Testimonials
On finding the right candidate:
Our candidate pool was so much better in this search than it had been in previous searches.
He was VERY thorough. He was great at vetting the candidates. He never wasted my time with an unacceptable candidate.
He saw what type of leadership we needed and got to know our school – all of our candidates fit the bill.
Jeff said that if some candidates’ traits were not compatible with what we were looking for, to look for their strengths and then see if they balance out the non-compatible attributes. That advice was great.
Some of the candidates only sent basic information, but Jeff dove deeper and got additional information that could be useful for us. We felt he did A LOT of homework. This was so helpful for us…so that we could just be able to digest the information, without having done the actual work ourselves.
In the search – he just went way above and beyond! Before he sent a resume..., he did a great job of doing in-depth research. I was never caught off guard by anything. He was so great at vetting candidates. He also went back and forth with candidates for us in a great way that was so helpful in terms of getting us answers we needed. He doesn’t compare to the firms we used in the past AT ALL…he was very thorough, everything he does is really well-done. He gives great recommendations. He is an extremely good listener. He looks so young, but his answers and work show that he really knows his stuff! He has a great scope and understanding of the industry. I liked that he had experience beyond consulting, as a past Head of School, in international schools, etc.
On Jeff's rapport with school constituents:
He was a lot of help on a lot of issues. Jeff got along well with everybody. We had some discussions/differences of opinion between members on our committee and Jeff was able to mediate those very well for us.
He is very personable and sets people at ease. He is always good with a story to provide context.
He got to know us very well. We still think of him as a person that understands our culture and our school. He spoke with parents, teachers, staff, even students! He had a very deep knowledge of all of the people surrounding our school. Wherever he went (in our school), he would look for a conversation.
People felt comfortable and at ease with him. People opened themselves up to him. They felt that they were speaking to someone who was open and interested. They felt comfortable with his leadership style. He got valuable information from people that others may not have been able to…there were things people (from all of our different constituencies) shared with him and were comfortable sharing with him, that they would not have shared with the Board, or even a different consultant.
On Jeff's accessibility:
He was always available, 24 hours a day! And he is still interested! We always update him and are always in touch.
He gave us much more of a “hands-on” type of service than we’ve had in the past. He was more available and much more involved. Jeff gave us great advice on how to interview the candidates.
On his punctuality:
He was fantastic at meeting deadlines. The only trick was outside influences or other people holding us up (i.e. no quorum). That’s always challenging when you are dealing with many different people and meetings. Jeff never held us up.
He was always ahead of the deadline, always on time. We worked as a team, but we really felt he was our leader. Our results depended heavily on his advice and he was very involved in all aspects of the search. From the beginning, he had a “Plan B” for everything; there were options in case something didn’t work out as planned. We felt very planned-out and organized right from the beginning.
On the quality of Jeff's work:
He is very knowledgeable about education and leadership. The fact that he has been a teacher and a school leader showed and was a big benefit. He is a person that can really help and not only in one way, but in a well-rounded, well-balanced way. He had knowledge of leadership, business, budgets and numbers, etc.
We were very satisfied with the professional services he rendered. We appreciate him as a professional AND an individual. We recognized very strong values and ethics in him. We truly feel that he is part of our school. If we would need a consultant in the future, Jeff would be the #1 candidate.
This was my 3rd Search Committee and just comparing this search to the others, Jeff was a huge difference. He was so much better than the other consultants we’ve had. It was so great to have a search that went as well as it did with Jeff.
Jeff added a lot to the process with the Skype interviews and using other technology, which helped our tight schedule so much!
He was very effective…he gave me great background advice on how the school community would react, how to phrase things.
He got to know our school extremely well. His research was great. He explained why the things he was doing with the Board were important. He did not just give us “a pitch” on consulting to the Board, he made it all relevant to us.
His youth makes him look like he doesn’t have the breadth of knowledge and experience that he actually does!
There are NO reservations in going to Jeff in the future for anything. I’ve referred him to others and will continue to – he does a GREAT job!
