principles of good practice and the keys to success confidential: intellectual property of...
TRANSCRIPT
Principles of Good Practice and the Keys to Success
*The Search and Hiring Process
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates and NAIS
*Hiring the Consultant
*Decide by the fiscal year beginning June 30 if possible
*Ensure chemistry of consultant and search chair
*Understand the implications of the price of the service
*Hiring the Consultant
*Ensure you know who you are “getting” if you choose a large search firm
*Determine how much process vs. product you want: do you want a placement firm or “full service”?
*Clarify the consultant’s role in screening names, checking references and building rapport with candidates
*The consultant should provide a complete description of services offered including fees and expenses (and how often he/she will be present on site)
*Decide how “democratic” you want to be, i.e., the level of constituent input you want to gather and the cost associated with that choice
*NAIS Principles of Good Practice Regarding Search Consultants
*The consultant should make known the other clients for which he or she is currently conducting a search to fill a similar position, including those that may compete with yours
*The consultant should be conducting a manageable number of searches at any given time to ensure quality attention to each client. (What is the number that you are comfortable with?)
*NAIS Principles of Good Practice Regarding Search Consultants
*The search consultant should make every effort to understand the school, its mission and its culture (and write a unique profile).
*The school NOT the candidate is the client.
*The search chair/consultant relationship and frequent contact are key to success
*NAIS Principles of Good Practice Regarding Search Consultants
*A candidate who is a sitting head and seriously considering another headship should inform his board chair in confidence (when?)
*The consultant should not invite the candidacy of a head of school placed in that position by the consultant’s firm within the last 5 years.
*NAIS Principles of Good Practice Regarding Search Consultants
*The consultant should describe the role of the search committee in checking references.
*The consultant should emphasize the importance of discretion and confidentiality to both the committee and candidates
*The Consultant Should Develop a Leadership
Profile
*Littleford & Associates recommends interviewing board members individually and key constituents in focus groups to develop a list of key candidate qualifications and qualities
*If desired an online survey may be used to gather data
*Littleford & Associates recommends a workshop to present this feedback to the entire board
*The Consultant Should Develop a Leadership
Profile
*The consultant develops the profile to be reviewed by the search committee and then shared with the committee
*The profile may be posted on the websites of appropriate national and regional associations as well as other networks.
*The profile may be posted on the school website
*Communications with the Search Consultant
*The search consultant should have one “point person” for all communications, usually the chair.
*The school should designate one professional and discrete staff member who will provide clerical assistance. The division of labor between the school and the firm should be clear.
*The Consultant’s Network
*The consultant should:
*Be able to “cast a broad net” by contacting sitting heads who may be a good fit but may not be actively seeking a new headship
*Know top second tier administrators and aspiring heads
*Reach out beyond those who reach out to him or her
*Stay in touch with candidates at all stages of the process
*Sell all the school to all candidates: never make assumptions that the preferred candidate(s) will remain available and accept your offer
* Composition of the Search Committee
*The most effective members clearly understand and are able to articulate the mission of the school.*Five to seven board members (limit to Board?)*They have some degree of institutional memory and board service.*They do not represent the interests of any particular group or a personal agenda.*The Chair MAY be the next Board Chair.
*NAIS Principles of Good Practice for
Search Committees
*School visits should be made only when the candidate and search committee are a mutually serious stage.
*Visits to a candidate’s present school should be complete yet at no time jeopardize his or her current position. (only at very finalist stage
* The Role of Advisory Committees
*A vehicle for soliciting the opinion of key groups: teachers and administrators; students; alumni; and parents*May meet semifinalist candidates and meets finalists*One large group of 15 or subgroups of 4-5*Members must provide different perspectives, but with a long term, objective view*An alternative to Advisory is “reps” on Board Committee
* The Role of Advisory Committees
*The consultant should counsel the advisory committee(s) of their role and help to suggest appropriate questions.*The chair of the advisory committee(s) reports to the search committee chair*One or two key advisory committee members may go on visits to finalists’ schools.*Note: advisory committees do not have ultimate decision-making authority
* Consideration of Internal Candidates
*Care must be taken in handling the candidacy of current administrators.
*Internal candidates may or may not be the “faculty favorite”.
*If the internal candidate is not chosen, the School may lose an administrator or retain one who may find supporting the new head difficult.
*Understand the risks of even inviting internally interested candidates to be interviewed. Disappointment can be damaging.
*Interviewing Candidates
*The consultant should advise the committee on the interviewing of semifinalists and finalists
*The actual interviewing is the responsibility of the committee.
* The Importance of Reference Checking
*At the semifinalist stage, each member should be assigned a candidate whose references should be checked carefully.*References should be checked with the candidate’s permission.*Every effort should be made to find references beyond those provided.*Confidentiality and discretion are assumed at all times.*The consultant should suggest questions.
*The Compensation
Package
*The consultant should offer counsel on structuring a compensation package that is fair and competitive.*The consultant should offer advice on all elements of the package: salary, retirement, deferred compensation, housing and other benefits.*The board may want to retain outside counsel at this point to facilitate closure on the compensation offer to the favored finalist
*Transition and Change
* The politics of transition and change
* Managing the pace and nature of change
* Building coalitions
* Retaining institutional memory
*Counsel on Transitions
*Littleford & Associates recommends a full board transition workshop.
*Boards need to understand the challenges and pitfalls pacing new heads and experienced ones in a new headship
