The RG175 Difference

The “RG175 Difference” emanates from our consultants’ deep understanding of independent schools. That understanding creates value for our client schools in three ways:

• RG175 consultants are superior at analyzing schools and helping search committees gain new insights that are critical for a successful search.
• RG175 consultants know the baseline of leadership and management skills needed to be an effective head and vet candidates with this knowledge front and center.
• RG175 consultants use their experience to help first-year heads navigate the inevitable complexities they will face.

The value RG175 brings to its client schools is further illustrated in the key stages of the search process detailed below.

School Analysis

The Head of School search process begins with a comprehensive analysis of the school, an abbreviated SWOT. RG175 believes fervently that learning about the school for the mere purpose of writing a position statement does not create the foundation for a successful search. Our consultants use their experience and their capacity to both analyze and synthesize findings from data, interviews and surveys to establish a shared understanding with the search committee about the current reality of the school and its aspirations. This consensus, in turn, leads to the creation of key qualifications the search committee will use to evaluate candidates. The thoughtful establishment of these qualifications provides the search committee the necessary tools to maintain a rigorous process.

Candidate Recruitment

Drawing on their many years as successful independent school leaders, RG175 consultants know the critical qualities needed to be a successful head. Just as important, they use their knowledge and experience to identify the extent to which candidates possess these qualities. RG175 consultants access their extensive networks to source candidates, always keeping in mind the key qualifications the search committee has identified. Promising candidates are vetted thoroughly through the use of thoughtful interview techniques and reference-checking. The result is that the search committee receives much more than just the candidate application; it receives oral or written reports that capture the essence of the candidate’s leadership style, allowing the committee to assess each presented candidate. Although search committees have access to all candidate files, RG175 believes that the committee’s deep understanding of the most qualified candidates leads to better results.

Selecting the Right Candidate

The distinctive value that RG175 consultants bring to the search process is rigor. Failed headships are often the result of a flawed process that strays from the criteria the search committee established to evaluate candidates. Instead of focusing on the value a candidate will bring to the school in the long-term, the search committee gravitates to the candidate with the winning personality, the person who will play well in the first year but lacks the leadership and management skills to truly advance the school. RG175 eschews this trap. Its consultants insist that the search committee go back to the established criteria and use it to thoughtfully evaluate each candidate by examining the evidence from a myriad of sources- references, interviews, surveys. Behind this evaluation, are two central questions: 1) what does the school need to thrive over the next several years, and 2) does the candidate have the specific leadership and management skills to help the school thrive?