Success Stories

As a new head it was hard to trust myself. But Peter helped me learn to trust myself and work through the steps that would make it possible to hit the ground running. The work included getting clarity about my approach to leadership and what I needed to focus on at the start of my tenure.

Through conversations with Peter I was able to keep the 30,000-foot view of the school front and center and identity my priorities. I learned both the importance of balance in my work and my life and how to find it. As a new head of school, I was able to clarify my view that what matters most is focusing on the school culture and environment — creating a climate where students and adults thrive. This big-picture thinking has even distilled itself down to a simple guiding principle: “To look within and see beyond.”

Ralph Davison conducted a workshop for the Indian Springs School Board of Governors in December 2019. Indian Springs School had just completed a search for the School's next long-term head of school, and Ralph's guidance was timely, substantive, and enormously valuable. Several members of the Board expressed the wish that we had asked him to conduct the workshop a couple of years earlier, and several others asked that we make plans to have him return.

I want to thank you and Ralph Davison for leading us through this process so meticulously. Your support and guidance have been invaluable. I know it is not over, and I look forward to working with both of you during the transition.

On every phone call, Bill was timely, professional, and a joy to talk with. He took every call seriously and asked critical questions that helped guide my thinking. He also shared what I like to call "war stories," which made my day-to-day challenges seem less daunting. It was wonderful to know that someone else had walked the path before me and could fully empathize with my suffering, sadness, anger, or elation -- all depending on the day and what it presented. I remember one morning we talked at 6 a.m. He made time for me as he was sitting on a runway somewhere in another country, I think. He never made light of any of my challenges or concerns. All were important to him because they were important to me.

Bill really pushed me as a coach to interrogate my weaknesses and celebrate and lean into my strengths. I often likened my phone calls with him to having just eaten a hot pepper. He was not going to let me laze around -- we were going to do the hard, good work. I felt validated and believed in. This is no small thing in a job so demanding and all-consuming. He reminded me to trust my instincts and take time for myself, too.

It was a marvelous year full of growth, hard work, and reflection. I will be forever grateful to Harpeth Hall for making the investment in a coach, and to Bill for being everything I could have hoped for in a mentor.

I cannot wind down after this busy day without taking the opportunity to once again thank you and praise you for your "platinum" presentation at Palmer Trinity this morning. From the very start, I was transfixed! Both the content of your talk and its presentation were transformational. As a veteran teacher, I can feel a bit jaded at times. But your magic reignited my spirit and reminded me of the need to always, always strive for excellence and do our utmost to motivate our young wards, as well as each other. Sir, I offer my most sincere thanks! I hope to cross paths again.

I have been working with Bill Clarkson as my executive coach for two years, and the experience has been exceptional. I am an experienced head of school (15 years of experience at two schools), so my interests and needs, I would imagine, are different from a novice head. Bill is excellent at discerning my needs in the moment and tailoring his advice to my specific situation. I have felt incredibly well known and well attended to during the past two years.

Bill and I have tackled just about every topic imaginable during our biweekly conversations. Topics this year have included: parent communications, leadership strengths and weaknesses, fundraising, career pathways, core values, self-care, decision-making, building construction, marketing and enrollment, staffing, and governance. In each area, Bill’s experience and wisdom has pushed me to look at things from multiple perspectives and has helped clarify my own decision-making processes.

During a long head tenure, one is bound to run into a crisis or two. At the end of last year and the beginning of this year, I had a major crisis that cut through multiple constituencies at my school. Fortunately for me, Bill was always at the other end of the line, helping me think through appropriate next steps, challenging me to lead with courage and, perhaps most importantly, reassuring me that I was acting in the best interests of my school. I will be forever grateful for the wisdom and, especially, the friendship that Bill Clarkson has shared with me over the course of these past two years.

We have really enjoyed working with you, Art Charles, and David Chojnacki. The value-add of your advice throughout the process, as well as your contacts within the international school world, have been incredible. We hope that you count on us as a reference going forward.

Lawrence's thoughtfulness, intelligence, and charisma are really something special. He is able to walk a very delicate line of being both approachable, kind, and forgiving, as well as challenging and thought provoking. With an intense topic like implicit bias, he was able to guide us forward into a series of discussions that may otherwise have felt overwhelming. Lawrence has a special talent as moderator, teacher, and soundboard. In addition, his deep understanding of the college admission process meant that our work together could launch right into the heart of our challenges. I would highly recommend Lawrence to any office.

Thanks go to Amanda Riegel of Carney, Sandoe & Associates. She did a wonderful job first of learning a great deal about our school and then seeking out the candidates who were the best fit for us. I have never met a consultant who works harder on behalf of a school.

I just wanted to send you a brief final note of gratitude. Conducting conversations and facilitating dialogue is what you do for a living but, for me as a witness, it takes on special significance. Your expertise, professionalism, and experience help different people (with different perspectives) find a common table around which all can gather and communicate. Thank you for your time, patience, and especially your dedication to the process. Your attention and professional acuity serve as life-giving sources to those of us who view this transition as not just important but urgent. We are grateful for your viewing STA not simply as another project but, as you said so well, an opportunity to find s/he who will best carry the Catholic mission forward.