Patrick F. Bassett, President nais

Patrick F. Bassett, President

www.nais.org

The Search for a Head of School

Overview Anticipating Change

Leadership Styles

Landscape and Context

Questions & Conundrums

Seasoned Advice to Search Committees

Strategic Priorities for the School

Head Search Protocols

A Sample Search Consultant’s Schedule

The Seven Stages of the Change Cycle (Source: KNFP seminar, Kellogg Foundation) cf. William Bridges, Kurt Lewin, Virginia Satir, George David, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, Tom Peters)

Schools should anticipate and plan for the predictable stages that change in leadership brings:• Business as Usual: the routine; the frozen state; the status quo• External Threat: potential disaster; propitious change event; an ending; a “death in the family”; an unfreezing via the introduction of a foreign element; disequilibrium; dissatisfaction with the status quo.• Denial: refusal to read the Richter scale; anger and rage; chaos.• Mourning: confusion; depression.• Acceptance: letting go.• Renewal: creativity; the incubation state of new ideas and epiphanies; new beginnings; movement; vision of what “better” might look like; reintegration; first practical steps; practice of new routines.• New Structure: sustainable change; the new status quo; new “frozen” state of restored equilibrium; spiritual integration; internalization and transformation of self.

Effecting Change

Abstracting and Personalizing Change

Faculty exercise: What are your own major change events? Didn’t they follow this pattern? Can’t we predict and prepare for stages?

Conundrums of Leadership: Defining the Job of School Head

Views of the Head’s Style: The ambassador, the general, or the priest.

Conundrums of Leadership

Job Descriptions for Heads: Head Search Ads (Education Week Classifieds)

College Prep seeks a leader who…•…is responsive to the constituency and understands the significance of genuine communication•…is a decisive and well-organized manager who can make tough decisions and be a steward of resources.•…is a visionary who can set the agenda for the 21st. century.

Schools & search committees are looking for……the ambassador, the general, and the priest, all rolled into one.“God on a good day.”

Conundrums of Leadership

The Real Job (Education Week op ed, 4/12/95, Rob Evans)

Wanted: A miracle worker who can…•…do more with less•…pacify rival groups•…endure chronic second-guessing•…tolerate low levels of support•…process large volumes of paper•…work double shifts (75 nights out a year).He or she will have carte blanche to innovate, but…•…cannot spend much money•…replace any personnel, or•…upset any constituency.

Context & Landscape

School leadership demographics are undergoing a major shift.

Thousands of schools are in need of strong, effective leadership.

Many of those schools are looking for new leaders at the same time you are

Fortunately, new prospects are entering the pipeline.

Internal candidates are another (often-overlooked) source of prospects.

Questions & Conundrums

What does success look like? What are danger signals you should watch for?

What if the candidate recommended to the board isn’t the first choice of the faculty or another key constituency?

What if the community is comfortable with the school and wants someone who will sustain the current traditions—but the board sees an uncertain future and believes the school needs a change agent?

What makes a head search so different, and why does it take so much time and energy to do in this world what businesses do in a very private, quiet, and quick fashion?


Everyone has an opinion about what a school leader should be like, and no one agrees completely.

The school actually solicits and cares about the contrasting opinions.

Balance the thorough and professional steps with the intuitive and subjective “blink” judgments.


Know that success means that this is a candidate you’d welcome into your family, since in fact schools are much more like a family than a business.

Expect that some members of the faculty won’t like the new head—just as some (often, but not always, the same group) didn’t like the old head.

Hang tough and support the new head and the change agenda. If you fold on your new head once the bumps begin, you’ll soon be forming a new search committee.

Conundrums of LeadershipBoard Chair Priority Order for Head’s Work (NAIS Poll, 1991)1. Climate and Values2. Work with Trustees3. Curriculum4 Strategic Planning5. Finance6. Policy7. Public Relations8. Conflict Management9. Recruiting Faculty10. Salaries and Benefits11. Counseling12. Discipline13. Fund-raising 14. Teaching

Elements of the Head’s Job

Trustees Priority Order ’91 Poll Heads Priority Order ’91 Poll1. Climate and Values 42. Work with Trustees 113. Curriculum 54 Strategic Planning 105. Finance 126. Policy 87. Public Relations 78. Conflict Management 69. Recruiting Faculty 910. Salaries and Benefits 1411. Counseling 312. Discipline 213. Fund-raising 1314. Teaching 1

The Problem: No match-up in priorities

Elements of the Head’s JobBoard Chair Priority Order (NAIS Poll of Boards, 2001)2001 Rank: 1991 Rank:1. Climate and Values 12. Recruiting Faculty 93. Strategic Planning 44. Finance 55. Policy 66. Work with Trustees 27. Fund-raising 138. Public Relations 79. Curriculum 310. Salaries and Benefits 1011. Conflict Management 812. Counseling 1113. Discipline 1214. Teaching 14