Our candidate pool was so much better in this search than it had been in previous searches.
He was VERY thorough. He was great at vetting the candidates. He never wasted my time with an unacceptable candidate.
He saw what type of leadership we needed and got to know our school – all of our candidates fit the bill.
Jeff said that if some candidates’ traits were not compatible with what we were looking for, to look for their strengths and then see if they balance out the non-compatible attributes. That advice was great.
Some of the candidates only sent basic information, but Jeff dove deeper and got additional information that could be useful for us. We felt he did A LOT of homework. This was so helpful for us…so that we could just be able to digest the information, without having done the actual work ourselves.
In the search – he just went way above and beyond! Before he sent a resume..., he did a great job of doing in-depth research. I was never caught off guard by anything. He was so great at vetting candidates. He also went back and forth with candidates for us in a great way that was so helpful in terms of getting us answers we needed. He doesn’t compare to the firms we used in the past AT ALL…he was very thorough, everything he does is really well-done. He gives great recommendations. He is an extremely good listener. He looks so young, but his answers and work show that he really knows his stuff! He has a great scope and understanding of the industry. I liked that he had experience beyond consulting, as a past Head of School, in international schools, etc.
On Jeff's rapport with school constituents:
He was a lot of help on a lot of issues. Jeff got along well with everybody. We had some discussions/differences of opinion between members on our committee and Jeff was able to mediate those very well for us.
He is very personable and sets people at ease. He is always good with a story to provide context.
He got to know us very well. We still think of him as a person that understands our culture and our school. He spoke with parents, teachers, staff, even students! He had a very deep knowledge of all of the people surrounding our school. Wherever he went (in our school), he would look for a conversation.
People felt comfortable and at ease with him. People opened themselves up to him. They felt that they were speaking to someone who was open and interested. They felt comfortable with his leadership style. He got valuable information from people that others may not have been able to…there were things people (from all of our different constituencies) shared with him and were comfortable sharing with him, that they would not have shared with the Board, or even a different consultant.
On Jeff's accessibility:
He was always available, 24 hours a day! And he is still interested! We always update him and are always in touch.
He gave us much more of a “hands-on” type of service than we’ve had in the past. He was more available and much more involved. Jeff gave us great advice on how to interview the candidates.
On his punctuality:
He was fantastic at meeting deadlines. The only trick was outside influences or other people holding us up (i.e. no quorum). That’s always challenging when you are dealing with many different people and meetings. Jeff never held us up.
He was always ahead of the deadline, always on time. We worked as a team, but we really felt he was our leader. Our results depended heavily on his advice and he was very involved in all aspects of the search. From the beginning, he had a “Plan B” for everything; there were options in case something didn’t work out as planned. We felt very planned-out and organized right from the beginning.
On the quality of Jeff's work:
He is very knowledgeable about education and leadership. The fact that he has been a teacher and a school leader showed and was a big benefit. He is a person that can really help and not only in one way, but in a well-rounded, well-balanced way. He had knowledge of leadership, business, budgets and numbers, etc.
We were very satisfied with the professional services he rendered. We appreciate him as a professional AND an individual. We recognized very strong values and ethics in him. We truly feel that he is part of our school. If we would need a consultant in the future, Jeff would be the #1 candidate.
This was my 3rd Search Committee and just comparing this search to the others, Jeff was a huge difference. He was so much better than the other consultants we’ve had. It was so great to have a search that went as well as it did with Jeff.
Jeff added a lot to the process with the Skype interviews and using other technology, which helped our tight schedule so much!
He was very effective…he gave me great background advice on how the school community would react, how to phrase things.
He got to know our school extremely well. His research was great. He explained why the things he was doing with the Board were important. He did not just give us “a pitch” on consulting to the Board, he made it all relevant to us.
His youth makes him look like he doesn’t have the breadth of knowledge and experience that he actually does!
There are NO reservations in going to Jeff in the future for anything. I’ve referred him to others and will continue to – he does a GREAT job!
For a list of references with contact information, please contact: jbradley@educatorscollaborative.com