This document discusses the need for transformational leadership in independent schools to help guide necessary changes as the world and student population evolves rapidly. It describes how transformational leaders inspire others through vision and focus on developing individuals, in contrast to transactional leaders who focus on rewards and compliance. These leaders are needed to help schools adapt curricula to focus on skills like collaboration, problem solving, and lifelong learning. The document also outlines strategies that transformational leaders can use to effectively manage change, including framing changes positively and minimizing perceptions of threat.

1. 2 I n d e p e n d e n t S c h o o l
leadership for change
I
n a world rapidly undergoing
change, organizational leaders
need to be forces for, on the one
hand, calm and optimism, and,
on the other hand, vision and collabo-
ration. In other words, they are increas-
ingly required to capitalize on the cur-
rent cultural transformations in ways
that inspire all constituents within the
organization to work together toward
new goals, while helping everyone feel
secure in the knowledge that this new
way is, indeed, the best way.
Needless to say, this is challenging
work, especially in school communi-
ties that have been humming along
doing business pretty much as usual
for decades. But it’s absolutely neces-
sary in today’s climate. As in the busi-
ness community, independent schools
that expect to stick around for the long
run need to evolve their educational
programs and their approach to lead-
ership in order to become more adept
at responding to the seismic cultural
shifts in the world today. In the pro-
cess, 21st-century school leaders will
have to reach into many different con-
stituent groups not only to seek input,
but also to align, guide, inspire, and
direct needed change in an ongoing
effort to improve and sustain indepen-
dent schools.
This need for change became clear
to me about 18 months ago, when I
was introduced to Karl Fisch’s pre-
sentation “Did You Know?/Shift Hap-
pens” based on the work of Pulitzer
Prize-winning author Thomas Fried-
man, educator Ian Jukes, and others.
In the presentation, Fisch, a Colorado
school administrator, highlights the
world our students will soon enter — a
world in which the top 10 in-demand
jobs weren’t even in existence until
recently, and in which it is predicted
that school graduates will likely hold
between 10 and 14 different jobs by
the time they’re 38. He also raises our
awareness of the new global distribu-
tion of human talent and the shear ex-
plosion of readily available information
to all nations. In particular, he points
out that the top students in both China
and India outnumber all students in
North America; the number-one Eng-
lish-speaking country in the world will
soon be China; one week of the New
York Times contains more information
than the average 18th-century citizen
was exposed to in a lifetime; and, in
one year, we generate more informa-
tion worldwide than was generated in
the previous 5,000 years (see http://
thefischbowl.blogspot.com).
Yes, the shift is happening before
our eyes. Over the course of the next
decade, schools will likely see a vastly
different student (and parent) popula-
tion, leading to, among other things,
increased tension around diversity
and questions of cultural inclusion in
school curricula and traditions. Mov-
ing forward, curricula will need to
focus on competencies and skills such
as creativity, adaptability, collabora-
tion, resiliency, and global awareness.
Classes will move beyond specific
knowledge, instead focusing on oral
and written communication, critical
thinking, problem solving and, most
importantly, the cultivation of ongoing,
life-long learning.
When it comes to our faculties and
administrations, we are already begin-
ning to see another shift with an un-
precedented number of baby boomers
retiring. In today’s workplace, in fact,
it is not uncommon to see four genera-
tions — traditionalist, baby boomers,
Xers, and Ys — all working as mem-
bers of an organization. Therefore, the
area of talent management — attract-
ing and retaining quality people with
a greater diversity of skills — is rapidly
becoming a top priority. In addition
to attracting such talent, many school
leaders also need to plan for their own
succession — given that nearly 60 per-
cent of our current school leaders are
expected to leave the profession over
the next five-to-seven years.
Of course, in these difficult finan-
cial times, money matters greatly, too.
