The Consultative Business Officer (CBO) is a critical part of the design team to achieve school growth. The Tuesday Webinar series this month features how the CBO can contribute to the success of the whole school community.
The CBO is a uniquely gifted school business expert who can speak the language of education, accounting, and business to guide the program through times of prosperity and struggle. Like Clark Kent, this special leader possesses unusual talents for overcoming major obstacles combined with the humility to listen, prepare, solve, and explain. By acting as a strategy consultant, financial coach, and value narrator, the CBO bridges the four domains of school design to sustain momentum and success.
Strategy Consultant
The Consultative Business Officer establishes credibility as a strategy consultant by appropriately engaging board and administrative leaders in dialogue that addresses the key issues. Success favors the school with the culture and processes to support strategic discipline and productive innovation. It's not enough to be the same school of yesteryear--what's needed is a balance between long-term preparation combined with short-term productivity and adjustments. Because of his/her integrity, reliability and remarkable wisdom to recommend effective solutions, the CBO is welcomed at the times when important decisions are made.
Financial Coach
The CBO is a financial coach, coordinating the data, people, resources and activities needed to keep the school on target. Advice and decisions are given in light of the mission, keeping the focus on creating an outstanding experience for students, parents, and employees. This leader is especially strong in understanding the business model and cycles of schools, has distinct expertise in developing and sustaining a team, can maximize the performance of self and others, balances multiple and sometimes competing priorities, and always keeps the people as a higher priority than the numbers. Understanding that principals, athletic directors, and most board members don't speak GAAP, the CBO learns the language of these internal clients and creates relevant dialogue that engages them.
Value Narrator
The Consultative Business Officer is especially adept at converting data into story. Rather than using raw financial statements to inform, effort is made to craft a narrative around the strategy and results to help engage parents, donors, and community leaders. The CBO recognizes his/her influence on the brand of the institution, and delivers messages that can be more easily shared to build confidence and enthusiasm.
By all accounts, the CBO is truly a blessing to school leadership, and we will be featuring the skills and habits of the Consultative Business Officer in our School Growth Tuesday Webinar at 2:00 PM ET throughout the month of March. To Register for this series that starts TODAY, Click Here.
