With Susan Lair, PhD
Consultant, Executive Coach

Dr. Susan Lair spent nearly 50 years in education, including 17 as head of school at Houston’s St. Francis Episcopal. We asked the former high school principal and mathematics teacher why hiring an interim head is the perfect solution to solve a school’s leadership transition challenges.

Why should schools use an interim head?

A leadership change can shake a school community. The first thing a board should consider is timing. New school heads can be named as early as September, with most announcements occurring between November and early January. If it’s less than ten months before the permanent head starts, we recommend hiring an interim.

Hiring a head of school for the next ten to fifteen years is one of the most significant roles a board will fulfill and should not be rushed. Further, when someone has provided the vision for the school for an extended period [and leaves or retires], many schools need time before moving forward. The time an interim head gives a school is time well spent.

We see an increase in the turnover of heads of school. Leadership change is a critical time for a community. Schools must take deliberate care during the transition and provide coaching for new permanent heads. An interim head is a seasoned professional, usually a former head of school, who has extensive experience working with boards, faculty, and families. An interim head can serve multiple purposes. Perhaps it’s working with the board on transition training. Maybe the school’s outgoing head was hired intentionally from within, and the school is skeptical of outsiders. Maybe the school is suffering from financial turmoil, or perhaps the school is a stable, well-managed institution and needs an interim that has experience with strategic planning. An interim head of school can give the school a fresh perspective and because of their proven expertise, is ready to guide the school from day one.

A deliberate process from one head of school to another is imperative. An interim is a temporary, “surrogate leader” with a defined purpose and goal: to prepare the school for the success of the next head of school.

What are the qualities to look for (and avoid) in an interim head?

Schools need a seasoned professional in independent schools that has a history of making sound decisions. The interim should be a confident leader, one that is not looking for another star in their crown or the permanent headship at the institution. Instead, an interim head is eager to do their part in moving the school forward for the benefit of the next head of school. Schools should look for an interim head with a track record of success in the areas the school needs. The last thing a school needs during a leadership transition is a head who is new to headship.

What is the most important thing a board of trustees can do to ensure a successful year with an interim head?

Boards need to determine a clearly defined plan. Meet with the interim head and describe in detail the school’s long-range plan along with the strategic financial plan, the board’s composition, and its leadership style. Share school milestones, history, opportunities, and barriers to the next head’s success. Together, boards and interims should build a plan complete with metrics that can be accomplished in one year. The practice of working with a terminal interim head helps boards learn to set short-term goals and develop short-term success-driven projects.

An interim head can model best practices. As with most of us, sometimes it takes a stranger for people to listen. The interim head also can help the board objectively assess where the school is and what its next steps should be. By using the time interim headship provides and proper planning, boards can grapple successfully with the needs of the school and the skillset required by the permanent head of school.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. What dish has to be on your family's table or it doesn't feel like Thanksgiving?

Easy! It has to be the Sweet Potato Praline Casserole. If it wasn’t on my table, my children and grandchildren would revolt! Years ago, my friend and I saw the recipe (below) in a magazine and we made it together. We’re Southern, so the recipe fits! Now our grown children will call each other before Thanksgiving to ask if they’re having the casserole.

Sweet Potato Praline Casserole

This is a classic Southern casserole recipe made with whipped sweet potatoes crowned with a pecan praline topping perfect for Thanksgiving or alongside your holiday ham.

PREP TIME: 1 HOUR AND 30 MINS

COOK TIME: 40 MINS

TOTAL TIME: 2 HOURS AND 45 MINS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

About an hour before you start to make this recipe, set out 3 sticks of butter and allow to soften.

INGREDIENTS

Sweet Potatoes:

4 lbs. sweet potatoes/ 6 large, sweet potatoes or yams
½ -1 cup milk or evaporated milk
¾ cup softened butter
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar or brown sugar
2 eggs beaten
1 jigger bourbon (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup pecans (optional)

Praline Topping:

½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 heaping cup chopped pecans
½ cup butter, at room temperature
Pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Sweet Potatoes:

Arrange washed sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil then pierce each potato with a fork a few times to vent. Bake at 375 degrees until tender (usually about an hour for large potatoes). Check tenderness by inserting a knife into the thickest potato. Knife should slide in easily with no resistance. Do not boil the sweet potatoes or use canned sweet potatoes. It will make your sweet potato casserole watery and mushy. I am not kidding!

Allow sweet potatoes to cool to room temperature (about 20 minutes). When cool enough to handle, half each potato and scoop out the insides into the mixing bowl. Use your mixer on low to mash the sweet potatoes but do not beat too much. Sweet potatoes tend to get sticky.

Place these ingredients in the medium bowl or stand mixer.

Sweet potatoes, 6 large potatoes should make about 3 cups.
Milk or cream, ½ -1 cup (enough to make the mixture a little thin)
Softened butter, ¾ cup
Sugar*, 1 ¼ cup (I use brown sugar)
Eggs, 2 beaten
Vanilla, 1 teaspoon
Salt, ½ teaspoon salt

Mix on medium speed with an electric mixer for 2 minutes or until fluffy. Spoon sweet potato mixture into a 9’x9’ casserole dish and spread evenly.

*Start with 1 cup of sugar and add more if desired. Some sweet potatoes are much sweeter than others so the amount of sugar that you need can vary. Mix everything except the eggs and taste it for sweetness.(Never eat batter that contains a raw egg) Make it as sweet as you like.

#1 Praline Topping:

To make praline topping, combine in a small bowl

Flour, ½ cup
Brown sugar, 1 ½ cup
Pecans, 1 heaping cup of chopped pecans
Butter, ½ cup butter at room temperature
Pinch of salt

Mix by hand until combined. Mixture will be crumbly. Sprinkle praline crumbles evenly over sweet potato mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

#2 Alternative Praline Topping

½ cup cream
1 ½ cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla

Bring the cream to simmer in a small saucepan. Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Cook the mixture over medium heat until it reaches soft-ball stage on a candy thermometer. (To tell you the truth, I never cook until a soft boil. I use a thermometer, 190 F. Much more accurate!!) Remove from heat and beat in the butter and chopped pecans. Pour mixture over the yams and bake until very hot and begins to brown about 40 minutes.

#3 Alternative Marshmallow Topping:

Small bag of marshmallows

After the sweet potato mixture has cooked for about 35 minutes, place a cookie sheet under the sweet potato mixture pan and top with small marshmallows. Don’t put too many marshmallows because they will melt and spill into the oven.

Hello, World!