ISM has written at length on the virtues of strategic planning and strategic financial planning. While the strategic plan can be aspirational and embody the vision of the school, the strategic financial plan (SFP) is the voice of reason enforcing discipline and patience on the School Head and the Board of Trustees. When implementing the SFP, the Business Manager is stereotypically cast as the grounded person who will not allow the school to be at risk, being both financial manager and risk manager. However, the Business Manager (in partnership with the School Head) also has a real opportunity to be a proactive change agent. The strategic financial plan, while conservative and ensuring the school is not in jeopardy, is also a proactive change instrument that provides an opportunity to innovate and enrich. ISM’s Stability Markers, scored over its 18 metrics, places the school in one of four categories. Using these categories, the Business Manager, with the support of the School Head, can influence strategic planning, using the SFP, to make significant change.