As Prof. Henry Mintzberg has observed, for most organizations, “strategic planning is an oxymoron,” meaning that once a plan becomes published and codified, it often becomes ossified, and therefore unresponsive to unforeseen challenges and opportunities.
We believe that most consulting firms offer “facilitation” that produces lots of current opinion but little new knowledge. In contrast, Heads Up Educational Consulting offers vast experience in the field and deep thinking about how emerging trends will impact schools’ business and educational models.
What schools should seek and value from consultants and industry experts is an outside and objective analysis of the school’s strengths (to leverage) and weaknesses (to address) in order to sustain their own strategic thinking and planning. We guide school leaders and boards to adopt a nimble and ongoing “strategic posture” that invites focused attention as well as generative, “blue sky” thinking.
The ultimate goal: adapting an “evergreen “strategic posture to address an ever-changing landscape. The various workshops/trainings offered on our Services Page are intended to be road signs in the journey a school and its board take to become more proactive than reactive in planning for current and future uncertainties, challenges, and opportunities.