The Question No One Asks

Until now.A board member at an extraordinarily successful school where one of us conducted a strategic planning session last weekend wrote in an email, "How the school might defy the laws of organizational gravity and stay at the top of its game on an ongoing basis?"Great question and one that we have had precious few board members ask. Most, when their schools are strong, want to sit back, take a breather and, as a result, let the market catch up.Our answer? "Keep challenging your executive team to push the school further; ask [the head] what is next and how [the school] can not only be a big dog but lead the pack. The usual state of affairs is that boards become complacent and decide that the status quo is good enough."