The best boards don’t manage. They lead.
Terry Moore, ISM Senior Executive Consultant
In the wake of several disruptive years — marked by pandemic response, enrollment anxieties, and increasing demands for real-time decision-making — many independent school boards find themselves in a position they never intended to be: Entangled in operations.
This condition, often subtle at first, has a name: Operational Drift. Left unaddressed, it quietly erodes the core functions of effective governance:
- Strategic visioning.
- Fiduciary stewardship.
- Generative leadership.
- The head of school partnership.
How Did We Get Here?
Operational drift is rarely the result of ill intent. More often, it emerges from urgency:
- A budget shortfall that requires deep board involvement in financial modeling.
- A facilities project that blurs roles between trustees and staff.
- A crisis that demands real-time oversight beyond policy.
These moments accumulate. Over time, boards that once focused on "what and why" begin to drift into "how and when." Just like that, trustees find themselves reviewing schedules, approving furniture orders, or wordsmithing policy drafts.
Why It Matters
When boards operate outside their lane, several predictable challenges follow:
- The head of school feels micromanaged.
- Strategic priorities get lost in the noise of task management.
- The board’s energy is consumed by solving today’s problems rather than shaping tomorrow’s future.
Even worse, operational drift often disguises itself as good governance. Trustees feel useful. Meetings feel productive. But the result is a board that has traded altitude for activity, and that trade comes at the cost of institutional growth.
Reclaiming Strategic Altitude
Getting back on course doesn’t require reinvention; it just requires recalibration. Here’s where to start:
1. Name It.
Start the conversation. Acknowledge the drift. Invite your board into a posture of reflection and renewal.
2. Clarify Governance Boundaries.
Revisit your board’s job description, committee charters, and head-board partnership model. These tools should define what governance is, and what it is not.
3. Refocus Agendas.
Elevate board agendas beyond updates. Devote meaningful time to mission-driven strategy, data-informed decision-making, and generative dialogue.
4. Rebuild Trust in Leadership.
Operational drift is often a symptom of institutional anxiety. Trust is the antidote. Ensure the head is well-supported, not shadowed.
5. Invest in Board Development.
Schedule a board retreat. Bring in a governance facilitator. Offer training. Strong boards don’t just do governance. They learn it, study it, and improve it.
The Opportunity Ahead
Governance, when it’s done well, steadies institutions, liberates leadership, and creates the conditions for meaningful, mission-aligned growth.
If your school has drifted into operational habits, you’re not alone. But now is the time to climb back to the strategic altitude where boards belong.
Because the best boards don’t manage. They lead.
About the Author
Terry Moore is Senior Executive Consultant and Editor-in-Chief of Ideas & Perspectives, ISM's flagship research and advisory publication. His consultation specialties include strategic planning, financial aid, and school operations.
Prior to joining ISM as a consultant in 2002, Terry was a founder and served on the Board of Directors at Trinity Academy in North Carolina. He also served as Head of Finance, Operations, and Advancement at St. Mary’s School in California.
