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Expert Answers | Mike Lipkin
How can independent schools achieve success through pre-eminence?
Pre-eminence it is not just about being the best; it is about being recognized as the best. What is your discipline? What is the core your school stands for? The moment I go outside these areas is when I am being less pre-eminent. It is important to communicate areas of the achievements but describe it in a way that is palatable to parents.
How else can independent schools ensure their success?
Schools need differentiation at a general level and a brand level. What kinds of experiences will a student have at your school versus the competition? While private school costs parents and public school does not, some public schools could have longer-term costs. Schools need to promote themselves as brands. What does your brand stand for within private education?
Execution is how responsive your school is to immediately changing circumstances. Some organizations have certain inertia. A plan is only as good as the assumptions it is based on. The first to respond, wins.
A school must be disciplined in how they execute and maintain their focus on the core—such as a strong faculty—that it becomes known for. Get the right things right and be relentless. Repetition is the mother of success.
Constraint is vital, as an organization cannot just throw more resources at a problem. The creativity of schools and their ability to leverage their alma mater will help them get traction.
There is so much complexity today that simplicity in communication will ensure that students and the marketplace get it. The message doesn’t get through when people complicate communication. People are drawn to those who can navigate through the information overload and provide wisdom, not policy and procedures.
Interdependence within a school and between schools helps everyone draw off of everyone else. Sharing information enriches each other’s ideas and being generous with one’s insights make everyone smarter together.
With increasing competition and a declining student population how can an independent school survive?
I think that the harsh reality is that the declining population can only sustain a certain amount of schools. It is not just the fittest but those that are most responsive to change that survive. Inevitably, there will be some shakeout, some consolidation, like what is happening in the corporate world. We may see increasing number of mergers or schools coming together and reaching out beyond Canada’s borders.
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