Board Chair vs. Head Priority Order (NAIS Poll 2001)Chairs 2001 Heads 2001

1. Climate and Values 12. Recruiting Faculty 23. Strategic Planning 4 4. Finance 5 5. Policy 66. Work with Trustees 3 7. Fund-raising 7 8. Public Relations 89. Curriculum 1210. Salaries and Benefits 11 11. Conflict Management 912. Counseling 10 13. Discipline 13 14. Teaching 14

The New Reality: Total match-up in priorities


Board Chair vs. Head Priority Order (NAIS Poll 2001)Chairs Heads 2001 Heads ‘91

1. Climate and Values 1 42. Recruiting Faculty 2 93. Strategic Planning 4 104. Finance 5 125. Policy 6 86. Work with Trustees 3 117. Fund-raising 7 138. Public Relations 8 79. Curriculum 12 510. Salaries and Benefits 11 1411. Conflict Management 9 612. Counseling 10 313. Discipline 13 214. Teaching 14 1The Lesson: Co-define “high impact” activities.

Essential Attributes of School Leadership

The “Profile” of Successful Heads

2001 Head/Board Chair Survey: Essential Attributes

Essential Attribute Board Chair Score Head Score

Vision 6.58 6.44

Educational Leadership 6.10 6.13

Personnel Management Expertise

5.83 5.75

Public Relations 5.74 5.59

Financial Management 5.22 5.18

Counseling Skills 5.18 5.15

Fund-raising Expertise 5.17 5.10

How important are the following attributes for a school head to be effective? ( 1 = little importance; 7 = essential.) in order of importance:

Practical or prophetic vision? Curricular leadership? What kind of training?

• Intellectual Ability: Critical Thinking (71%ile); Abstract Reasoning (68%ile); Mental Alertness (91%ile).• Thinking Style: Reflective/Probing (57%ile); Organized/Structured (21%ile); Serious/Restrained (51%ile); Objective/Factual (34%ile); Realistic/Pragmatic (61%ile).• Work Style: Energy Level (56%ile); Self-reliance (39%ile); Acceptance of Control (15%ile).• Motivations: Need for freedom (85%ile); Need for Recognition (55%ile).

Psychometric Testing Results: (ASSESS Battery: Watson-Glaser; Ravens; Thurstone; Management Potential Profile: administered to current heads of school, benchmarked against CEOs in America)

• Emotional Style: Emotional Evenness (61%ile); Criticism Tolerance (34%ile); Emotional Control (51%ile).• Interpersonal Style: Assertiveness (66%ile); Sociability (41%ile); Need To Be Liked (58%ile); Positive about People (69%ile); Insight (57%ile). • Other: Cultural/Organizational Conformity (37%ile). Lesson: Have confidence in your head to give him or her the freedom to create the school you both imagine.

Psychometric Testing Results: (ASSESS Battery: Watson-Glaser; Ravens; Thurstone; Management Potential Profile: administered to current heads of school, benchmarked against CEOs in America)

The Perfect Head of School (Walter Ebermyer, ISM, 1980):

The Perfect Head of School always has the right thing to say…wears good clothes…buys good books…is 29 years old with 40 years of experience…smiles all the time…visits 15 classes per day and is always in the office to be available for instant parent conferences…etc.

The Perfect Head of School is always in the next nearest school (not yours).

If your head does not measure up…• Send this notice to six other schools that are tired of their heads, too.• Bundle up your head and send him or her to the school on the top of the list.• In one week you will receive 1643 heads--and one will be perfect: Have faith in this letter.• One country day school broke the chain and got its old head back in less than four months.

Strategic Priorities: The Board’s Strategic Plan (A Sample To Poll Constituents)

• Admissions priorities and procedures• College preparation and placement• Faculty-recruitment, retention, motivation, evaluation and compensation• Fiscal management of School’s resources• Fund raising and development• Marketing of the school• Perpetuating/refining the school’s culture and vision• Strengthening academic programs and curriculum• Renovation and enhancement of facilities• Interacting with students• Other: ______________________

Strategic Priorities To Share with Candidates

• Results of the School Survey of Constituents• Results of the School’s Last Accreditation Report Findings• The Board’s Strategic Plan• Leadership Variables & Preferences: The Consultant’s Findings


Based on our experience, NAIS recommends that schools beginning the head search process pay some attention to the following matters:

1. Seek Counsel:

See NAIS publications, The Search Handbook and "Principles of Good Practice, The Hiring Process" as references.

