and for authentic connection as well. Your network doesn't have to span thousands of people. If you have a strong network of a dozen people, that's good.
Erica Mattison: Absolutely. So a few themes that I'm hearing are focus on commonalities, come from a place of curiosity and authenticity.
Make sure that it's mutual and that there's space for both of you to contribute and share and listen and learn. What else?
David Halbert: Think how you can give back. Through these networks. In my experience, I always lead in all of my emails with a quote that I picked up in high school, actually, it's one of my favorites, and it says, "care less for your harvest than for [00:13:00] how it is shared and your life will have meaning and your heart will have peace."
And I think that can guide you in many ways, or at least it has been very, very powerful for me. Thinking not just about what you're getting from a situation, but also what you're giving and how and whom you're giving to. That's something that's really been at the core of my experience and I think it's shown through the work that I've engaged in.
You know, it's funny, I have three best friends. Uh, we've been friends since I moved here as a kid from Ohio to lovely Framingham, Massachusetts. We're actually just together this past weekend, and the other three are all in the private sector. I always say like I'm the poor kid before our group. While the bank account might not be quite as robust as my friends', and they all are incredibly hard workers and deserve every penny of it. I know that in spirit, I'm just as rich as any of them because I wake up, I like the work that I'm doing. I think that it's really important. I feel that it really invigorates me in many ways. You know, that idea of how can you give back, how can you look to be a part of solving problems for others?
Uh, that [00:14:00] really edifies me. And I think when we, as we think about networking, that's part of it too. Where are the networks that you're plugged into that make you feel good? It doesn't have to be a job. It doesn't have to be a chore. It should be something that you want to be engaged in.
Erica Mattison: So thinking of it, not so much as networking, but relationship building, connecting with others, coming from a place of service and not worrying so much about how you might come across, or are people going to be interested in you or do you have anything valuable to say?
But how can I be of service and how can I get to know other people and just see where it might lead?
David Halbert: Absolutely. The opportunities are endless. Mm-hmm. You know, it's funny you talk about networks. My older daughter this morning, I was dropping her off at her summer camp program and of course we're crossing the street and I have to run into somebody that I do, and she said, I have to get to camp.
You always run into somebody. So you know, it's also carving out those spaces and the interaction that he and I had was brief. I think a lot of people think of networking as it has to be this very intense thing, right? We have to sit down and have [00:15:00] a full meal or a formal meeting. Sometimes it is that, but sometimes it's just passing somebody on the street saying hi , asking intentionally about what's going on with them and then keeping it moving.
Everybody has things to do but I, I've never walked away from one of those encounters and thought, man, I really wish that person hadn't talked to me at all. Most of the time I'm like, I gotta make sure I get back in touch with that person.
You wanna leave that little morsel, that little breadcrumb trail that people can follow to come back to you.
Erica Mattison: What I'm taking away too, from what you're saying, Dave, is that it's more about quality in terms of the interactions than it is about quantity.
David Halbert: Exactly. So many of us are on social media and you can look at your numbers.
They always say, you might have thousands of friends, quote unquote, on one of these social media platforms, but how many of them are people that you really are interacting with? Like you want to know what's going on with them. You wanna pay attention. And for some folks it's very curated, right? They really do have a list that's only the people they wanna interact with.
But a lot of us are just kind of, you know, mission creep, if you will. A little bit of a inflation and expansion. Sometimes it's egos stroking to have so [00:16:00] many people who are following me and maybe I'm an influencer or I feel that. Way, and for some people that is actually what they're trying to do professionally so no harm, no foul there. But I think for a lot of us, it's really going through and checking those lists and saying, how do I know this person? That's actually a very easy exercise you can go through for those who are engaged in things like social media and just going through and saying, do I remember where I met this person?
Or do I remember the last time I saw this person or spoke with this person? For two reasons. One shaking things out a little bit, but two, maybe it's for, Hey, I haven't spoken to that person in three months, six months, a year. I should reach out to them. A lot of it is about muscle memory, I find in networking and just about making habits.
You wanna make sure that there's certain things that you're doing, whether it's writing thank you cards, when people engage with you, or just checking in on people on a more regular basis, making sure that you're not just paying attention to them specifically, but to the world around them. Right? Asking somebody how their spouse, or child, or parent is if there's a project that they've been connected.
How's it going? [00:17:00] If somebody says hi to you, that's great. The someone says Hi. Oh, I remember that you were working on this thing at work. Now is it completed? How's it going? That shows not only, you said the intentionality of it, that you're actually listening to what they have to say and you're bringing that back and that you're or truly showing up as invested in them to some degree.
