NBOA CEO Notebook Articles

CEO Notebook

CEO Notebook  

  • Change Management
  • | Culture

New (Fiscal) Year, New Mindset

If we want to power forward with change and innovation, as we learned we could last year, we might try thinking more like a scientist.
5 min read

CEO Notebook  

  • Culture
  • | Leadership

Until We Meet Again

The next generation of business officers is making connections virtually this week. How will we be meeting and learning from each other next year?
3 min read

CEO Notebook  

  • Research
  • | Tuition

NBOA Schools Netting 82 Cents on Sticker Price

The data in NBOA’s new Tuition Discounting Report for PK-12 Independent Schools may not be as troubling as related data in higher education, but it is trending in the same direction.
5 min read

CEO Notebook  

  • Leadership

The Cost of Perfectionism

Delegating can expand your strategic capacity and promote creativity and skill development among your team.
5 min read

CEO Notebook  

  • Communication

Communicating Financials: Context and Clarity Matter

Relaying your financial story while building trust and buy-in is more than an essential skill, it’s good stewardship.
4 min read

CEO Notebook  

  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • | Leadership

What the Chauvin Verdict Means to Me

To eradicate persistent racial inequities, we need transformative solutions. Many are already in motion, but more needs to happen.
4 min read

CEO Notebook  

  • Debt
  • | Financing

Endicott College: A Case Study in Financial Prudence

Can airtight debt management and a focus on student retention help us emerge in a better financial position than before the pandemic?
5 min read

CEO Notebook  

  • Leadership
  • | Pandemic

A Hopeful Outlook

Our collective, never-ending recognition of the past year as the most challenging, exhausting and memorable of our entire professional careers may soon be in for a reversal of fortune.
4 min read

CEO Notebook  

  • Communication
  • | Leadership

Listening is Leadership

When school leaders listen in focused and systematic ways, they can help their teams broaden their contributions and create conditions for creative confidence.
5 min read

CEO Notebook  

  • Change Management
  • | Leadership

Must-Know Takeaways From an Innovative Mind

Opening ourselves to new ideas and creating the conditions for creative confidence among our teams can go a long way in advancing the future of independent schools.
5 min read

CEO Notebook  

  • Change Management
  • | Pandemic

Announcing the Inaugural Innovation Award Recipients

These schools have capitalized on their strengths to serve essential community needs and build a stronger financial future.
5 min read

CEO Notebook  

  • Pandemic

Four Key Questions for a Post-Pandemic World

What is still missing from our new modes of program delivery and how can we leverage the changes we’ve made thus far?
4 min read

CEO Notebook  

  • Leadership
  • | Membership

Announcing the 2021 NBOA Award Recipients

This year’s recipients have dedicated years of service to the profession, our association and to schools far and wide.
4 min read

CEO Notebook  

  • Leadership

2020: Positives To Remember in a Year We Hope To Soon Forget

We have accomplished so much together – let us take a moment to celebrate it. 
5 min read

CEO Notebook  

  • Leadership
  • | Performance Management

Does Feedback Do More Harm Than Good?

Our performance management processes could look less at the past and more towards the future, while inspiring more action and improvement.
3 min read

CEO Notebook  

  • Change Management
  • | Leadership
  • | Membership

Honoring This Year’s Efforts and Outcomes

Let’s take a moment to recognize the herculean changes our schools have made this calendar year — and learn from them and from our fellow school leaders.
3 min read

CEO Notebook  

  • Cash Management
  • | Governance
  • | Research

What You Said: COVID-19 Financial Impact Pulse Check

Schools are meeting the moment, and enrollment trends are encouraging, but unforeseen expenses are putting a dent in those gains.
5 min read

CEO Notebook  

  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • | Governance

More Than Words: A Board's Commitment to DE&I

Beyond crafting a statement, what steps can we take to ensure the workplaces within our schools are diverse, equitable and inclusive?
3 min read

CEO Notebook  

  • Governance
  • | Pandemic

Governance That Bridges the (Social) Distance

Do your school’s governance structures support the kind of strategic work boards of trustees need to undertake now, when independent schools are at a crossroads?
5 min read

CEO Notebook  

  • Leadership
  • | Pandemic

Battling Back COVID

Independent schools have an advantage when it comes to reopening campus safely, but we must remain on our toes — and make every dollar spent count.
5 min read