Most boards embrace a head of school search enthusiastically. Searches are exciting and usually transformative. Because they are also time-consuming and often exhausting, most boards do not focus upon the transition years that follow the conclusion of the search.  These are the first five in the job when many heads are fired or quit. Only after five years can a head begin to feel confident that they have managed “succession” from the prior head.

Before you begin your new headship, has the board planned a transition that considers your family needs? Have you carefully reviewed your contract, especially the termination language?

Here are the three phases of a new headship and how to manage them successfully: the entry plan, the transition plan and the outreach plan.

I.    The Entry Plan: Beneath the Surface of Board Cultures

Know the players: 

Will the search chair be the next chair? Will the current chair stay on the board for at least a year or two?

Are there notable factions on the board and was one faction not in favor of you?

Are the search committee members planning to stay on the board for a few years to give you “protection?”

Know the history:

Why did the last head leave? Do you know the unvarnished truth?

Are there major legal issues pending against the school?

Are there one or more historic, tumultuous incidents that still shape and influence board culture?

Know the rules/boundaries/channels:

Does the board appear to follow the principles of good practice, and is governance training annual?

Is the Committee on Trustees (governance committee) functioning effectively with a strong chair who knows the eight crucial roles of this committee?

Is the board “in the weeds” or consistently making strategic decisions?

Does the board use 360 evaluation and regularly use in camera sessions? You want to hope not.

Is the “hour glass” model of the board at the top, the head in the middle and the stakeholders below represent this school’s governance model? In other words, never bypass the middle.

Does the board follow an alternative governance model such as the Policy Governance/Carver model?

What percent of the board is current parents, past parents, and others?

Know the board’s authority versus your authority:

Has the board been clear with you about your job description and understands and agrees with you on what is strategic versus operational?

Has the board set too many goals for you in your first year when the only goal should be to get to know your people and build political good will?

Know how to engage the board constructively:

Do you know/remember that you need to spend 40% of your time interacting with the Board?

The head must develop a personal and political relationship with every board member. Every year a head should meet with each one twice to ask three questions: “How am I doing? How are you doing? How are your children doing?”

The head and chair must have a solid truthful relationship where the chair is the head’s biggest public advocate but most honest private critic. The strength of this partnership is crucial but will cause ill will with the other board members if they feel excluded.

The chair must have a strong partnership with each member of the board to ensure that the chair is never caught off guard, and the head is never threatened because the chair did not “count heads”.

Do you have a plan to help ensure the retention of long-term board members and long-term chairs? Board turnover and the lack of institutional memory is the primary reason why heads are “fired”.

How to succeed in the first year:

Do not undertake a type of change or a faster pace of change than the faculty will or will not tolerate. This is another reason externally hired heads are fired.

Be a visionary but mind the store. Do not be absent on too many trips.

Find constructive ways to engage with the board, the faculty, the staff, the parents, the alumni, former board members, donors and even the neighbors.

Learn the names of every student, parent and staff member if you possibly can. Work on it.

II.    The Transition Plan: Beneath the Surface of Faculty Cultures

Know the players:

Many heads leave because they neglected to win over the leadership team first, then the most respected faculty and then former and current influential parents and alumni.

Do not forget to win over the former head, whether that person remains in the community or not. It is not a good idea to criticize the former head’s weaknesses as some still love that person.

If the faculty likes you, the students will like you and so in turn will the parents. The opposite is also true.

Have a honeymoon:

Do not fire anyone in your first year. You do not know anyone well enough.

Remember that adage: “Presume Good Intent” but also have eyes in the back of your head.

Keep your friends close and your enemies or perceived enemies closer.

Push back on the board in setting too many goals or goals that will frighten the staff.

Minimize change:

Never suggest a major change right away in the current curriculum, schedule, or organization structure.

Avoid undertaking a strategic plan in your first year.

Never cause the faculty and staff to fear you, but rather respect you.

Make your decision-making style clear but also a bit mysterious.

Develop political relationships inside and outside the school with local governments, and social, cultural and educational institutions.

Know the history and incidents/issues, i.e. what has occurred within the culture of this faculty over the years which defines the current behavior and tone of this faculty. A few disgruntled teachers can bring you down and seldom do the happy teachers stand up for you. So above all be “wise”.

III.    The Outreach Plan: Beneath the Surface of Parent Cultures

Know the community/ethnic/language/national backgrounds:

Become familiar very quickly with the power players within the parent body, the parents’ association, and the alumni association.

Know the demographics and the major occupations of the parent body.

Know what linguistic or national or ethnic groups make up the parent body and know how to engage with them in a manner that is comfortable for them.

How to build connections:

Meet the parents in evening parent coffees in the fall in parent homes, not at school and do it by grade level to manage the size. Attend with key division heads and a few teachers and focus on listening and learning faces and names and issues.

Do not be defensive when hearing parent complaints: Rather say: “Yes, I have heard that, and I hear we are working on it.” Or “Thank you, I have not heard that before and will get back to you.” Or “Frankly, that criticism is unwarranted and not based on truth, and here is why.”

Again, know the parents’ names if possible and certainly the first names of the students.

Never hold a town meeting!

How to manage criticism and school climate:

Try not to conduct a school climate survey or a parent satisfaction survey in your first two or three years.

Avoid any survey that is really focused on YOU as a relatively new head in the school.

The best time to conduct a parent opinion survey is in a time of calm, and in the fall, and only consider it valid if at least two thirds of the parents respond. Never publish the raw data and never use a firm associated with the school.

Never ever do a climate survey in the spring and/or in a time of parent or staff anger. The results are often unfair and skewed and can lead to very poor decision-making.

If you listen well, and proactively and do not become defensive you are less likely to confront parent intrusion that is unfair and destructive.

Finally, you need a board chair who has “fire in the belly” to protect the head especially when the head is simply doing his or her job. You need a board that does not break ranks, that does not leak board confidences and will not throw the head (i.e., you) under the bus.