Strategic Thinking for Boards
We take a long view, but we are ever mindful of the real challenges of keeping a school healthy and viable for today as well as tomorrow.
Many Boards move almost reflexively into strategic planning on a regular basis, a process that can be time-consuming, draining and expensive. By contrast, we offer an approach that can be more efficient – and effective. Simply put, we help Boards engage in more strategic thinking as part of their ongoing work.
Following the work of consultant and author Richard Chait, we help Boards distinguish between fiduciary, strategic and generative work, plus:
- separate short-term from long-term issues
- define key challenges
- refine the school’s vision and mission
- turn vision into plan
As veterans of leading schools, we also always remain mindful of core matters of financial sustainability.
It is sometimes said that a Board’s responsibility is less to the children currently attending a school than to the children of those children – in other words, the next generation. We take a long view, but we are ever mindful of the real challenges of keeping a school healthy and viable for today as well as tomorrow.