Erica Mattison: Hmm. So showing interest in other people, remembering. What they had going on in their life the last time you were in touch and inquiring about that. I mean, that's such a way to be present with people and really show that you're paying attention and and you care.
David Halbert: Absolutely. And so much the core of what we do at Baystate Progress is about that.
It's about building community, building networks and trying to bring people. Also understanding. The mother has a phrase that I've really caught into a lot, particularly as I've gotten older, which is you have to work with people where they are to get them where you need them to be.
Erica Mattison: You talked a little bit earlier about being somebody who's mission-driven or purpose-driven, somebody who's really dedicated to public service [00:18:00] and wanting to make a positive difference, and you talked about how dedicating your career to this work gives you this sense of fulfillment that is different than what money does for us. Yes, we, we have bills to pay. I don't discount the importance of money, but when you think about fulfillment in life, I'd be curious to hear you talk a little bit more about that.
David Halbert: I think a lot of it, for me, the grounding really comes from my family, particularly my parents.
They both were now retired career federal employees. My father at the Youth Department of Justice down in Atlanta primarily, and my mother, which what moved us up here, working for the Environmental Protection Agency. So seeing a lot of very hard work, right? Support and service of community was very much at the core.
And for my mother, after she retired from the EPA, became a minister for a number of years. I make a joke that for most people they say the things you're not supposed to talk about at the dinner table are [00:19:00] politics and religion. And in our family, that's literally all we talk about at the dinner table.
But in all seriousness, that really planted the seed for me, and I would say for my sisters as well. Is it enough just to have all the toys or are you making the world around you a little bit better? When I was a kid, I was a Boy Scout. I'm an Eagle Scout. So, giving back in structured ways, in intentional ways really manifests itself a lot of other areas of my life.
In addition to my professional work, I serve on a number of different boards throughout the area. Actually, I'm heading out west to my alma mater, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, in lovely North Adams, where I'm gonna be joining the board of trustees. It's making sure that you're taking care of the institutions that have taken care of you as well.
MCLA was a pivotal point in my life. I learned more about what I wanted to do professionally in terms of politics and policymaking . Made some incredible friendships. Met my wife at the school.
I'm kind of the poster child for the Alumni Development Office. now to be at this stage , and to be [00:20:00] stepping back onto campus in this way that I can hopefully help give back to the institution and have another group of students have a similar or better experience than I had.
That makes me feel good.
Erica Mattison: That's wonderful. I'm sure you're gonna bring a lot to that role.
You also have a master's degree because again, you're very passionate about these issues and love learning. So tell us a little bit about how that played a role in your life.
David Halbert: I hold a master's in public administration, as do you. Mine's from the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University. And it was an interesting pathway there. I originally thought I was gonna pursue an MPA right out of school as an undergrad. So I graduated in 2003 and I was looking forward to it.
That year I had a very important conversation with my then college president, Dr. Mary Grant, who's now actually the president at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. I always bring that up 'cause I was on her selection committee for MCLA, so I was always very happy about that. She was a wonderful leader, our first alumni president, and she said something to me because she had a degree from the McCormick School at UMass Boston.
She said, [00:21:00] go work. Go get some real practical experience to bring back to the classroom, so it's not all theoretical and academic.
Erica Mattison: I totally agree with that. I, I say that to everybody all the time.
David Halbert: Yeah. So, and it was one of the most sound pieces of advice that I got. So I left, I went, I worked on Beacon Hill, I worked at Boston City Hall.
I worked at a number of organizations. When I went back to graduate school, I was at the Middlesex Sheriff's Office, which often surprises people, knowing where my political proclivities lie. They'd been there and wanted to elevate my career and knew that I was bumping up against the limits of my undergraduate degree and what doors that open, and so I applied.
I also had a wife and a mortgage, and little did we know about two months into my graduate experience we were also going to have a child. So I needed to keep my job, my day job. So at one point I was working full-time at the sheriff's office. I was carrying a full-time graduate school course load and I was preparing to be, and then was a first time father. Um, so a little bit going on [00:22:00]
Erica Mattison: and I still got to see you at least once during
David Halbert: We did. You did, you did.
You did. It was a great experience. Barry Bluestone, who was one of the professors, now, professor Emeritus, said we think of the policy school as a Think and Do Tank.
