MENTORING A NEW HEAD OF SCHOOL

In the area of mentoring a new Head of School, eduINNOVATIONS is no longer the umbrella organization offering consulting services. Jean Lamont, co-founder of eduINNOVATIONS and now with Educators' Collaborative, currently offers executive coaching. She can be contacted at jlamont@educatorscollaborative.com.

The selection of a new Head of School is a critically important task for a governing Board of Trustees. Despite the extraordinary care invested in the process, this transition in the leadership is often accompanied by challenging issues, big and small, which impair the Head's effectiveness and create destabilizing difficulties for a school community. Consideration of the current pressures on a new Head of School during the first year or two of his or her tenure has lead Jean Lamont to offer mentoring at this high level of school leadership. A Head of School will benefit from confidential counsel which may include:

Developing and communicating a vision
Maintaining a focus on the big picture while overseeing the details necessary to run a school
Gaining perspective and expertise on areas of fiscal management
Understanding the ins and outs of fundraising
Appreciating the connections among enrollment, fundraising, financial aid, tuition remission, and so on
Leading and managing the various constituents of the school
Understanding legal issues affecting independent schools
Developing a strong working relationship with the Board and the administrative team
Understanding the value of - and using - emotional intelligence in the workplace
Maintaining perspective on what's going well; celebrating successes
Balancing the new job with a personal life

Jean Lamont seeks to work closely and collaboratively with clients in a relationship that extends to the sharing of expertise within the consulting group. Her intent is to provide counsel that will be useful and meaningful in the context of your school’s culture.

To view a case study about mentoring a new head of school, click here.