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September 22, 2022
New School Year, New Goal Setting
With the start of the new school year, many board chairs are asking about goal setting with the Head of School. What should the Head's goals be for 'this year' and what is the best process for establishing those goals?
Two of our ISCA members have written about this recently and both articles are worth your time considering. Georgy Ann Peluchiwski (Greenwich Leadership Partners and ISCA's Board of Directors) and Tom Olverson (RG175) both discuss identifying strategic goals that actually may not be accomplished in 1 year but maybe over a longer period of time. How do you measure 'progress' towards those goals in both qualitative and quantitative ways and then align the board's work to support leadership in attaining those goals?
Both Georgy Ann and Tom lean towards asking the question: What is the most important work that needs to be done for your school? Is it establishing a healthier culture of philanthropy? Lowering attrition? As Georgy Ann says, goal setting must begin in dialogue with your HOS as a 'joint endeavor.' Tom suggests, " the head and board should establish multi-year shared goals with an emphasis on investments at the beginning of the process and metrics at the end. By focusing on shared responsibility and a longer time frame, the board and head are creating a partnership, which in turn, aligns the learning process (which informs strategy) with the intended long-term goal."
Boards may initially feel uncomfortable considering this shift in goal setting. This is where your leadership as Board Chair is critical. You can guide the board in this conversation and discuss the benefits of this more progressive approach to goal setting.
Read article by Georgy Ann Peluchiwski
Read article by Tom Olverson
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