When I first arrived at Kinabalu International School (KIS) in Malaysia, I asked our leadership team to read Shirley Jackson’s short story The Lottery.
The story is set in a seemingly ordinary American town that carries out a mysterious annual ritual - and which ends with an abrupt and shocking conclusion. What makes it so unsettling is not simply the ending, but the explanation offered by the townspeople: “That’s the way we’ve always done it.”
It is a powerful allegory for institutions - schools included - that perpetuate systems and practices long after their original purpose has faded.
The transformation dilemma
This matters because one of the most pressing challenges facing international school leaders is not simply maintaining good teaching and learning or operational sustainability.
The real challenge lies in something far more complex: transformation. How do we transform our schools so that they remain attractive to families, innovative in their practice and competitive in increasingly crowded markets?
And how do we do this when we are constantly confronted by the powerful inertia of established practice - the “this is how we do things around here”?
Strategy versus momentum
Recently, representatives from the Council of International Schools visited our school as part of our reaccreditation evaluation.
Much of the feedback was very positive, but one question from the evaluation team stayed with me. What comes first in school transformation: the strategy or the proof?
In other words, do schools transform by following a meticulously documented strategic plan? Or does transformation occur because leaders create momentum through action - demonstrating what is possible and allowing strategy to evolve alongside it?
Tension in the market
In international schools, where schools compete for pupils, reputation and often for financial investment, this tension is particularly acute.
Markets shift rapidly. New competitors emerge. Parental expectations evolve. Political and economic conditions can change quickly, sometimes dramatically.
Planning five years ahead is increasingly difficult. The impact of artificial intelligence, geopolitical instability and shifting demographics only amplifies this uncertainty.
Yet leadership frameworks and governance models often assume a level of predictability that no longer exists.
The risk of planning paralysis
Of course, strategic planning is important. Few school leaders would argue otherwise. But an over-reliance on lengthy planning cycles can mean circumstances have changed, opportunities pass and competitors move ahead.
Conversely, endlessly watching and waiting leads to stagnation and then decline. This is why schools must sometimes act without all the knowledge they may like. That is a scary idea in a world where data is king and failure is seen as terminal.
Yet some of the most transformative decisions in schools rarely begin as fully formed initiatives.
They begin as ideas, experiments or opportunities, shorn of paperwork or long-winded proof of concepts. How can schools get this balance right then?
Leading with intent
At our school, we have tried to navigate this tension by focusing on intent rather than prescription.
Rather than mapping every step of the journey, we anchor our work around a clear sense of direction set out in our Vision 2028 strategy, which outlines nine high-level goals for the school.
Some are measurable and key performance indicator-driven, such as pupil enrolment, financial sustainability and maintaining healthy operational surpluses.
Others are thematic, around strengthening our sense of place in Sabah, Borneo; building a distinctive school culture through the KIS Way values framework; investing in facilities and programmes that enhance the pupil experience and long-term sustainability of the school.
This approach allows us to move forward quickly when opportunities arise, while ensuring our actions align with a shared direction.
If things work, processes and policies can then be refined and formalised as initiatives mature. If not, we learn lessons and move on, with little time wasted.
Transformation in practice
Over the past two and a half years, this approach has helped drive significant progress at our school. Pupil enrolment has increased by more than 40 per cent, while our sixth form has grown from just 14 students three years ago to approximately 55 students in September 2026.
We have also invested heavily in the pupil experience, including the development of a new swimming pool and covered sports complex, expanded learning spaces and a range of programme enhancements designed to strengthen both academic and co-curricular provision.
Perhaps most importantly, however, this period of transformation has enabled us to clarify and embed our mission, vision and values, culminating in the creation of the KIS Way, a community-developed values framework that now shapes not only learning, but the culture, character and daily life of the school.
None of this emerged from a perfectly predicted strategic blueprint.
It came from recognising opportunities, acting decisively and then embedding those changes into the systems and structures of the school - all with the understanding that we could not simply rely on the old adage: “That’s the way we’ve always done it.”
Sam Gipson is principal of Kinabalu International School in Malaysian Borneo and chair of AIMS (Association of International Malaysian Schools)