Over the last four-to-five years, we
have seen both a slowing of tuition
increases (some schools have even
held tuition steady) and an effort to
increase faculty compensation, while
also addressing other escalating ex-
penses, such as the increasing costs of
Transformational Leadership
Leading Schools in a Time of Global Cultural
Shifts
By Jerry La r son
from Independent School magazine, Spring 2009

2. S p r i n g 2 0 0 9 3
energy, food, healthcare, and services
— all in a time of tumultuous financial
markets. Fund-raising has always mat-
tered, but it has taken on a new, more
vital, role as the facilities “arms race”
has slowed and financial sustainability
has moved to the forefront.
What all this means for indepen-
dent schools, most of whom are tuition
dependent, is that they need to begin
thinking and acting differently than
they did in past decades. Whether it
is through this magazine, the Harvard
Education Letter, the Trustee’s Letter,
or the ubiquitous YouTube and social
networking websites, schools are be-
ing challenged to step up and meet
head-on the constantly changing world
we live in.
The 21st–Century Challenge
Over the last 100 years, broadly speak-
ing, education in the United States
has remained relatively static. While
technology has become commonplace
in schools, our methodology has gone
largely unchanged. With some excep-
tions, the majority of schools continue
to be organized around an industrial
model: leaders act in a hierarchical
framework — a framework that is also
transferred to the classroom where
teachers by and large expect compli-
ance from their students. One might
argue that we should have changed
this model years ago — as some
schools have done — but, for schools
that haven’t altered their approach,
now is certainly the time to move
beyond this transactional model to
one more fundamentally structured
around the concept of being a true
learning organization — that is, an
organization in which all constituents
focus on the ongoing improvement of
the institution.
Fortunately, we have some good
models out there. In the past few years,
for instance, I have seen a movement
in our corporations, schools, and com-
munities toward a greater sense of
inclusion and transparency. While it
may cause some tension with boards,
school leaders, parents, and, in some
cases, students, it is also proving to be
the right direction for schools — given
the increasing diversity in the nation
and the growing need for schools to
prepare students for a more intercon-
nected world. At the same time, as it
becomes more difficult to secure re-
sources, more organizations and their
constituents have begun to embrace
the concepts of collaboration and part-
nerships. For a number of years now,
the National Association of Indepen-
dent Schools (NAIS) has encouraged
organizational change through the
development of partnerships and in-
novative, value-added programming
in order for schools to both thrive and
sustain their independence. Sustaining
independence through partnerships
and shared programs may seem ironic,
but it is nevertheless true. As munici-
palities look for new revenue streams
these days, they are more inclined to
challenge independent schools’ tax-
exempt status if they believe that the
schools offer little value to the towns.
Good partnerships, among other
things, highlight the value of schools,
making it clear that they are working
for the greater good.
Of course, leading schools through
these and other transitions requires ef-
fective leadership — leadership that is
truly transformational.
The Transformational Leader
When it comes to organizational
excellence, management consultant
Jim Collins and his research group
underscore the importance of a certain
kind of leadership as a key component
of how 11 out of the 1,473 companies
the group studied made the leap from
“good to great.” Additional research
indicates that such leadership also
turns out to be a key component in
social sector success. In particular, Col-
lins and his team placed considerable
emphasis on the concept of a “Level
5” executive, one who builds enduring
greatness through a paradoxical blend of
personal humility and professional will.
Collins extols these leaders’ character-
istics, pointing out that, in contrast to
larger-than-life CEOs, Level 5 leaders
act with quiet, calm determination,
relying principally on inspired stan-
dards, not charisma, to motivate.
My work with trustees and school
communities has shown me that
“charisma and presence” are often
considered highly desired qualities in
school leaders, especially in the head
of school. But Collins ascribes these
characteristics only to a Level 4 leader,
an effective leader, not a truly great
leader. Charisma and inspiration are
valuable assets, but great schools today
need executives who are more than
effective; they need Level 5 plus lead-
ers, or what Pulitzer Prize-winning
theorist and presidential biographer
James McGregor Burns identified in
his award-winning book Leadership as
transformational leaders.
Classic transactional leaders focus
mostly on rewards and punishment,
establishing a corrective model for
addressing the actions of others.
