Winning buy in

The board chair was losing sleep, this time about the chatter. The Head of School search committee hadn’t even been formed yet. But already a well-connected, vocal, and opinionated graduate of the school - also a current parent and volunteer - was rumored to be talking up their favorite prospective candidate.

“We need someone who get us, who understands our community.”

It’s just a common truth: someone impacted by the search will organize, especially if they disagree. They might disagree with the timing of the transition. Or with the individuals who were invited to join the search committee, and who wasn’t. There will be contrary opinions: about which constituency is represented on the committee, with the role definition, with the priorities for the school, with the fact that there’s a search going on in the first place. Some will disagree with the process: the pace, the focus, the communication. And with the outcome.

And they are right to be concerned: it matters.

A leadership transition is fragile, and success is not guaranteed. It’s personal: their standing and influence will change. And the future of the organization more broadly rests on the working relationships a new leader will invest in - or neglect - with the board, the educators, the staff, and supporters. With all of that at stake, what should a board leader do?

Focus on what is best for the organization - for the school and the students.

As a board or search committee chair, your job is to focus the conversations away from any one individual, group of stakeholders, or single issue that’s being expressed. Sometimes that means bringing “what’s best for students” to the forefront. But that’s rarely enough. Often, we find that a school community also needs clear and specific direction on the diagnosis of what the priorities of the school are in this moment, and the type of leadership required to execute on a plan that meets the current needs. How do you build buy in?

• Focus on the shared values of the school

  What are your core values? Why do people in your community choose to be here? What about your school enables them to thrive? Whatever those things are, now is the time to get them off the website or wall and bring them to life.

  The purpose of referencing the school’s values is to remind everyone that - despite whatever disagreements or history - you have an immediate common goal:

  Set the stage for someone new to be successful.

  The more work that can be done - in finances, fundraising, personnel, enrollment, and relationships - before someone starts in the role, the better.

• Select your committee members with care

  Can each committee member be objective? Can they express the needs of the school, not just their take? Can they woo candidates? Can they showcase how great it might be to work and lead here?

  For some community members with high expectations, seeing a range of candidate profiles as part of the committee process can shift the conversation away from deficiencies (in board leadership, in finalist candidates, in the school’s past responses to their priorities) and toward how to support someone new.

• Include voices from across the organization

  Survey? Focus group? One-on-one conversations? When deciding how to invest your time, ask yourself: “Whose perspective have we not yet heard yet?” and invite that person or group of people into discussion. Later on they may not remember what they say, but they will remember that they were asked to share. Respecting views from across the school translates into a greater chance of community members supporting the new leader.

The loudest voices can sometimes be useful. For our board chair, the support for the new leader was increased because a key influencer was included as part of the committee (rather than questioning the process from the outside). In this case, it was a different committee member who was a holdout between the two finalists, the difference between unanimity and a split decision was in the balance. On behalf of the committee, we sought out not just what the holdout’s preferences were for one over the other, but why.

And the payoff for all of the time invested? The new leader encounters a community that knows itself better, has practiced listening to each other, and is clear about their priorities.