That really hit with me that it wasn't, let's just sit here in an ivory tower environment and think about these things at the theoretical level, but let's really think about how they're applied in the real world. And all the professors brought that ethos with them.
The confidence of that is one of the things that inspired me to launch my first run for city council in 2019. And for the relationship management, I think we see this a lot in graduate and doctoral education, you have a different relationship with the educators, with your professors, so they are not peers necessarily, but a different relationship than you have when you're younger as an undergrad for most of us. So got to know them as people as well. Stayed in contact with them, have stayed very active and involved, and actually now serve on the advisory board for the policy [00:23:00] school and started that last year as well.
So once again, continuing to think about how you can give back and pour back into organizations and people and institutions that have poured into you.
Erica Mattison: I remember speaking of networks, a group that you and I used to belong to and we would get up early in the morning and go have these wonderful get togethers.
I think it was at like 7:00 AM something like that. And it was a, a table full of really interesting driven people and we would meet with very interesting speakers who were heads of universities and hospitals and presidents, CEOs of of companies. Any memories from that time, any of that exposure that had an impact on you?
David Halbert: Yeah, it was a great group. Young professionals who wanted to meet with people who were kind of moving and shaking as it were. It opened a lot of doors for a lot of interesting conversations. Learned a lot as you said. From the people who were coming and presenting to their organization, a lot of different walks of life, lots of different pathways and career pathways that weren't ones that I would've necessarily been [00:24:00] connected to.
And even more so the individuals who were around the table, they're coming a lot from the private sector. Mm-hmm. So for me, as somebody who's very much been in the public sector side of things, having that access to individuals who were also curious and interested, but approaching things and problems and problem solving.
From a very different pathway. It was very, very beneficial getting those. And then of course, just on a human level, you know, people who we were friends beforehand, um, but others who I got to meet through that organization who I'm still friends with and still, you know, sit down and catch up with. There's seasons to things.
I think that's the other thing that can be challenging for folks, the organization, you. In existence now, but that's okay. Sometimes there's a sense of loss. I think a lot of times people feel like when these organizations go away or people walk away themselves, that they can feel very awkward in engaging with folks from those communities, right?
Because that was a natural piece of cohesion between you and others. And when it's not there, you know, it's, well, not for that. Why are we connecting? So putting yourself [00:25:00] out there, being vulnerable to say, Hey, we may not be a part of this team, this club, this organization that might live in this neighborhood anymore 'cause you moved but I still find value in you and in our relationship and want to see if that can evolve.
Erica Mattison: I was just having a conversation with a client about that topic.
Just because a particular way you connected with somebody or a reason that you usually see them changes or goes away, doesn't mean that whole relationship has to be abandoned.
David Halbert: Exactly. And I think it's also very honest and human to acknowledge that there's a sense of loss and a sense of grief at times, depending on how your organizational engagement ends. Sometimes it's very clean, it's very happy. People are happy for you to go to something else. Sometimes it's less so, and that that can be complicated when somebody leaves under a different circumstance. But you still at an individual level, have that connection with them. So navigating that from an emotional standpoint, from a professional standpoint, if it's a professional relationship, that can be [00:26:00] challenging.
But I think the best thing you can do is take that step back and think, what was it about our experience together that actually did lift my spirits that I did find value? Was it just that we happen to be in the same cubicle section, or was it that we actually connected because we're both sports fans and we like something else, something outside of all of this and that gave us a human connection that was a little bit deeper, a little bit more resonant. So being intentional as we think about that, I think is really important.
Erica Mattison: I'd like to talk a little bit about career pivots and resiliency. You've had a lot of different roles in your career, as have I. I'm curious what you would share from your own experience that might apply to others.
David Halbert: I think the first is continuously learn, continuously invest, and improve yourself. Sometimes it's small things, right? Being open to new experiences, new conversations.
Erica Mattison: I love that. Always be learning is one of my favorite sayings.
David Halbert: It's so true. Challenging yourself and making sure that you're opening yourself to opportunities [00:27:00] in the moment that you're in.
I say this to people, particularly where I've had interns. Make sure that you're working because you never know who is looking. The circumstances around you can change very quickly, and they can change without your input or awareness until it actually happens. So you always wanna make sure that you are best positioned to have options, whether that is, once again, more education, more skills training, continuously making sure that you're doing that intentional work for networking so that if something happens, you have other people that you can turn to, that you can draw on, and that you can ask for assistance.
Also not being afraid to ask for assistance and making sure that you're being very reflective about the moment that you're in and what is valuable for you. Somebody who is very near and dear to me, one of my dear fraternity brothers, said something. When a job isn't serving you anymore, it's time to start looking for something else.
