Killed by Good Intentions

Even as every aspect of life seems overwhelmed by the coronavirus, our work with boards continues via Zoom and synchronous and asynchronous webinars. A current round of board member video interviews brings me back to an insight from a few years ago:

The most dysfunctional independent school boards are rarely so because of malevolent actors with malicious intentions; rather, the dysfunction lies in the behavior of members who deeply love the school and believe they are acting in its best interest.

Almost invariably, the boards in question are made up of smart, successful people who, by acting out their "good intentions" end up creating bigger problems for the school. The pathway to trouble comes when one or more board members assumes that conditions are such that accepted good practices in the field no longer apply. For example, dwindling enrollment (and resulting financial strain) prompts a trustee to begin interviewing fellow parents and even staff to ferret out what is going wrong. Enrollment and money problems are serious, but adding to them by committing the dual mistake of freelancing and crossing boundaries only makes things worse.There is an old saying that "schools are killed by good intentions." As we make our way through extraordinary times when it seems that no wisdom from the past applies, it is important to remember that good practices are "good" for a reason.