Your CFO and board aim to maximize the number of full-paying students in each class. Teachers and division directors seek to avoid overcrowding, while the Hebrew and Judaic director wants to ensure that students transferring after first grade have a solid foundation in Hebrew. The development team wants to admit families with financial means, and the head of school desires a balanced approach but often lacks the time to provide guidance.
How can you transform these complex relationships into partnerships that enhance your recruitment strategy? This article outlines steps to convert challenges into opportunities.
Transforming Challenges into Opportunities
In my coaching work, I help clients see that while circumstances may appear daunting, a leader’s response can transform challenges into opportunities for growth. Let’s consider a few relatable examples.
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Balancing an Admission Director’s Challenging Role with Team Dynamics
At the first leadership meeting of the year, the head of school encourages the team to evaluate successes and areas for improvement. When it’s your turn, she shares that most classes are full, with just a few spots left in kindergarten, but third grade and fourth grade are oversubscribed. She highlights the admission team’s valiant efforts in August to place seven third graders and eight fourth graders in your school when the students were left without a school due to a last-minute school closure. This, she said, “helped us reduce our deficit, but we have exceeded our financial aid budget.”
Next, she outlined concerns regarding the new students’ potential weaknesses in Hebrew and math, and red flags for behavior challenges. Look, she said, “these kids came to us in August when everyone was away. The admission director did her best to screen them, but getting school records was difficult. These kids along with the other kids we accepted with financial and learning challenges will make for a challenging year.”
Suddenly, all eyes are on the admissions team. The CFO expresses frustration: “We exceeded the financial aid budget while I was away. Didn’t we agree not to do this?” The director of advancement adds, “I thought you would bring in new donor parents, but instead, we have more needy families. Are you trying to make my job harder?”
The director of Hebrew and Judaic studies interjects, “They don’t have Hebrew? What are we supposed to do?” The director of student support looks horrified, asking if more counselors are needed. The director of general studies’ eyes seem to fill with tears. “How do I tell my teachers that they will have large classes in third and fourth grades with kids who have challenges? They came off a difficult year.”
The head of school concludes by suggesting a leadership meeting to discuss how to avoid similar situations next year, emphasizing the need to admit more “mission-appropriate” students with better skills.
Responding Constructively
As you leave the meeting, frustration and self-doubt creep in. You might think, “I worked so hard, and they don’t appreciate me. They need to improve teaching strategies so that I can attract full-paying families. This job is unbearable. Should I quit?” It’s natural to feel overwhelmed, angry or victimized, but it’s essential to respond constructively at the meeting in 24 hours.
Acknowledge and Validate Your Feelings
First, acknowledge and validate your feelings:
- “I feel attacked.”
- “I’m frustrated that everyone was blaming me.”
- “If these directors performed better, the school would attract more students. It’s their fault.”
It’s okay to feel this way. Once you validate your emotions, try to shift your focus. Responding from a place of anger and judgment won’t help.
Redefining the Challenge
Your head of school wants you to find ways to attract more mission-appropriate students for the next academic year. What is the opportunity at hand?
By reframing challenges as opportunities, you are more likely to foster collaborative solutions. This mindset shift helps you stop taking things personally and replaces feelings of victimhood with curiosity and optimism.
Ask, “What is the opportunity here?”
The upcoming meeting provides a chance for open dialogue and collaboration. But this is only one opportunity. As I discuss below, it is helpful in building and maintaining relationships with your team members to plan weekly or bi-weekly check-in meetings. These can be used to address issues proactively, share updates and ensure that everyone is aligned with the school’s goals. This could prevent misunderstandings, bolster friendships and improve overall coordination.
Building Collaborative Solutions
Just as you must acknowledge your feelings, you should also validate your team members’ feelings. Walk into the next meeting and say, “I heard some disappointment regarding our admission numbers, the types of families we admitted and the skills of the new students. We’ve all worked hard, and I understand this situation has created additional challenges. I would like to work collaboratively on finding the best path forward for recruitment. How does that sound?”
