RG175 Blog

One of the most powerful tools an independent school leader has is perspective, an ever-evolving practice of seeking deeper and deeper insights into the landscape of reality. Those insights can lead to better strategic thinking and better strategic decisions.But clearly seeing and understanding real... read more

Recently I heard about the struggles of two first-time heads of school. Their missteps are a reminder of the importance of a head’s on-going professional development that focuses on the practical skills of leadership.Within a year and a half of beginning his tenure, a first-time head fired two long-... read more

Being a successful Head of School is more than just adding value to the school – it requires good judgment. Case in point: the crises involving sexual misconduct that some independent schools are currently facing. Yet sadly, the typical independent school search process rarely addresses this critica... read more

“My goal is to be the dumbest guy in this room, and I’m pretty smart,” said a successful C.E.O. to his senior administrative team. This C.E.O., a good friend of mine who started and sold two successful businesses, was recounting this story to me recently. At first it seemed an odd statement. Shouldn... read more

The pitfalls and limitations of strategic planning for many independent schools have been identified and explained by major industry thought leaders (Rob Evans, Ian Symmonds, Grant Lichtman). The sad truth is that most strategic plans lack strategic thinking. Most embody what other schools have incl... read more

Stephen Covey famously wrote, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” I believe that a faculty culture of excellence is the main thing in independent schools. Faculty excellence is at the heart of the value proposition for most independent schools and therefore intimately tied to... read more