RG175 Blog

In my last blog entry I discussed the pros and cons of closed vs. open searches. Though certainly critical to the outcome of the search, the paradigm of closed versus open misses a larger point—the consultant’s important role in helping the search committee identify real leaders. Although search com... read more

Process and outcomes are inextricably linked. This maxim is clearly demonstrated in the most important job of an independent school board of trustees—selecting a head of school. Before identifying a consultant, the board should discuss the merits of a closed search versus an open search, two very di... read more

There is a lot of talk these days about independent school governance. And it’s not good. One executive director of a large regional independent school association receives over fifty requests for trustee workshops each year. Another executive director is looking to form a cadre of experienced heads... read more

Published originally in Independent School Magazine, Fall, 2016The statistics are alarming. According to Marc Levinson, Executive Director of MISBO, in his study “Evaluating the Head of School Transition” from 2009 to 2014 there have been 102 head transitions out of about 160 schools in Florida. For... read more

I used to assume that quality decision-making was an innate leadership skill, more a matter of instinct and personality rather than something learned. Turns out, I was wrong.Recently, I read Chip Heath and Dan Heath’s book Decisive, which explores the nature of decision-making, delineates the inevit... read more

Early in my tenure as a 34-year-old Head of School, a small group of trustees, the athletic director and I were chatting about the many ways in which we could make the school better. We were on a roll, one idea leading to another. After about ten minutes of riffing on each other’s ideas, the athleti... read more