I was intentional in deciding whom I wanted to talk to and learn from. Life presents us with different experiences and opportunities, and I wanted to connect with independent school leaders that could speak from three unique moments in independent school leadership. Here's what I heard and learned...

Words from the Wise

1. The Foundation

I had the unique opportunity to talk to the founder of an independent school (founded in 1994) in a major city in the Middle East.

Key Takeaway: a shared vision from the founder down to the students, families, and teachers is critical!

The founding of the school was one person’s vision, but having a school leader who shared that vision was essential.
The founder is a civil engineer that created some significant structures in Eurasia. The founder's vision was to leave a legacy that transcends buildings and physical structures and “help create a civilization with what we do and that the school becomes a role model of social responsibility.” The vision/goal is “beyond our imagination.”
It was essential to find a Head of School that shared that vision, but the most significant challenge was assembling a team of partners to agree on how the vision should be carried out. Every partner had a different opinion and trying to get them all to agree proved challenging.
The Head of School meets with every prospective family to ensure they understand the school's purpose, mission, and vision. The Head of School mentioned, "I want to make sure that every family gets the same message.”

2. Transitioning Up From Within

During my professional career, I may be in a role in which I succeed a leader who has been in a position for a long period of time. I may also find myself in a position where I “climb the ladder” within an organization. I had the opportunity to talk to a leader who experienced both!

Key Takeaways: a) Don’t be too critical of the past, focus on where you’re headed. b) It’s important to have the perspective of a new person, even if you’ve been there for several years. You’re new to the role, so don’t assume you know everything.

It’s important to create new paradigms and relationships, even as simple as where people sit. In meetings, people may unconsciously create “assigned seats,” so if the leader sits in a new space every meeting, it changes the dynamic and could also address power dynamics in the room.
Treat meetings like a lesson plan. How do you want the conversation to progress? What do you want to achieve from the meeting? What information is assumed on this topic and who may need additional information or support on the topic? Create an environment where the conversations at the table are happening among all members of the team and not between the person speaking and the “boss.”
Have the perspective of a new person, ask questions to help your understanding on the actions of others.
Data is your friend!
The mindset of a leader should always be, “what’s best for students” and then we figure out how to achieve that.

3. Say Goodbye, but the Vision Continues

At some point in one’s career, the decision is made to say goodbye to the profession and to put attention on other endeavors. I chatted with a recently retired Head of School of a day school in the Boston area. He served as Head of School for 28 years at that school.

Key takeaways: a) Institutional confidence vs institutional arrogance. “Confidence is being willing to take risks. Arrogance is not willing to make mistakes.” b) When creating your team of administrators, it’s important that everyone at the table is different from you, but share the same vision.

Thoughts on vision work: “Education has historically been a very risk averse sector, but it should be the space where we accept the most risk.” If we think about the world in which we are preparing students, it’s a “figure it out world,” not a sit, listen, and learn world. So how do we, as a school, create a space where students can safely “figure it out?”
Thoughts on hiring your team: It’s important to hire people that are not like you. You need people who can say, “that’s not your best idea” or “I understand what you’re trying to say, but here’s another approach.” When creating your team of teachers and administrators, it’s also important to “not get too hung up on resumes” because you risk missing out on talent, skill, and perspectives that could take your institution to new heights. You “learn from people doing great things in other industries,” so we should also be present at conferences that have nothing to do with education. The world is a rapidly changing place, and we have to figure out new ways of engaging with that world. In creating your vision (one in which many would call progressive) he had to push the traditional teachers hard and remind people that they we can get a substitute teacher if they miss a day of school, but we cannot get a substitute teacher if they miss a professional development day. As time progresses, and you have individuals at the school that don’t fit the mission, you have to “deal with the situation” and not just live with it. He stated, “I don’t believe in teacher autonomy. We are a jazz ensemble and everyone can have their solo, but [the school] is an ensemble.”
Institutional confidence vs institutional arrogance. “Confidence is being willing to take risks. Arrogance is not willing to make mistakes.” When he first joined the school, he admitted the school wasn’t in great shape at all. It “had holes in the walls and had a $500,000 deficit on a $4 million budget” when he was hired as Head of School. It “didn’t have any institutional confidence” but as the school was approaching its 75th anniversary, he used this as an opportunity to “remind people of the school’s roots” and tell people “this is what we’re supposed to be.” As a school, he had to develop the institutional confidence (take the necessary risks) to move the school forward. With that confidence, he undoubtedly found success.
Educate outsiders on your vision: A school’s vision may be so unique that others do not easily understand the vision. The Head of School traveled to several highly selective insitutions to speak with their Deans/Vice Presidents of admissions. In those meetings, he discussed what the school did and how students engaged in their learning, In preparing for those meetings, he noted that you have to have something worth selling in order for those meetings to be successful. The meetings proved to be beneficial for some schools and not others, but those visits also provided him with insight into which colleges/universities align with the school’s vision.
Saying goodbye to the school, but the vision continues: He decided to retire from the school because “it became too easy.” His retirement was announced prior to the start of the pandemic and he admitted to actually wanting to run the school through COVID-19 because it would’ve been a new challenge. In retirement, he created a consulting firm that allows students to engage in in-depth project-based learning experiences outside of school. His vision didn’t die or fade, but the way in which he engages with that vision evolved in a way that presented new challenges.