Turning Search on Its Head
p>Kuala Lumpur--Singapore American School used an unusual approach to finding a new head of school that may be a harbinger of things to come in the search field. Rather than passively accepting a list of candidates from a search firm "stable" of resumes, or even running advertisements in trade publications, SAS first identified a set of public school superintendents and independent school heads that it asked its search firm to pursue. The idea guiding this approach was that the ideal candidate probably was not yet looking for a job; e.g., already highly successful and facing a bright future somewhere else.
Major corporations have long used this tactic for finding top talent. Rather than waiting for a new CEO to self-identify, the search committee and consultant go after whom they want wherever they happen to be at present.
Of course, taking this tact means having the confidence that one's school will be such an interesting play that even an entrenched head will consider making a move. What I like most about SAS's approach is that it changes the search consultant role from one of resume management to one of selling the school to prospects that may not yet know they are interested. That makes it well worth a school's money to retain a search consultant; I'm still note sure the benefits of a conventional approach is worth the cost.