Advice not taken

Since starting Carpenter Leadership Consulting, I’ve received a lot of advice. And there has been some great advice along the way. But there is one bad piece of advice I received that sticks out:

“You need to stop telling people why you did not want to be a Head of School because you’ll convince others not to pursue headship.”

If someone is aspiring to become a head of school, my story won’t stop them from pursuing their goals. 

Here’s the other thing, our schools do not need everyone to pursue headship.

If we only see the leadership journey as successful if a person has become a head of school, then I think our industry has failed our people. Our schools need great leaders at all levels, not just in the head of school position.  

It’s why I started this firm- to create high-performing leaders and leadership teams throughout independent schools. It's time to prioritize leadership development in our schools so that people can aspire to the leadership that is right for them.

Because great leaders create great schools.