1. Leadership of Schools and the Longevity of Heads

2. Key Issues Long term heads lead to healthier schools
Heads and Trustees turn over too quickly
Board structure and behavior affect head tenure
Leadership styles of heads affect head tenure
Head tenure affects faculty morale and growth, school stability, financial health
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford &Associates

3. The Sad State of Head Turnover
70% to 80% of all heads are fired today
30 years ago, they left on their own
Today’s head faces more pressures
Today’s head is a target
Heads need a reservoir of political capital
Boards need to help build that reservoir
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

4. The Beginning and Often the End
New Heads must “lay low in the weeds”
Transitions are crucial and take up to three years
In years two and three heads are often fired
The third year the head may expect to cross the Rubicon
By year 5, the school is beginning to reflect the head’s leadership and vision
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

5. Leadership Styles
Drivers are decision makers who may succeed and last long term if they survive the first three years
Expressives and amiables last longer, but then may be fired as unresolved issues surface
Analyticals tend to be the survivors, the real long term heads
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

6. The Head’s Impact Begins after 6 to 8 years
Fund raising potential gains momentum
The head understands the culture and political realities
Stronger trustees are attracted to a “winning” school
Faculty respond to leadership and vision
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

7. There is No Recommended Head Tenure
Heads can be effective in year 1 and may be effective after 30 to 40 years
Head tenure relates to health of the Board, and health and leadership of the head
Great legacies are left by long term heads
Frank Boyden served 67 years at Deerfield
Byron Forbush served 38 years at Baltimore Friends
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

8. Disappearance of Long Term Heads
Long term Trustees have disappeared
Long serving chairs are rare
School bylaws force the turnover of valuable trustees
The result: Long term heads have disappeared
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

9. The Loss of Institutional Memory
School mission and stability depend on long serving trustees who hold the mission in “trust”
Long serving trustees select long serving chairs
Long serving chairs build lasting partnerships with long serving heads
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

10. The Committee on Trustees is the Most Powerful and Important Committee
The Committee on Trustees preserves institutional memory
It is the responsibility of the COT to evaluate all trustees and officers regularly
The COT creates a healthy board: a mix of parents, alumni, past parents and community leaders
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

11. The Pendulum has Swung Too Far
There should be no term limits for Trustees
There should be no term limit for chairs
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

12. Link of Head and Chair The value of long term Chairs
Chairs should serve at least three to five years
Heads usually cannot survive their fourth board chair
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

13. Trustee Service/Longevity of Heads
Schools need stability as well as change
Trustee turnover is dangerous as power vacuums develop and are filled by faculty and parents
Board members need to think of themselves as “Trustees”, not directors or governors
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

14. Board Members May Be Too Involved
Frequent Head turnover creates power vacuums filled by trustees
Intrusive Boards occur at times of head transition or weakness
Over-extended boards become exhausted and make poor decisions
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

15. The Frequent Turnover of Heads Creates a Power Vacuum
Elementary day schools fire their heads the most
Day schools fire their heads more than boarding schools
Parent boards fire more than mixed boards
Professionals fire more than business people
Frequent head turnover creates power vacuums that attract trustees, parents and teachers
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford &Associates

16. Healthy Schools Cultures are Damaged by Head Turnover
Parents and teachers engage in the dangerous practice of skipping channels and crossing boundaries
Leadership opportunities are lost
Legacies are not created
The community becomes suspicious
Fund raising declines
Admissions suffers
Alumni have little pride
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

17. Long Term Heads Know How to Manage the Board
Smaller boards are better
Fewer subcommittees are better
The education and personnel committees are the most dangerous
The Board must nurture the head
The Head must nurture each board member
Heads have as many “bosses” as there are trustees
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

18. The Power and the Danger of the Head/Chair Partnership
80% of weak boards are due to poor head-chair partnerships
20% of weak boards are due to overly close partnerships
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

19. Institutional Memory Again
Chair should stay on the Executive Committee at least one year after serving as Chair
Executive Committee members should have the option to be reelected annually
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

20. Long Term Heads are Not “Joiners”
Long term heads mind the store
Long term heads stay home and know the constituencies
Long term heads know the faculty and their families
Long term heads try to stay in touch with the key constituencies
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

21. Long Term Heads are Visionaries
They are fervent about the mission
They speak to their vision frequently
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

22. Long Term Heads Have Stable Families
Supportive spouses or partners are crucial
Boards need to nurture the head’s family
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

23. Long Term Heads Tend to Hire Number One’s
Strong heads hire strong staff
Strong heads are not reluctant to lose staff to head other schools
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

24. Long Term Heads Make Their Management Pattern Clear
Long term heads are clear to the faculty about their role as heads and management style
Long term heads are predictable
Long term heads are also mysterious
Long term heads consult but ultimately make decisions
Long term heads learn not to make decisions too quickly as issues sometimes resolve themselves
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

25. Long Term Heads Do Not Bend in the Wind
They focus on the mission and adhere to it
They do not drift by bowing to the latest group of disgruntled constituents
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

26. Long Term Heads Hire Faculty Carefully
They hire for character and not just skills
They hire by balancing the demographics of the faculty to ensure the right “mix”
They hire to ensure faculty support the mission
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

27. Long Term Heads Know the Power of the Committee on Trustees
The Committee on Trustees does the following:
Cultivates, screens, selects, orients, trains, evaluates, warns and removes trustees
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

28. Long Term Heads Usually Know When to Quit
Long term heads usually give plenty of notice of their intent to retire or leave
Long term heads generally know they have to back off for a year or two after departing
Long term heads have enormous political capital and fund raising potential
Long term heads are valuable assets, even after retirement
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates

29. Long Term Heads Are Needed
Especially in times of stress, crisis and change
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates