Before You Do Anything…
BY DAve dAVIES - CONSULTANT, EXECUTIVE COACH
The announcement that your Head of School is leaving can strike fear into a Board Chair’s heart. The immediate instinct is to take swift action to fill the leadership void and preemptively articulate a well-orchestrated process and timetable to allay the community’s anxieties. However, many schools have made significant errors in the early stages after a resignation or termination and have done so in a public way that makes changing course difficult, even if convinced that there is a better way forward. Our strong advice is to contact several recognized search firms before taking any other action. Even if you decide not to engage any of them, the advice and questions that they will raise can help you to make sound decisions in the early days after a vacancy is known.
Some of the issues to consider include:
Public, Private (closed?), or Semi-Private Search - Although most schools conduct what is known as a public search, where finalists are presented to various constituencies of the school community, an increasing number of schools are utilizing a private or closed search where only the Search Committee and Board of Trustees know the candidates until one is hired. There are risks in a private search, and some can be significant. Without broad participation and community buy-in, there can be a sacrifice of transparency that can erode public confidence in the process and the school. In addition, some potential strong candidates may be missed. On the other hand, the public search can miss some of the strongest candidates, since some current Heads will not jeopardize their current positions unless and until they know that they have been selected and hired at the new school.
Interim or Full-time Head of School - Many articles have been written on this topic, but there are situations where the Board might decide immediately that an Interim Head is best for the school. This is often true in the transition from a long-term Head or in the case of a sudden departure of a Head. There may be other situations where an Interim Head is the best course. If an Interim is the right choice, it is better for that decision to be communicated proactively rather than after a search is begun, thereby giving the impression that this is a second-choice option because a full-time Head could not be identified.
Composition of the Search Committee - Should the Search Committee include only Board of Trustees members, or should parents, faculty members, and alumni be on the Committee? Conventional wisdom is that the final decision is the Board’s, and at least a majority of the Search Committee should be Board members. The presence of these various other constituencies on the Committee has a definite influence on the discussions. Input from constituencies is important, but should it be via Search Committee membership or participation on Advisory Groups?
Authority and Role of the Search Committee - Does the Search Committee have full authority to conduct the search and to present one candidate to the Board who, barring any major surprises, would then be almost automatically endorsed and hired? Or, is the Search Committee advisory and will it present a ranked slate of finalists for the Board to choose? These are critical choices to be made, and often with the assistance of the firm hired to conduct the search.
Consultant (or Not) - Some schools will consider searching themselves, especially if they have a Board member with employment expertise. While this does spare the school the consultant fees, independent school Head searches have nuances that are unique to this profession. Consultants bring expertise related to the independent school world that is often invaluable to the Search Committee, including being able to utilize resources, contacts, and prospective applicant pools often not available to the school. In addition, “outside eyes” can often identify characteristics, strengths, and challenges that individuals connected with the school won’t see.
Timetable - Independent school leaders are usually on a very well-defined calendar related to the school year. Rushing a search in order to move forward quickly runs the risk of missing out on strong candidates who are not inclined to search in the “off-season”. Search firms are skilled at helping schools time the search to generate the most appropriate candidate pool and promote the smoothest possible transition in leadership.
Specifics of the Process - We have seen schools lock themselves into timetables, numbers of semifinalists and finalists, and the process itself by publicizing details (ex. “We will invite six semifinalists to visit the campus in November.”) This makes it difficult to alter the process, for example if the perfect candidate is identified early in the process and the committee would like to truncate the process and make a recommendation before the perfect candidate takes another position. Consultants are particularly sensitive to and can advise the school on tailoring the process to the situation at hand.
Internal Candidates - Internal candidates often bring much to a search, but they can also complicate the search process significantly and, if not handled delicately, can roil the school community. Consultants have expertise in advising schools about how to manage internal candidates, something that must be done early in the process.
The Education Group would be very willing to talk with a Search Committee leader or Board Chair before any decision is made about the conduct of a search, whether the school ultimately decides to engage us (or any other consultant, for that matter). We believe that we can ask good questions and provide sound counsel before decisions are made that may determine the course and effectiveness of the search.