NBOA President and CEO
The upcoming release of “Wicked: For Good” surfaces both personal and professional reflections for me. On the personal side, “Wicked: The Musical” was the first Broadway show I took my daughter to when she was six years old. (She is now 19 years and a sophomore at Penn State.) As a lifelong fan of Broadway, I didn’t take this choice lightly. I thought “Wicked” was ideal for my young daughter because of its messages on the power of friendships and not judging others by their external appearance. I also appreciated two female leads demonstrating tremendous growth and strength by tapping into their most authentic selves.
Since that time, the musical has become even more “Popular.” I’ve seen multiple productions, listened repeatedly to the unforgettable score and enjoyed part 1 on the silver screen. All this has helped me discover even deeper messages about leading with authenticity and purpose, which I believe are relevant to my role at NBOA and our association community.
As business leaders, we often look at data-filled spreadsheets and financial models for strategic guidance. But leadership insights also come from unexpected places — in this case Bob Bies, a professor in Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, who wrote "What ‘Wicked’ Teaches Us About How To Be a Good Leader” for the university’s Ask a Professor series. Bies is an expert on organizational behavior and management who also teaches a popular first-year seminar, “Heroes and Villains: Character and Leadership in a Global Context.” Sign me up!
Here are three of Bies’ leadership lessons from the film, and how I see them applying to independent schools:
1. Mission Over Ego
In “Wicked,” Elphaba (AKA the Wicked Witch of the West from “The Wizard of Oz”) rises above her bad reputation to champion those overlooked by others. For business officers, this means prioritizing mission-driven decisions over short-term wins or other agendas. Every financial choice should reflect the school’s values and an eye towards long-term financial health — not necessarily the loudest voices in the room or the political winds of the moment.
2. Put People First
Leaders who elevate faculty, staff and students create stronger, more resilient schools and communities.
Budgets and balance sheets matter, but success is ultimately about people. Afterall, we are in the ultimate “people business” delivering our missions every day through our talented faculty and staff and serving the families that entrust us with their child’s education. Leaders who elevate faculty, staff and students create stronger, more resilient schools and communities. When teams feel supported, they deliver excellence, and excellence in education is the key differentiator in our schools that families seek and commit to with tuition dollars.
3. The Power of Storytelling
Storytelling is one of the most important leadership tools. Whether explaining tuition strategy, sustainability initiatives or capital projects, connecting numbers to purpose inspires all our various stakeholders and builds trust. When people believe their actions matter, motivation soars and can even begin "Defying Gravity” (I can’t help myself!). The lesson here is to not only share the raw numbers but also tell a story about what the numbers mean and why they should care.
How We Achieve the Results We Seek
Independent schools face complex pressures: rising costs, enrollment challenges and demands for equity and access. Like Elphaba, we must lead with courage, clarity and confidence, even when the narrative feels stacked against us.
Leadership today is multidimensional: results matter but so does how we achieve them. In this time when many schools are facing headwinds related to belonging and inclusion, it’s more important than ever to not be overly concerned about virtue signaling this important work but rather doing the work we know is aligned with who we are and the communities we strive to build within our schools.
When we lead like Elphaba — valuing mission over ego, putting people first and telling a story that matters — we unlock extraordinary potential for our schools.
Your leadership at your school isn’t about perfection. It’s about authenticity, mission alignment and inspiring others through both your words and, more importantly, your actions. When we lead like Elphaba — valuing mission over ego, putting people first and telling a story that matters — we unlock extraordinary potential for our schools.
I would wager that if you take your children, your partner, your friends or simply yourself to this movie during your upcoming Thanksgiving break, you will walk away with numerous lessons from this classic battle of good and evil. And when you return to school, you’ll be all the better equipped to demonstrate this kind of leadership while making a little business officer magic along the way.
Jeffrey Shields, FASAE, CAE
NBOA President and CEO
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