Too often we rely on some superficial definition of leadership: “She’s got presence” or “He’s got what it takes.” Without a doubt, there’s a part of leadership that arises from temperament or personality. But temperament and personality alone are not...
It doesn’t take a genius to know that decision-making is a key element in effective leadership. There are many dimensions of decision-making, in fact far too many to explore in a blog post. But one dimension—often overlooked—is power. Who determines...
With many schools struggling to attract and keep Lower School families, it is clear that this generation, viz. The Millennials, needs to be understood and appreciated. The traditional approaches to marketing—visibility efforts, advertising, etc.—seem...
As a consultant to independent schools, I get calls when things aren’t going well early in a headship. Most often these situations stem from tensions between a board and the head of school. When it’s the board chair that contacts me, it is often beca...
One of the great gifts in my career was to work with three consultants (trustees/parents) from the Monitor Company, a strategic consulting firm started by Michael Porter, perhaps the leading expert on strategy in the world, and a Professor at Harvard...