And that can be very hard because you have the natural inertia of a professional environment. I kind of like my commute. You know, the benefits package is pretty good. I have a decent [00:28:00] salary. Do I really need to leave? And I think a lot of people get caught in a little bit of that quicksand and it keeps them from looking for opportunities.
Also, you don't wanna be the rolling someone that you can never hold out a job, of course is a healthy balance to it. But I think making sure that you're looking and looking for those regular personal assessment and self-assessment points, whether it's, I'm gonna mark off at the beginning of every year, I'm gonna sit down, as you said, I'm gonna write down what do I like about where I'm at.
What do I wish would change? What do I have the power to change and what's outside of my power to change it? And being very intentional and thoughtful about that and looking at what the data tells you. I'll give one quick example of that. I was at the Middlesex Sheriff's Office. It was my most stable and steady job.
It allowed me to get married, go to graduate school, have a kid move to a new home. All wonderful things, and once again, could very easily still be there wasn't a bad place to be in that sense, professionally speaking. At a certain point, I realized I wasn't gonna have the [00:29:00] opportunities that I wanted, and I had gone back to graduate school, had this education, wanted to bring it back and help it manifest in certain ways and there just weren't those opportunities there at that moment. And that was one of the reasons, not fully, but one of the reasons I said, you know what? Something I have also wanted to do is pursue public office and figure out if I can be helpful to my community in that arena. And that was one of the reasons why I said, I'm gonna bet on myself.
And I'm gonna take off and I'm gonna do this. And I walked away and I walked away on good terms. I walked away from, you know, a steady paycheck and steady benefits.
Erica Mattison: I've been there
David Halbert: uh, and did this very big and kind of scary thing. And ultimately, at the end of the day, just because you want something doesn't mean it's gonna happen.
Right? I ran in 2018, I didn't win, but. That once again opened up doors because people saw me in a different light. There were folks who said, Hey, the way that you approach problems and the way that you interact with other people, the way that you center your values and the way that you do, you know, that really speaks to me.
Some of them express that by voting, and I'm [00:30:00] very deeply grateful for all of them in both races. In my previous professional incarnation at the sheriff's office, I wasn't really different. 'cause of the way that I put myself out there, the work that I was trying to do, the things and the goals that I was trying to achieve, and that opened up doors.
Erica Mattison: So you built your confidence and your skills by getting the master's degree and having these different work experiences, building yourself belief, and then. Taking a scary step. I was so proud of you when you did it. It was such a big deal that you took that risk. There are those times when there's just this thing that we feel like we have to do, like deep down inside us, in our gut.
It's telling us like, go do this thing. I've had those moments. I think you've had those moments. It's this undeniable thing that you just have to pursue and that you learned so many things from those experiences and you met people, you've learned things about yourself and your city, and you grew your network and people [00:31:00] saw you in a different light.
What this brings up for me is around resiliency and also adaptability and leadership.
David Halbert: I believe that leadership has to be centered around values. If you have a leadership that is centered around ego, if you have a leadership that is centered around just personal gain, it's never going to be what it should be. We see people in the world who are very successful in terms of it, but the question is.
Are they real leaders? The kind that history will look back on fondly and favorably. I think leadership has to be centered in humility. In vulnerability and understanding that you just because you're the leader, you don't have all of the answers all of the time. And that asking for assistance and help at the appropriate moments is not a sign of weakness.
And in fact, if you are being a good leader, you're bringing people along with you, you're pouring into them, you're training them, you want them in some ways to be in a position to exceed you. My mother, and like I said, she was at the Environmental Protection [00:32:00] Agency and one of the people that she held incredibly high regard.
Was Senator Ted Kennedy, and one of the things that you see is over his many decades in public service, the network of staffers that he built, the people who ran for office, people who run organizations and foundations and companies, and they're all connected through the mechanism of his office, but also that he was inspiring them.
To go and to move on to be their best selves. Mm-hmm. And the person who came in as the intern sorting the mail left because they went to law school and now they're a partner in the law firm and they're bringing it back.
Erica Mattison: And I think the same can be said for certain other special individuals. For instance, governor Michael Dukakis is another one of those.
Professor, yes. And a long time mentor of mine and somebody who served in Massachusetts and really mentored so many people who ended up going on to all different kinds of things. It's just an incredible set of people.