If using a headhunter firm, call for recommendations some schools who have recently undertaken a search and interview three firms who receive high word-of-mouth ratings: budget $25-75,000 for consultant's fees and another $10-25,000 for expenses (advertising, travel for consultants and candidates, dinners, etc.). (NAIS recommends all of the head search consultants listed in the corporate sponsors section of the NAIS Directory or on the NAIS website: www.nais.org .)

If not using a search consultant firm, consider calling upon a consultant for a two-day search workshop, day-1 for fact-finding at the school (focus groups) and day-2 with the initial core membership of the Search Committee: budget $10,000 - $25,000 for search-related expenses. (See NAIS Directory for listing of independent school consultants or go to www.nais.org .)

http://www.nais.org/


2. Establish a Search Committee:

Keep the committee small (8 members or so), mostly trustees. Trustees on committee should include Chair, Chair's heir apparent, and other key trustees who will remain on board, some of whom should be current parents. Also include opinion leaders from the faculty, parent, and alumni bodies.

Create advisory committee(s) of faculty, parents, students, alumni: Note in advance to the advisory committee(s) that advising is not the same as choosing (the latter being the exclusive prerogative of the board). It is a good idea to set up the advisory committee(s)'s procedure in such a way so that the committee(s) indicate to the search committee perceived strengths and weaknesses of the candidates rather than "scores" or "priorities" or "preferences": i.e., It is important to avoid situations where an advisory committee "makes a choice" since it may not be the same choice as the board eventually settles on. Advisory committees should not do the initial screening of applications but be invited to the initial focus group sessions where leadership priorities are identified and to the interviewing stage for the last 2 or 3 semifinalists.

Develop a calendar: An ideal schedule is to do preliminary work over the spring and summer and begin intensive interviewing in the first months of the fall--candidates wish to settle matters as early as possible, so push for a November/December decision time-line, if possible.



3. Establish a Needs Assessment Mechanism: (Search consultant focus group interviews over two or three days at the school, with key constituencies, for example.)

Determine the leadership style most appropriate for the school at this juncture: corporate (action & change-oriented) vs. collaborative (relationship & peacemaking-oriented) vs. visionary (dynamic & energizing-oriented).

Assess the leadership skills and emphases most needed and sought. (Determine which of the 14 “elements of the head’s job” and/or the 7 “essential attributes” are most important for your school at this time: see earlier slides for these elements and attributes.) Articulate the aptitudes and qualities sought in new leader (beyond the usual of vision, sense of humor, organizational and people skills, etc.).

Define the immediate needs and the long-term goals of the school.

Create a grid articulated by constituencies of leadership preferences.


4. Prepare an Announcement of Opening and Ad Campaign:

Quiet phase: Consultant contacts those in the field who fit the profile and are not actively seeking a new position.

Mailing to all constituents: School Profile and Leadership Profile. General soliciting of constituents to nominate and encourage candidate to submit resumes with references, three letters of recommendation, and a statement of educational philosophy. Mailing to all NAIS school heads and division heads.

Placing of ads in Ideas & Perspectives (ISM Newsletter), Independent School (NAIS magazine), Education Week, Chronicle of Higher Education, The Blue Sheet (Educational Directions).

Posting of opening on the Internet (via Career Center Section of the NAIS website www.nais.org )


5. Screen Initial Inquiries:

Determine who will screen initial inquiries: Consultant alone? Consultant with search committee member? Whole search committee?

Develop rating system based on leadership profile criteria: e.g., A = All-star candidate; B = Better consider this one; C = Can’t see it. Failsafe system to upgrade initial C’s?

Establish response protocol and procedures: All inquires receive immediate acknowledgment; rejection notices mailed promptly; fortnightly correspondence with those remaining in the pool after each screening round to apprise of search progress, etc.

Wean list of As & Bs to the “Top Twenty.” Do initial 30-minute telephone interview with Top 20: add notes to dossiers for each of the candidates.

As a committee assess the Top 20 dossiers to make the next cut: “The Top Ten” (6-10).


6. All First-round Interviewees:

Prepare a mailing for Top Ten, to include catalogs, bulletins, school newspapers, budgets, last evaluation summary, any development or strategic planning case statements, etc.

Determine early if an internal candidate is a real contender: If not, arrange for graceful withdrawal of candidacy; if so, reassure other strong candidates who may be disinclined to compete, assuming, perhaps incorrectly, that the internal candidate has an unfair advantage or that choosing another will divide the school.

7. Prepare a "Condition of School" White Paper for Semi-finalist Candidates (for their pre-visit “homework”:

Provide school statistics (academic, admissions, development, budget, survey of constituents results).

Develop faculty and student profiles.

Indicate status of last evaluation and long-range plan recommendations.


