Why Retain The CS&A Search Group?

We are known for the comprehensive nature of our services and for the thoroughness of our execution. Leadership candidates praise us for the professional and confidential manner in which they are treated. We believe our reputation for excellence and position of industry leadership are the result of clear, competitive differences:

Understanding Needs. Every search is different. Each school has a special identity and culture, and it faces unique challenges and opportunities. We'll learn what these are, and we'll help frame the issues. Together, we'll translate the school's objectives into a leadership profile required to achieve success. And we will supplement those competencies with interview and reference questions with which to insure effectively that candidates we identify have the designated skills, experience, and character to lead your school.

Commitment and Credibility. Our consultants are experienced and dedicated professionals who know schools intimately. Each specializes exclusively in the search for superlative school leaders, and each demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to our clients and our craft. Our work is thorough. We take pride in attention to detail. You will see it in the quality and fit of the candidates we present to you and how we support the school at every stage of the process.

Collaborative Practice. Our clients enjoy the rapport and responsiveness of a dedicated search consultant who understands their school and shares their sense of urgency. Each of our schools also enjoys the support of our entire search team, representing a richness of resources unparalleled in the industry. Every week, The Search Group meets to discuss each search in progress -- to pool networks and contacts, to suggest leads, to share confidential assessments, anticipate issues, solve problems and to make specific recommendations. This collaborative process intensifies each individual search and creates powerful synergies not available in most firms.

Our schools also benefit from the interface between The Search Group and our Placement Group, which recruits literally hundreds of teachers and administrators for independent schools each year. As a result, The Search Group is uniquely positioned to tap into an ongoing pool of emerging leaders.

Customized Search Process. The process by which a school leader is chosen is critical, but one size doesn't fit all. We will help you structure a search process that balances your specific needs for efficiency and clarity of outcomes with an appropriate level of stakeholder participation. In sum, we'll help you manage the search effectively and in a manner that promotes a sense of ownership, thereby optimizing the new Head's opportunities for success.

Transition Support. The selection of a new leader is not a finale, but an inflection point. The Board must take active steps to develop a sound basis for its relationship with the new Head and for effective governance during his or her tenure. Our search services include planning support and tools for the Board Chair that are designed to ensure an effective leadership transition for the school.