Run Your Educational Institution Like a Fortune 500 CEO

Have you begun working smart yet?

Being a part of the education ecosystem can often feel like you’re living in a bubble. It isn’t just constantly being reminded about the potential this world contains thanks to the eager hopefulness your students demonstrate but also having your focus be more about empowering these scholars, rather than being part of the regular rat race. But this does not mean we have nothing to learn from the corporate world. An efficiently run school has trickle-down effects that benefit a lot more than your happy accounts guy – teachers are able to run classes more smoothly, students focus better, and your non-education staff works more competently.

So how does one run their school like the latest startup maverick? Or even his predecessor, the much-lauded Fortune 500 CEO? Here are some maxims to keep in mind when running your own school or college:

Have Clarity of Mission

A journey without a destination is just aimless wandering. Adventurous asides are all well and good, but the captain of the ship (that’s you!) must know where he’s taking his charges. What is the aim of your school? What do you want to excel at? Are your educators and non-educational staff aware of your goals? Have they bought into the vision you have for the school? Do they identify with your collective mission?

These are all questions you must have answers to before you open your doors to future change makers and world leaders. Maps are not just another app Google blesses us with, but a handy reference for you to return to time and again, especially when you are feeling lost.

Get Your Basics Right

You have your vision and mission now…great! The next step is getting the bare bones in place to ensure your school is built on a strong foundation. We aren’t just talking about the infrastructure your school has to offer, but also the people that occupy key positions. Ensure that you aren’t cutting corners at this stage – hire educators and administrators who identify with your mission and have demonstrated excellence in their previous positions, seek out guidance that will move you towards your end goal, and ensure that you publicise your mission to parents and scholars appropriately. The students you will be educating should be ones who will flourish under your tutelage.

Recap: School ERP System to manage and enhance Parent-Teacher Communication

Build Agile Attitudes

Mission buy-in and deliberate hires are step one to building a successful team. You will reap the rewards of their contributions only if you instil a collective attitude that leans towards agile or lean working and empowers them to do their best in this environment. Embracing tech is the most low-hanging fruit you have to make this possible. Using open source, robust school management systems like Fedena ensure that a lot of the chaff is discarded at the outset, leaving your stakeholders to focus on what they do best – enable students to excel!

Challenges are Opportunities

You and your team have hit the ground running and things seem to be chugging along just fine. But challenges are inevitable, so do not fear them. When encountering an issue, see how you can lean into the systems you have set up, the attitude you have inculcated, and the skill set you have acquired to turn them into opportunities. Problems are signals to you that something might not be running as efficiently as possible – so here is your chance to improve things around you! When you view challenges as an opportunity to do better, you teach students to do the same. An important mindset to take into the world, so inculcate it early.