8. Develop Semifinalist List:

Invite Top Ten candidates (6-10) for an initial screening interview with the search committee--plan on a 1 1/2 hour session with a 30-minute reaction period by the committee after the candidate leaves for a total of two-hours per candidate, all over 2 days. Screening to take place at school or at a neutral site (such as an airport hotel conference room). Determine level of seriousness of each candidate.

Reassure candidates that their candidacy will remain confidential unless they enter the finalist category.

Develop an initial list of 4-5 most promising candidates: segregate list into 2-3 finalists with 1-2 alternates (should any of your finalists drop out for any reason).

Search chair alerts 2-3 semifinalist candidates that he or she will do reference calls and background checks with people not on references list.

Ask the semifinalists to submit to psychometric testing to determine skills and aptitudes and the match between those and the current needs of the school and to glean the more pressing questions to ask.

9. Arrange Candidate Visits to School:

Invite 2-3 finalists to campus, with spouses, for the final round: two-day visit, with evening dinner with search committee representatives followed the next day with interviews with all advisory groups and with each key school player; schedule voluntary open sessions with school faculty, staff, students, parents, trustees: candidate is invited to share some general thoughts with each group then respond to questions.

Develop a feedback mechanism for each group to funnel reactions to search committee. Develop in advance, in conjunction with each candidate's spouse, an itinerary and schedule for visits and tours as desired. Remember, the spouse's reaction to moving into a new community is a key factor in attracting the candidate to come to one's school, so spouse and family needs and aspirations are critical to know and to address. Final event of interview day: meeting with full search committee for impressions and general discussion.

Search committee chair has confidential chat with each candidate to discuss contract matters: check with NAIS on range of head salaries and benefits and on typical contract parameters. NAIS recommends a three-year contract with multiple-year renewals negotiated the summer prior to the final year for each expiration date (i.e., a minimum of 12-month notice given by either party). See sample head contract on the NAIS website: www.nais.org .




10. Cut to the Chase:

Search committee meets to determine top choice.

Search committee reps arrange visit to the leading candidate's current school for on-site interviews with candidate's current colleagues and student leadership. Note: This stage is highly sensitive and disruptive, so NAIS recommends, contrary to the counsel of some search firms, that the on-site visit only occurs with the one finalist who is the clear leading contender.

Assuming no last minute red flags, the search committee meets en toto to make a unanimous recommendation to the Board.

11. Know That Final Matters Matter:

Once contract is signed, make mutual arrangements for simultaneous announcements.

Search committee becomes transition team: Develop schedule for new head to visit school for major events, a board meeting, etc. At an early executive committee meeting in the fall, board chair and head establish goals and evaluation criteria/process for the new head and determine a schedule for frequent chair/head meetings. The transition team, with the head and spouse, plan a social calendar to introduce the new head to the community and a pr calendar of speaking events to capitalize on the enthusiasm and interest a new head generates.

Search Consultant Sample Schedule

1. 3-day Initial “fact-finding” visit: Day 1: -Open Forums Sessions (1 ½ hr.: leadership profile exercises): a.) Trustees, past and present; b.) faculty & administration & staff-Reception/Dinner with Search Committee (informal conversations) Day 2: -Search Committee: Procedures and Protocols (2 ½ hrs)-Open Forums Sessions (1 ½ hr.: leadership profile exercises): Parents -Focus Groups Sessions (1 ½ hr.: leadership profile exercises): Alumni Council Day 3:-Open Forums Sessions (1 ½ hr.: leadership profile exercises): Parents -Focus Groups Sessions (1 ½ hr.: leadership profile exercises): a). Alumni Council; b). Student Leadership; c.) Administrative Council (team-building exercises).

Search Consultant Sample Schedule

2. Search Committee Meetings: 1- or 2-day visit(s) at each filter point: • Top Twenty• Top Ten• First Interviews for Top Ten• Semi-finalist visits to the school• Finalist site visit

3. Follow-up Consultations: 1-day visits• Summer Board Retreat: Goal-setting for the year• Winter Board Meeting: Mid-course assessment• Summer Board Meeting: Evaluation of head and board and goal setting for year 2.

Headmaster Search Timeline

Phase 1

Month 1 Focus Groups with constituencies

Month 2 Development of Leadership Statement and Head Position

Description

Month 3 Publish Leadership Statement

Month 4 Proactive “Quiet” Recruiting Effort

Phase 2

Months 1-2 Advertise opening; screen candidates (6 - 10 semi-finalists)

Months 3-4 Interview semi-finalists and select 3 finalists

Month 5 Recommend primary candidate to Board and negotiate contract

Month 6 Welcome Head to School

Head Search Workshop

The End!

Patrick F. Bassett, President nais

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