Hello,
Vancouver is finely having its long anticipated summer weather, with temperatures in the mid-80's F and 
climbing. This means that our cherry trees in our back yard are bearing their delicious fruit. Last night while we were enjoying our dinner on the patio, a family of racoons wandered into our yard and proceeded to climb the cherry tree and enoy themselves as well. Ahh, summer in the country.
climbing. This means that our cherry trees in our back yard are bearing their delicious fruit. Last night while we were enjoying our dinner on the patio, a family of racoons wandered into our yard and proceeded to climb the cherry tree and enoy themselves as well. Ahh, summer in the country.As you may know, HEG divides its work between helping clients start new schools and supporting established private schools to improve their operations and leadership (Of course, our services extend into other education-sector related services as well). Working with hundreds of clients globally, there is a common element that we assist with; ensuring that there's an effective working relationship between the board and the school's senior leader. Research indicates that effective schools have strong leadership with a clear vision and a plan to achieve it, which is jointly achieved through a partnership between trustees and the Head of School.
Does your organization have a clear constructive working relationship with the board and the CEO? Today I want to share with you the essentials of strong and healthy Board-Head relationship. Please read on to find out more.
To your success,
Doug Halladay
President
Halladay Education Group
P.S. Don't forget to go to our secure Online Store to invest in our Strategic Planning or Start-A-School Toolkits.
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When we work with school boards, be it new or 
established, we see many of the same issues. An inability to work effectively with the organization's CEO.
Based on HEG's research into the common practices of effective schools; there is an overlaying common element; a strong and healthy Board-Head relationship.
It is important to understand the role that the Board and Head have in achieving the school's mission and goals. For example, the Board's role is to develop the strategic, long-range plan for the school; "directing/developing" goals and policy, and monitoring their implementation. The Head's role is to lead the "operations" side to implement the goals/policies, with the Head and staff being held accountable for meeting Board expectations, which are clearly outlined and monitored within the goals/policies.
Committees
In most circumstances, Board members develop goals and policies for the school with the assistance of the Head and staff, and do not get down in the trenches (the operational side). However, in some limited cases, a Board member may have knowledge and a passion for a specific skill that may benefit the school (a skill that the school staff do not have, or the school cannot finance); skills that the school may want to tap into and to provide staff access to. But Board members need to make sure that they don't overstep and over commit themselves, and cross over from the strategic side (Board) to the operations side (management).
At a Board level, a goal should be achievable, measurable, relevant, and timely, with it being implemented by the Head and the staff. But since a Board member may have an "advisory role", there is a need to make sure that there's no confusion over the "chain-of-command". It is important to ensure that the Board's authoritative position and its obligation to its constituency be maintained, even when it is in the position to give advice, that by definition may or may not be heeded (e.g., do staff members put themselves in jeopardy if they do not heed it?).
Fundamental Rules
Good Board-Head delegation can be characterized by three simple rules:
established, we see many of the same issues. An inability to work effectively with the organization's CEO.Based on HEG's research into the common practices of effective schools; there is an overlaying common element; a strong and healthy Board-Head relationship.
It is important to understand the role that the Board and Head have in achieving the school's mission and goals. For example, the Board's role is to develop the strategic, long-range plan for the school; "directing/developing" goals and policy, and monitoring their implementation. The Head's role is to lead the "operations" side to implement the goals/policies, with the Head and staff being held accountable for meeting Board expectations, which are clearly outlined and monitored within the goals/policies.
Committees
In most circumstances, Board members develop goals and policies for the school with the assistance of the Head and staff, and do not get down in the trenches (the operational side). However, in some limited cases, a Board member may have knowledge and a passion for a specific skill that may benefit the school (a skill that the school staff do not have, or the school cannot finance); skills that the school may want to tap into and to provide staff access to. But Board members need to make sure that they don't overstep and over commit themselves, and cross over from the strategic side (Board) to the operations side (management).
At a Board level, a goal should be achievable, measurable, relevant, and timely, with it being implemented by the Head and the staff. But since a Board member may have an "advisory role", there is a need to make sure that there's no confusion over the "chain-of-command". It is important to ensure that the Board's authoritative position and its obligation to its constituency be maintained, even when it is in the position to give advice, that by definition may or may not be heeded (e.g., do staff members put themselves in jeopardy if they do not heed it?).
Fundamental Rules
Good Board-Head delegation can be characterized by three simple rules:
- The Board will express its instructions and expectations only as a group, not as individuals or committees;
- The Board will express its instructions and expectations only to the Head, never to persons who work for the Head. However, advice to staff from Board members can be workable with sound ground rules. Since the Board can only instruct the Head when it does so as a group, nothing an individual Board members says can and should have instructional authority. Thus, Board member "advice" is fine, but "commands" are not. So advice can be considered by staff on its merits alone; and
- The function and agenda for a Board committee should be developed jointly with the Head.
Summary
It is important to ensure that the line between "instructing" (which a full Board does) and "advising" (which Board member can do) does not get blurred and confusing for the Head and staff. The unintended result is that the staff ends up working not for the Board or Head per se, but for various sources of "advice", which they can never be completely sure is really only advice. Staff members are not inclined to tell Board members that their advice is unhelpful.
In other words, the Board should "direct" and "develop" policies and goals and the Head/staff control the "processes", and the Board members wear his/her "instructional hat" at the Board meetings only, not at the committee level. Thus the Head/staff is held accountable for meeting Board expectations (clearly outlined in the goals/policies of the Board's strategic plan), not the individual Board members.
It is important to make sure that staff is free to review the advice and make the appropriate choices (processes) needed to accomplish the goals. Hence, a Board member's place on a committee is two fold:
It is important to ensure that the line between "instructing" (which a full Board does) and "advising" (which Board member can do) does not get blurred and confusing for the Head and staff. The unintended result is that the staff ends up working not for the Board or Head per se, but for various sources of "advice", which they can never be completely sure is really only advice. Staff members are not inclined to tell Board members that their advice is unhelpful.
In other words, the Board should "direct" and "develop" policies and goals and the Head/staff control the "processes", and the Board members wear his/her "instructional hat" at the Board meetings only, not at the committee level. Thus the Head/staff is held accountable for meeting Board expectations (clearly outlined in the goals/policies of the Board's strategic plan), not the individual Board members.
It is important to make sure that staff is free to review the advice and make the appropriate choices (processes) needed to accomplish the goals. Hence, a Board member's place on a committee is two fold:
- Providing feedback to the Board for the development of goals/ policies (governing) at the Board meeting level; and
- Advising, with the Head/staff making the final decisions on the processes to achieve the goals/policies, being careful of the balance between the two.
NEXT STEP
Doug, if this article strikes a note at your organization, and you feel that your board could be better prepared for the coming school year, then you should seriously consider these valuables services:
Doug, if this article strikes a note at your organization, and you feel that your board could be better prepared for the coming school year, then you should seriously consider these valuables services:
If you'd like to learn more about how we can help your organization, please email HEG or call at +1-604-868-0002 to find out more about our services.
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