Following a Legend
Written by DAVE DAVIES - TEG SEARCH CONSULTANT & EXECUTIVE COACH
A legendary Head of School retires, the school celebrates a long, successful tenure, and the community approaches the transition with great trepidation. The retiring Head plans to remain in the area and pledges to make themselves available to ensure a smooth transition and the continuation of the school’s momentum. This sounds like a perfect solution, but it can be fraught with peril for the next Head, especially if they are a first-time Head.
Examples abound where the former Head’s presence on campus or in town has enabled back-channel communication from parents, faculty, and Board members. Even if the retired Head has the best of intentions, their accessibility in the community makes keeping an appropriate distance very challenging. Trouble does not require a criticism or negative comment from the former Head; sometimes, anything short of a ringing endorsement of the new administrator will be interpreted by an eager critic as tacit agreement. Even a seemingly benign conversation about the new Head can be misconstrued by their critics.
Several schools, in an effort to be helpful to the incoming Head, have given the retiree a position at the school, perhaps in advancement, and an office on campus to provide ready access for the new Head for coaching, mentoring, or just a quick question. In at least two cases that I know, the new Head’s tenure was brief, and the former Head was just too conveniently on the scene to assume an interim Headship. In my opinion, neither former Head was angling to have their position back. However, rather than fully supporting and working with the new Head in facing the most difficult challenges together, the Board appeared to have chosen a convenient solution and employed a quick “hook” when concerns arose.
There is wisdom in the practice observed by several religious denominations where the previous priest or minister does not visit the former church or even associate with parishioners for at least a year after departing. One good friend told me that even if the child of best friends asked him to perform their wedding, he would do so, but not at the previous church. This practice gives the new cleric the space to develop relationships, find their style and voice, and begin the new direction.
But the question looms - “why would a school possibly waste all of a successful Head’s insight, connections, expertise, and goodwill in the community?” Wouldn’t they be able to help the new Head avoid landmines and swamps and accelerate the development of relationships with key stakeholders?
The solution lies somewhere between an on-site office and a year’s “exile”, and the key is for the new Head to be the initiator. Invite the former Head to a series of off-campus lunch meetings, at first just as casual, personal “get-acquainted” interactions. Then, perhaps jointly, develop an agenda for future meetings. If the new Head is comfortable doing so, they could invite the former Head to a few major school events, such as graduation, to demonstrate their working relationship publicly.
The relationship can (and probably should) begin to develop as soon as the new Head is named, and before their arrival on campus. Phone, Zoom meetings, and e-mail correspondence are easy. If distance is not an impediment, and if the search committee or Board funds a few visits to the campus for the incoming Head (they should, if at all possible), a dinner with the current Head and spouse or partner, if possible, would be a great ice-breaker.
The Board, in concert with the new Head, should carefully define the role of the former Head and make that clear to all parties. The Board should also be particularly attuned to any interference, lack of support, or overtures from the former Head. Either the Board Chair or another current or former member of the Board close to the previous Head should then gently confront them and solicit support. Separation from a life that was both consuming and rewarding is challenging. Some former Heads find any changes to “their program” or their school’s “way” to be a challenge, and some don’t sit quietly by to see programs, traditions, or styles that were near and dear to them go away.
Board members should not abide by any approaches from faculty or parents that compare the new Head to the previous one. “Public praising and private criticism” is imperative, especially in the first year or two. The Board Chair is well advised to remind Board members that there are no individual Board voices in the public square; the Board should speak only as a unified whole.
Thankfully, there are many more situations where the new Head and the previous leader establish solid, mutually respectful relationships for the good of the school. Cases where the new and former Heads meet together with significant members of the school and local communities, successfully make development calls together, and present a united front are not only pleasant but beneficial to the school.
Clear, respectful communication and appropriate distance can ensure a constructive relationship between the two leaders for the good of the institution.