Gathering Insights
Suggest meeting with each team member individually to gather insights about how admission decisions impact their departments and to clarify what “mission-appropriate” means to them. By understanding their perspectives, you can create a more effective recruitment strategy.
After gathering feedback, ask your head of school if the team could revisit the meeting in two weeks, giving you time to consider everyone’s input.
Developing a Strategic Plan
When discussing ideal candidates, invite suggestions on how to collaborate in recruiting these students. Stay open-minded and curious. For example, if the director of Hebrew and Judaic studies mentions the difficulty of supporting students without prior Hebrew knowledge, brainstorm potential outreach strategies together, such as connecting with local Israeli parent groups.
Draft a strategic plan outlining enrollment goals and ideal student profiles for each grade. For example, in second grade, you currently have 12 girls and 6 boys, with a capacity for 20 students. Focus recruitment efforts on boys, ensuring that students needing extra support are limited to what the faculty can handle.
Once your draft plan is ready, circulate it for feedback. Address any concerns in followup meetings.
It is a good idea to have regular meetings with your leadership team members and other important stakeholders. I recommend weekly meetings with your head of school and the person in charge of school communications. It is good practice to have biweekly meetings with each division director or principal, your school’s chief financial officer, your school’s director of Hebrew and Judaic studies, and director of institutional advancement. In addition to sharing updates, this is an opportunity to brainstorm with one another and to learn about the types of students who are thriving or struggling at the school.
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Conflict with the CFO over Financial Aid
Consider another scenario where you face a conflict with the CFO. Suppose you admitted a significant number of kindergarten students on financial aid, and the CFO is worried about the long-term financial sustainability as these students continue to need resources through 12th grade.
In a meeting, the CFO might express concern. “We admitted too many students on financial aid in kindergarten. This is going to strain our resources as they move up through the grades. How are we going to sustain this?”
You could respond, “I understand your concerns about financial sustainability. Let’s look at the long-term impact and work together to develop a plan. Perhaps we can set stricter guidelines for financial aid in the future and explore additional fundraising opportunities specifically for scholarships.”
This approach shows that you acknowledge the CFO’s valid concerns and are willing to collaborate on finding solutions that balance the school’s immediate needs with its long-term goals.
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Avoiding Conflict with the Director of Student Support Services
One common challenge for admission directors is managing the relationship with the director of student support services. This conflict often arises because the roles inherently involve competing priorities; admission directors are tasked with filling classes, while the student support services director must address the needs of students with learning differences, particularly in dual-language curricula.
As the number of students with learning challenges increases, the student support services team may feel overwhelmed by the demands placed on them and by supporting teachers who lack special education training. Although student support services directors are typically dedicated and compassionate, they can face criticism when the school is unable to accommodate every student with learning challenges, leading to natural tension between the two roles.
To navigate this challenge effectively and find opportunities for collaboration, consider the following strategies. First, hold regular meetings with the director of student support services during the admissions season. Use these meetings to review applicants who may have learning challenges and to develop a proactive evaluation process. Involve the director early when applicants or inquiries raise concerns, as their expertise is invaluable in assessing fit and requesting further evaluations.
Additionally, ensure that a member of the student support services team participates in key events, such as shadow days and kindergarten screenings, and sits on the admissions team. If conflicts arise that cannot be resolved between the two of you, establish a protocol where the head of school reviews the case and makes the final decision. This approach helps manage the relationship more effectively and reduces direct pressure on the admission director and the student support services director.
Sometimes relationships with your colleagues can be challenging. Remember, challenges can be reframed as chances for growth. Embrace curiosity and open-mindedness, and develop partnerships that support both your goals and those of the school. This isn’t easy, but if you start the year with the mindset that you will turn these challenges into opportunities, you are well on your way to successful relationships with your colleagues.
If you struggle and your head of school cannot help you, ask your head if you can get coaching in this area. Prizmah has wonderful coaches, and there are private coaches who can also help.