David Halbert: It really [00:33:00] is. You know, I'm a sports guy. I love a sports metaphor, and I always think of it in terms of the coaching tree model.
When you think back in the day, like the Bill Walsh coaching Tree, people talk about it all the time that Bill Walsh was this legendary coach from San Francisco, 49 ERs. As a Cincinnati Bengals fan, it makes me sad 'cause they beat my Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl, but we'll hold that aside. But he had not only his success, but all of these other coaches who had worked for him and learned from him and wanted to have their own success throughout the league.
And so I think you see the impact there, which is their coaches who have Super Bowl rings. Once again, successful in that sense, but were they leading in the same way? Did they inspire in the same way? Did they have the same resonance and impact beyond themselves in the same way? I think that's truly the mark of leadership is not just what you are able to do, but what you're able to empower other people to do.
Erica Mattison: When I was speaking with a client, they shared that one of the things they look for when they're thinking about where they might want to work is [00:34:00] are there executives who people have followed from other organizations? You know, they've stuck with them for many years. They said, that's a sign, that's the kind of person that I wanna work for.
And so that's something to be looking at is how are you bringing people along and mentoring them and providing them with opportunities as you are moving along through your career.
David Halbert: Absolutely, and I think the corollary to that is, are you having leaders who are saying, not only can you move on and do your own thing, but you should, and not because I don't want you here because I do value you from a leadership perspective, but because I know that there are so many other and greater opportunities for you.
You want to be the kind of leader who isn't afraid to let people go, because ideally, once again, and we'll go back to Senator Kennedy, he knew he could send these people everywhere in the world, and in one sense it was good for him, right connections and greater degree of influence, but also because people saw his office as a [00:35:00] place where you could go, you could learn, you could grow, and then you could successfully happily move on.
That brings in new people who want to be part of that team. And I think if you're a quality leader, that's what you're doing. A good leader is almost a factory for talent.
Erica Mattison: Mm-hmm. Definitely. Yes. It's so important for leaders, supervisors to say, it's okay for you to move on and, and I support you and I wish you the best.
That doesn't always happen. So yeah, I agree with you. Along the lines of what you were just saying, had a conversation with a colleague recently who is thinking about moving on from where they've been for a few years and was having so many feelings about it and felt bad and, and felt like, oh, I should be grateful for this good job that I have.
And like, it's really, it's not so bad and there's a lot to it, that's good. But I could tell they had that thing in them that was like, okay, it's, it's time to go on to my next challenge. What they're looking [00:36:00] to do is switch to a different type of work environment using skills they've developed over the years.
I said, well, you know, one way to look at it is that if and when you do make this position available for somebody else, there's probably somebody out there who's gonna be great at it, who's gonna be able to build on a foundation that you've established over the last few years. They're gonna come in with their own lived experiences and skills and personality and ideas.
They're gonna be thrilled with this professional opportunity that you have basically outgrown. And so when you do create that space to go pursue other challenges and experiences, you are opening a door for somebody else.
David Halbert: Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head there. I think good leaders are those who understand that at the individual level for themselves, for the team that no person is indispensable and that they are working intentionally to create resiliency, to create sustainability and durability of the organizations that they lead. Part of that is making sure that you are moving [00:37:00] people in healthy ways and you're bringing other people and providing 'em with those opportunities.
My oldest daughter is obsessed with the ocean. Her first name actually means "the Sea," and we listen to a lot of podcasts and watch a lot of specials on nature, and I think in terms of leadership and growth and personal development with the notion of the hermit crab. Hermit crabs don't have their own shells.
They go and they find shells. A hermit crab could stay in its shell, but at a certain point it gets too big. It has to leave in order to survive. If you wanna be healthy, be like the hermit crab, find that new shell that's a better fit for you, and keep moving, keep growing.
Erica Mattison: Hmm, wise words, Dave,
David Halbert: from my 10-year-old.
Erica Mattison: They often have wisdom beyond their years.
As we look ahead, thinking about what you're excited to be working on, what you see coming up next personally and professionally, tell us a little bit about it.
David Halbert: On the professional side, we continue to do this work and try to move Massachusetts a little bit to the left.
I think what I'm seeing writ large in kind of the sector is a shift. Going back to a sports [00:38:00] metaphor, I think for a lot of our experience here, and we've been involved in a lot of these campaigns as well, we're really good at ISO ball. We're really good at picking one issue and really focusing, or one candidate really focusing.