They want to keep the organizational
machinery running as it always has,
keep everyone on task. By contrast,
transformational leaders seek to de-
velop others by working to understand
intrinsic motivation and focusing on
a long-term perspective. They may in-
spire through charisma and vision, but
they also respond to others’ needs by
aligning individual objectives, goals,
and values with those of the organiza-
tion. They motivate individuals to seek
higher levels of performance in the
name of the school’s missions and,
thus, achieve satisfaction and often
exceed expectations.
In Transformational Leadership,
Bernard Bass, SUNY Binghamton
professor and founding editor of
the Leadership Quarterly Journal, and
Ronald Riggio, Claremont McKenna
College professor of leadership and or-
ganizational psychology, demonstrate
the organizational benefits of this
leadership style. Positive transforma-
tional leadership combines morals and
virtue with a desire to contribute to a
collective intent toward real, positive
social change. (Two clear examples
in independent schools are programs
such as Summerbridge, which prepares
underserved minority students for
secondary and post-secondary schools,
and a well-developed service-learning
program that serves the needs of the
greater school community.) In his
work on developing leadership capac-
ity, University of Michigan business

3. 4 I n d e p e n d e n t S c h o o l
leadership for change
professor Robert Quinn outlines the
normal and fundamental states of
leadership, which correspond to trans-
actional and transformational leader-
ship. In particular, Quinn discusses
how, during times of crisis, leaders
act in a fundamental way that is au-
thentic, open, and transformative. It
is the sense of urgency that forces the
leader to move beyond their “normal”
or transactional state to act in ways that
produce results. During these urgent
times, a leader who has entered the
“fundamental” state of being will be
primarily other-focused; openly seek-
ing real feedback and input, reaching
greater levels of awareness, compe-
tence, and vision. Individuals who are
in the fundamental state of leadership
are internally directed, examining their
behavior and values rather than being
concerned about what others think.
They focus on the results that need to
be created, and then tirelessly pursue
those results. During trying times,
great leaders and great organizations
are open to the possibilities of “doing”
in a new or different way that brings
about an increased level of success —
regardless of what worked in the past.
Working with school leaders and
their teams, I have begun cultivating
this fundamental state of transfor-
mational leadership by encouraging
leaders to refocus on their respective
school’s mission, philosophy, and
core values — and how this process
can help clarify the vision of what the
school can and should be in the fu-
ture, in light of the changing cultural
landscape. In many communities, for
instance, heads and their leadership
teams are focusing not only on defin-
ing processes and expected outcomes
for individual employees, but also on
building good relations to create a pos-
itive school climate and culture within
the school and valuable community
connections outside the school. One
head I know, for example, is actively
engaged in civic groups, including
programs on diversity and inclusion
as well as general community leader-
ship. This individual is also encourag-
ing others in the school to reach out
to community groups. The goal is to
spotlight the public purpose of this
independent school to the broader
community, while also bringing the
community into the school for what,
if done right, will be a symbiotic re-
lationship that benefits everyone and
builds a stronger foundation for future
understanding.
Research conducted by the Hay
Group, global management consul-
tants, has found that leadership style
can explain between 50 and 70 percent
of the variance in organizational cli-
mate, which, in turn, explains up to 30
percent of the variance in the bottom
line. This insight into organizational
leadership is supported in Primal Lead-
ership, in which Daniel Goleman and
Richard Boyatzis, of the Emotional In-
telligence Consortium, and University
of Pennsylvania education professor
Anne McKee discuss the contagious
nature of a leader’s Emotional Intelli-
gence Quotient (EQ). In order to effect
authentic transformational leadership,
a “positive or strong” EQ is a founda-
tional component.
Anecdotally, in the schools with
which I work, I have seen how a school
leader can influence either a positive or
negative culture. The emotional intel-
ligence competencies of the leader play
a significant role in strengthening,
shaping, and maintaining a vibrant
school climate that is open to transfor-
mational change.
But how does one become a trans-
formational leader with a high EQ? Re-
uven Bar-On, University of Texas psy-
chologist, identifies five composites of
EQ: intrapersonal (self-awareness and
self expression); interpersonal (social
awareness and relationships); stress
management (emotional management
and regulation); adaptability (change
management); and general mood (self
motivation, optimism, and happiness).
