This weekend, catching up on my reading after a busy week of travel for NBOA, I was struck by the parallel between these truths and those of other leaders, including those at the top of the armed forces. In "A Military Leader's Approach to Dealing with Complexity," Brigadier General John Michel identified four principles that, he said, "can help you enhance your leadership while concurrently bringing out the best of those around you."
Principle 1: Craft your vision in pencil, not ink.
It is a mistake for leaders to develop their vision in isolation and then expect others to accept it at face value, Michel notes. "How we choose to describe and discuss what we are doing and where we are going is important, but what moves people to sustainable, self-motivated action is understanding the why behind the vision. That vision can only be fully realized if leaders involve others in the process of creating it."
A clear takeaway from the Spectrum report is that high-performing schools (HPSs) are guided by their strategic plan—not governed by it. "HPSs are more likely than other schools to have a strategic plan," we wrote in the summary, "but they are also more likely to use it flexibly—as merely a guide to achieving their intended outcomes." Along the way, they are setting and seeking clear expectations, striving to build consensus and support, and above all clearly explaining critical matters.
Principle 2: Believe no job is too small or insignificant for anyone, especially you.
If military troops are cold, dirty, sleepless and hungry, the leader should be those things as well, Michel says. "You should be prepared to eat last, own failure, and generously share triumphs. This others-centered approach to leading will build deep trust and enduring respect, and reinforce that you don't expect anyone on your team to do anything you wouldn't do yourself." Beyond question, we've found that the leaders of high-performing schools are willing to roll up their sleeves to accomplish important tasks, and to take full responsibility for the decisions they make.
Michel's Principle 3 (remember that leaders should be generalists, not specialists) and 4 (recognize that every interaction is an opportunity to equip, engage, empower and inspire those around you) are also relevant to the leaders of high-performing independent schools. Anecdotally, we know that top CFOs and heads of school surround themselves with experts to whom they can defer on subject matter-specific issues. They also take a pragmatic view of those with whom they work, clearly defining their expectations and providing them with the tools to get them done.
"Military work is risky, pressured, and ever-changing," writes Michel. The work of independent school business officers is also, albeit in very different ways. I believe that the "climate of increasing uncertainty and accelerating complexity" to which Michel refers is as germane to independent schools as to Fortune 500 companies and the U.S. military. And it's up to our leaders to show the way.
