Rick Staisloff, founder and senior partner of rpk GROUP, observes that theological schools are facing a “moment in history” requiring bold leadership. In a recent Good Governance podcast, he offers insights for unprecedented times.

Stay student-focused

One of the first things I say to boards and senior leaders is, “If you want to be successful, you have to accept that it’s not about you.” It’s about our students.

What we’ve been experiencing over the last several years is not a bump in the road, but a permanent shift in the numbers of students we’re serving and what they’re seeking. Today’s students are different; we need to be changing in response.

Envision the future

How do we change in a way that’s still true to who we are and what we offer? That requires a clear and shared vision. If you’re thinking, “How do I do what I’m doing today a little bit better?” then I think you’re missing the moment. This is not a moment to be doing it a little bit better every year; this is a moment to be thinking more boldly. Ask the question, “If you built your institution today from scratch, would it look the same?” I think the honest answer in almost every case would have to be “no.”

Consider strategic partners

I don’t think there’s anything around strategic partnerships that takes us away from mission. Not long ago there was a real reluctance to talk about strategic partnerships, and I don’t just mean mergers and acquisitions, but shared service models, faculty, programs, or facilities resources. That would have been an admission of failure. I think today boards and senior leaders realize that if they’re not talking about strategic partnerships, then they’re not doing their jobs.

Taking it a step further from a shared service model into sharing faculty and offering programs jointly allows institutions to continue to offer a robust set of program choices, but at a lower cost. These are steps that institutions can take without losing institutional identity.

Ask questions

Be clear about what partnership you’re signing up for, and how you will know it is working. Know going into a partnership that it is a relationship and relationships work by building trust, and recognize there will be bumps in the road. Be willing to ride those out, create mechanisms for transparency, and keep building trust.

Boards have a responsibility to make sure the right questions are on the table, to have a clear strategy toward a shared vision, and to monitor everything.

Ideally the partnership conversation gets on the table well before you might need it.

Board members must listen to the conversation and the opportunity being provided, and then be able to incorporate those findings into the development of strategic initiatives.

Be brave

The biggest sin is that institutions wait too long and they use up the most precious resource they have, which is time. These are times that demand courage, and an ability to point toward a new way to bring the mission forward. I have absolute confidence that, as an industry, we can get there. For those in leadership positions, I think it is what you have trained for your entire career. Now’s the time.

Listen to the full Good Governance interview, Episode 75, at intrust.org