A Board Chair of an international school Client recently wrote: 

“I reread my notes from Thursday’s summary call and yesterday’s workshop and have identified a number of things for the Board and I to look at for our overall improvement.  

It struck me how sensible it was and how it perhaps should have occurred to me before, such as the need for flows of political capital to the head and for fully appreciating the implications and impact of head transitions.  Perhaps the key takeaway was identifying the most important quality for a Board member: wisdom.   Ironically, we’ve just asked for nominations for our first parent election in 3 years, and we have traditionally flagged particular areas of expertise/experience which would be useful in line with the functions of the subcommittees. We sent out a reminder on Friday, and I took off the specific expertise part.  When I look around both at the Board, past and present, it’s now blindingly obvious that wisdom trumps everything else! 

I’m not sure where a reset with the Head will lead us in terms of whether he stays beyond his contract extension, but I can tell you that as a result of your sessions this week, my mindset has changed. Initially, my approach was to be honest, that change may be best for all.  My thinking is now very much the opposite. I see that the opportunity is not to wipe the slate, but to refocus and leave baggage behind. There’s some adjustment required from both of us.”  

This Consultant shares this note not only because this Chair is thoughtful, wise, open to advice and willing to change, but also because he describes certain core principles about board governance. We tend to gloss over these at times in favor of focusing on and striving for generative/strategic thinking.  However, most boards, quite frankly, still operate at a very fundamental level of governance 101, even if the school is prominent and with a great reputation. 

Never wait for trouble or a crisis to undertake governance training. Here is a quote from a Head of School this past week:

“I agree with our Chair that we want to do all we can to avoid becoming complacent. We have recently been discussing the danger of not falling into the pitfall of institutional arrogance, as that is something that can potentially pull us away from our mission. We have been blessed in many ways, and we want to remain humble in the work we do.

The moment we stop trying to make the school experience better is the moment we begin to regress as a school. You help us continue to move the school forward, and we are grateful.”

What makes these workshops powerful is not only the teaching of best practices in governance but the grounding of everything in the long-term experience each student has based on the teacher/student relationship. Every board member is asked to think of the workshop as laying the groundwork/the guard rails to ensure that within those parameters, the head can hire the teachers who will make a positive and dramatic difference in the lives of children. Someday those children will be able to tell their parents and their children why and how a teacher made that lifelong difference.

In one workshop, a Board Member told his story about a great teacher who had a profound impact upon his life.  Thirty years earlier, he graduated from an international school in Africa where he had been a student since 5^th grade. His lifelong love of music came from his MS music teacher who made choir for the 5^th and 6^th graders a passion. Having heard that this teacher was retiring, the Board Member contacted him on zoom. When the teacher answered, the Board Member began to sing a song that he had learned in 5^th grade and one the choir had sung on tour. The teacher joined in and together they sang the remaining verses. It was an emotional moment for both of them.  It is very important to honor a teacher who made a dramatic difference in one’s life and to name that teacher so others may know that teacher’s legacy. 

Such stories give purpose and memory to those who have taught us and they form a powerful basis for the advocacy of strong board governance that enables school leaders to find, nurture and retain great teachers.