And now I think we're building to win the season. We have a lot of different stakeholders coming and thinking about multiple things happening. I'm really excited about us having this segmental kind of ecosystem wide conversation. What does it actually look like to build a multi-stakeholder, multi-issue, multi-year plan for advancement, for delivering on equity, for making sure that we have a better version of Massachusetts in the future than we have today.
And so I'm very excited about that in the role that we can play one piece of the puzzle in making that broader picture of success.
On a personal level, you know, as a dad, I love seeing them learn and engage and grow as little human beings, which is fantastic.
And on the civic side, for me, it's really continuing to think about how I can be creative and intentional and how I give back.
I serve on a number of different boards, all of them doing really [00:39:00] important, valuable work that's helping our society, I believe. But it's also thinking about how do we connect those organizations. How can I be a conduit for pulling kids who are at MCLA in the undergraduate level now, maybe to be the future graduate students at Northeastern and the like.
So it's making sure that we're making those connections, doing that networking, even organization, organization, networking, doing that work to uplift a better version of society.
Erica Mattison: So much to think about.
I did wanna just also touch on one more thing before we start to wind down. I believe that you are somebody who is extremely good at managing not only time, which is valuable in and of itself, but also energy, which I think we sometimes forget about, but it.
Probably just as important as the minutes or the hours. Thinking about how you're able to do all of this, sustain this level of engagement and presence [00:40:00] and thoughtfulness and impact, what would you say to folks who maybe don't find themselves having an easy time managing time and energy? Any guidance.
David Halbert: Yeah. Well, you're very generous. I think my wife might, you know, disagree slightly on that. And I will say, honestly, part of it is the fact that being in, in a wonderful relationship, my wife and I have been married for 13 years. We've been together for 23 years. We really have a very good and healthy relationship in terms of managing our home and the work and expectations for the kids and things like that.
Don't take that for granted. That's truly a blessing and I know that not everybody has the advantage of that. So that is a huge, huge component of it. Having that stability and able to build from. The other piece was taking care of yourself and I'm just as guilty as this, as anybody eating the wrong thing or maybe not doing the workout that you're supposed to do, but trying to be intentional about that and getting a little bit older now, so being more thoughtful about that.
I try to work out and finding what works for you. We do a lot of via [00:41:00] Peloton. Working from home now, especially with two small children, getting to the gym can be hard. Making sure that you're investing in yourself physically is really important for me. Investing in myself spiritually. I said my mother is a minister.
One of the other organizations that I take a volunteer role with is my church in the South End. That, and spirituality for me is a very important practice, and I know it manifests for different people. Sometimes it's organized religion, sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's meditation. That helps keep me grounded.
And then of course I love gadgets, so how do I use technology? I use everything from my phone to my smartwatch to what's happening on tv, my tablet, my car, all of it. Using those tools that are available and especially those that are available at little or no cost these days to make sure that we are organized so that everything from when I.
Hopped in my car to come over here, my phone connected to my car, and that gave me the ability to just say, Hey, this is the fastest way to get there. And then also, and then maybe this is coming, as somebody who's a former scheduler, doing that kind of time management and planning ahead and saying, okay, what is happening and [00:42:00] planning on the outside of an event.
What I mean by that is. If you've got an hour for this event, have you factored in how long it's gonna take you to get there or find parking? I'm hosting a TV show tonight, for example, so have I made sure to do the prep work to create the questions for my guests, making sure that I've already picked out my outfit that I'm gonna wear on TV, and hopefully not look silly.
So doing all those little things. I think a lot of times you're ready for an event, but you haven't done the prep work beforehand and people get caught up and they get overwhelmed. The other thing is, are you a night owl or not, or are you a morning person? My wife, very much a morning person. Me very much a night owl.
It works for us. And when my kids become teenagers, I'm sure they're gonna hate it 'cause there's about three hours where nobody's awake. So that is what it, it's.
Erica Mattison: Thank you so much for all that you've shared. It's been really fun getting to know more about you and what you're up to. I'm sure that the listeners are going to get a lot of value out of hearing what you've shared today.
David Halbert: Thank you so much for having me. And if folks wanna follow, please feel free to check out our website. [00:43:00] It's www.baystateprogress.org, and people can find me on most social media platforms at Vote Halbert, HALB, as in Boston, ERT, including on Peloton.
Erica Mattison: Wonderful, and we'll include information in the show notes as well.
Thanks so much. Take care.
You've been listening to Conversations with Erica. I'm your host executive coach, Erica Mattison. If this episode inspired you to explore career or leadership growth opportunities, visit ericamattison.com and let's get started.
