Leaders, Check Your Vision

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pureenergy25/2302615615/

The holiday break is when I make time for an annual vision check. It’s not an assessment of what I see with my eyes. Instead, it is an assessment of the vision I communicated to my staff at the beginning of the school year. It’s the vision for excellence in teaching and learning that I've been committed to as their leader. It’s the vision I've asked them to embrace and make plain in everything they say and do. Now is my time for reflection and reassessment. At this time each year I ask myself this reflective question, ‘Is the vision clear and can others still see it?’

I believe one of the most important things a leader can do when trying to sustain a vision, is to first reassess the vision for effectiveness. Being honest about leadership successes and short comings is essential to the continued efforts of all school stakeholders and to collective future successes. I evaluate my leadership and its alignment with the vision I communicated to the staff at the beginning of school. If the vision has become fuzzy for the leader then it has also become fuzzy for those depending on its clarity. This is the time for making sure the lens is still powerful enough to accommodate those whose sight is near and those whose sight is far. I encourage all leaders to take time during the break to check in with the vision you have for your school and reflect on its clarity.