Breaking the Mold: IndySchool Consultancy's Disruptive Approach to Leadership Search in Independent Schools

With a shortage of school leadership across all regions in independent schools, isn't it time to reinvent the outdated Stone Age search process? Studies predict a significant loss of faculty, staff, and leadership in the education sector in the next few years, fueled by the so-called "great resignation," retirements, leaders leaving the profession, and an increasing number of abrupt departures. It's evident that the traditional leadership search model is outdated.

Additionally, the process is fundamentally flawed. The proof is in the pudding. With shorter tenures, abrupt departures, and dissatisfied schools and leaders, it's clear that schools and candidates are not finding the right matches.

The old search process was designed for slow decision-making and gaining consensus from internal stakeholders, not for speed, efficiency, or effectiveness. The process also favored aspiring leaders from top schools and those with connections to search consultants. The days of the old search process are numbered.

The traditional search process is a relic from a bygone era when education and its requirements were vastly different. It's a legacy system that no longer aligns with the present or the future. We need to let it rest in peace and embrace a new, thoughtfully crafted, faster, and more efficient model that prioritizes talent and potential rather than relying solely on the school's name on a resume or the candidate's pedigree. We need new metrics that lead to faster, more efficient, and more successful outcomes.

IndySchool Consultancy's process involves a competency-based matching process that begins with the school working with our team to select the competencies they seek in their ideal leader. By matching candidates with schools based on competencies, our model disrupts the way future searches are conducted.

Fundamentally to our process is placing effectiveness over efficiency. Traditional firms have become mechanized, and have sacrificed the pure purpose of a leadership search- to uncover as much information about the school so that the process that unfolds is rooted in best practices.

And finally, when the school has made their decision on the best candidate for the position, we continue to support the new leader by offering executive coaching sessions by experienced independent school educators and certified coaches.

Farewell, traditional search. You have outlived your usefulness.  Allow IndySchool Consultancy to lead your school’s next leadership search.