ISM has long maintained that money follows performance. When private­independent schools provide the education promised by their mission statements and admission materials, parents are willing to enroll (and re­enroll) their children, and donors are willing to contribute on a recurring basis. As accurate as this aphorism continues to be, given the current challenges schools face in attracting and retaining students and donations, it now needs to be modified with—“when validated.”

As you, the School Head, think about the school five years from now, you must consider the Management Team (the Head's direct reports) and ask whether the team members can take the school where the Board, in its strategic plan, wants it to go. You can't do it alone; this group of administrators is critical to meeting (a) the strategic plan goals and (b) the school growth items as laid out in the annual administration agenda.