If you’ve spent any time in independent school leadership, you know this scenario. Let’s call her Ms. Gable.

Ms. Gable is the heart and soul of the arts department. She’s directed every spring musical since 1989. She’s the one who always stays late to help students practice their lines, and she has more than three decades of “institutional memory” stored in her head.

But time moves on. Her energy is fading, and her patience is waning. It’s become evident to everyone who interacts with her that it’s time for her to exit stage left. But the school isn’t quite sure how to handle the transition.

Because everyone loves her, she’s not quite ready to leave, and no one wants to hurt her feelings, the administration does something we see all the time: they slide her into a vacant administrative role that’s completely outside her wheelhouse. Or even worse, they create a new position altogether. Suddenly, Ms. Gable is the “Director of Special Projects” or the “Consultant for Community Aesthetics.” She gets a renovated broom closet of an office in the back of the administration building and a random job description that didn’t exist until now … and quite honestly, isn’t a role the school even needs.

Why is this such a recurring theme in independent schools? We do it because we want to be the kind of community that takes care of its own. And we believe it’s a way to honor the service and legacy of a longtime, loyal employee who’s dedicated their life to serving your students and your mission.

But building roles around people instead of functions almost never ends well. You’ve seen it before, right? So have I … more times than I care to count. (Full transparency, I might have even advocated for this at some point in my past).

What changed my position on this type of staffing was moving to the other side of the table as a consultant. Time and again, I have guided schools through staffing assessments that reveal challenges impacting the entire team because the school has forced a square peg into a round hole, and that square peg doesn’t have the skill set or mindset to fulfill the role the school really needs. Sometimes it’s just the wrong person in the wrong seat, never mind how long they’ve been at the school. And sometimes it’s a Ms. Gable.

None of this is Ms. Gable’s fault. And honestly, putting her in this role is unfair to her. She’s a legendary creative, not an office administrator. When we push (or keep) anyone into a position they aren’t built for, we aren’t ‘taking care’ of them—we’re stripping away their professional dignity, regardless of how good our intentions are.

Staffing is about what you need now and 3 years from now. It’s not about looking back.

Try looking at your org chart as if every box were empty. If you were building your team from scratch with your current strategic plan and most important initiatives in mind, would Ms. Gable be the person you’d hire for the Major Gifts role you just put her in? Would you be adding that “Special Projects” position to the whiteboard? If the answer is no, then it’s time to reconsider your staffing.

Designing your staffing model for the functions your school needs and not for the people in the room is the only way your mission will thrive.

What about the “Ms. Gables” of the world? You handle them with empathy and candor. You don’t hide them in a back office. Instead, you honor them. Give them a phased retirement. Invite them to be the guest of honor at the opening night of next year’s spring musical. Throw them a fabulous retirement party that celebrates all they have meant to the school and its students.

Because at the end of the day, your school’s staffing and its mission aren’t just a reflection of its history—they’re promises to its future.