Onboarding for ALL: Plan, execute, and the earlier the better!
Written by BOB KIRKPATRICK, CONSULANT
Time to celebrate….and much more! By springtime, our independent schools typically have much to celebrate when it comes to welcoming and anticipating the arrival of promising new school leaders. By now, your school has invested much in the way of resources - time, expertise, expense, and community engagement - in the search for new school heads and senior administrative staff, yet there is a tendency not to match this level of effort in preparing these leaders for assuming their new roles.
A greater sense of urgency? Independent school search firms like TEG often find themselves focusing their post-search consultation on transition planning, and as searches are ending, we at TEG provide client schools with a detailed Transition Planning Guide to help with their onboarding efforts. Sadly, the results are mixed. It is only natural for schools buoyed - or perhaps exhausted - by a successful search to relax and delay implementing a robust, well-planned transition. Time seems to be on their side, too, especially when appointments are announced months before senior administrators' arrival on campus sometime in the summer. But transitions done well require plenty of advance planning and time, and this is true for not only for new heads but for administrative staff as well.
Essential forms of professional support: All school leaders require personal and professional support, and this is particularly true during the period immediately preceding the assumption of their new duties. The goal of transition planning is to help new leaders come as close as possible to hitting the ground running with confidence and optimism, not being left to sink or swim or wonder what went wrong. To be sure, there will be plenty of learning on the job, post-arrival, but so much of what your new school leaders need upfront can be anticipated and addressed early on with effective transition planning. In particular, all independent school leaders (and their schools) can benefit immeasurably from transitions that feature:
Transition guidance/coordination: person(s) at the school charged with responsibility for transition planning and execution, in conjunction with the new leader, often a transition chair/committee or administrator/head with oversight.
Information sharing: the means by which important information about the school, the position, expectations, challenges and opportunities can be made available.
Relationship building: creating multiple opportunities to know and be known as a leader and member of a team and school community.
Professional development and support: being sensitive and responsive to the need to learn and grow professionally beginning as early as possible in the transition process.
Support for the family: recognizing the deeply personal element to the transition, and attending to family needs during the transition…essential and often requiring active school support.
Help ensure success! The time and effort invested in transition planning, beginning with the announcement of the appointment, can pay huge dividends for these newcomers, their families and their new schools. Conversely, transitions done haphazardly or late, if at all, can put your new leaders (and your schools) at risk before they ever set foot on campus. The point? Take nothing for granted, and give new school leaders the transitional support they need and deserve early on in order to help ensure their success.
