Succession Planning for School Leadership

Board members sooner or later raise the topic of succession planning, sometimes because they anticipate a head of school's retirement and at other times because they have heard the topic mentioned in their companies. Like many good ideas, this one can become a bit complicated by many unintended consequences.Schools should have only one head of school. Once an heir-apparent is designated--and it is impossible to keep such a designation secret for very long--the sitting head becomes a de facto lame duck even if the transition is still a few years into the future. Even the presence of a second person fully capable of being head and undergoing grooming for the role invites board members and others to begin making comparisons with the existing head. And rarely are such comparisons favorable for the head.When it comes to heads and succession, what boards should rightly ask is who in the school could be appointed acting head should the unfortunately day arrive when such a role would be necessary. Understanding who might act in advance of need is very different from having the next head of school already on staff. Schools do not need to have the next head on staff!The more serious succession issue that boards usually overlook is about its own leadership, particularly the board chair and chairs of the trustees and finance committees. These are important board roles and should not be given to brand new members under normal circumstances. Too often, board members fret too much about head of school succession and not nearly enough about ensuring continuity of leadership in their own ranks.