Like Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee,
Bar-On believes that these competen-
cies are not fixed. Rather, they can be
enhanced through deliberate practice,
an idea that is reinforced by research
in neuroscience. And this is good
news, as we look, on the one hand, to
develop our own leadership skills and,
on the other hand, to prepare our stu-
dents to become the next generation of
transformational leaders.
Change, Resistance, Renewal
As schools begin to look more closely
at the relationship of their practices
to the broader community (both lo-
cal and global), it is important to ac-
knowledge the difficulties involved in
change management. Neuroscience
research has demonstrated that our
brain’s primary function is to ensure
survival; any change in what has been
learned and repeatedly acted upon,
therefore, is perceived, most often sub-
consciously, as a survival threat. This
may lead to a stress response, often
exhibited in the form of resistance.
More often than not, the school leader
is seen as the change catalyst, or even
“the issue,” and resisted. A transforma-
tional leader needs to identify this all-
too-common response to change and
work to minimize the perception of
threat by reframing the new vision for
the school as an opportunity for greatly
improving the community through
professional development, innovation,
and leading-edge programming.
In particular, I frequently coun-
sel that leaders frame change in the
language of renewal, applying an
organizational cycle developed by the
Hudson Institute of Santa Barbara,
California. This cycle, based on Fredric
Hudson’s Adult Development Cycle of
Renewal, has four phases: fully aligned,
out of synch, repurposing; and explor-
ing. Within each phase, individuals
and organizations may have “chapters”
or developmental periods. From time
to time there are down periods, during
which a mini-transition reinvigorates
an existing chapter or explores a new
one. Many independent schools are
already in a period of reflection and
repurposing, addressing questions
related to financial affordability (access
and sustainability); program devel-
opment (to prepare students for the
uncertain world they will enter); and
leadership and faculty recruiting (de-
velopment and retention for program-
matic sustainability). It appears that
independent schools are also entering
a period of significant transition that
will require a fundamental shift in the

4. S p r i n g 2 0 0 9 5
way leaders transform schools.
Moving forward, the strongest lead-
ers will utilize a blend of the transac-
tional leadership, through clarifying
roles and responsibilities, and the
transformational leadership, with a
strong emphasis on being visionary
and on developing others. Communi-
cation in our transformative organiza-
tions will comprise an ongoing, open
dialogue in which creative conflict and
differing points of view are encouraged
and explored with integrity that leads
to principled decision-making.
Transformational leadership pro-
vides an effective approach to leading
our schools in today’s complex global
community. Faculty, students, parents,
alumni, and community members
seek an inspirational leader to provide
guidance, but they also seek to be chal-
lenged, developed, empowered, and
valued. As independent schools evolve,
the authentic transformative leader,
partnering with a vibrant and respon-
sive school community, will empower
a school’s leap from good to great and
beyond.
Jerry Larson, an associate with Educational Direc-
tions Incorporated, in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, is
a leadership coach/consultant who has served as head
of school, administrator, teacher, and coach at various
independent schools. He is the husband of an inde-
pendent school teacher, the parent of an independent
school student, and a trustee of the Forman School
(Connecticut).
Dr. Jerry Larson, CHIC
Jerry has over twenty years experience working with and leading individuals and teams in high performing organizations.
As a Head/CEO of a $10 million, 100 employee organization, Jerry delivered 22% growth over an 18 month period and
led an $8 million capital improvement process.
Jerry has a Doctorate in Education from Boston University in counseling and human development with an emphasis in
performance and sport psychology. He also holds an MBA and has certifications in coaching from The Hudson Institute
of Santa Barbara (CHIC), and in coaching leadership through emotional intelligence from Weatherhead School of
Management. Jerry is also a certified William Bridges facilitator for Leading Individual and Organization Change.
Contact Jerry Larson at
(401) 374-7183
jerry@drjlarson.com
www.drjlarson.com