Standard I - Shared School Vision
Leadership Vision - Begin with the "Why?"
Artifact: Leadership Vision Statement
Simon Sinek in a TED talk entitled “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” (2010) speaks of a leadership idea he calls the “Golden Circle.” According to Sinek, all great leaders communicate from the inside out. These great leaders inspire others to act by giving people a sense of purpose or belonging. It all starts with “Why?”
My leadership vision statement begins with my “Why” or my purpose, cause, and beliefs about education. The “Why” is broken into two parts – “Who Am I” and “Where Am I Going?” It is then followed by “How Do I Plan to Get There?” and “What will Success Look Like?”
Who Am I?
There are several primary core values and beliefs that I possess that I feel will drive the “Why” I do what I do as a leader. These core values and beliefs are as follows:
1. Visionary - I believe it is important to collaborate with the students, staff, and parents to develop a shared vision of learning and to begin with the “why?” I feel the vision should always be a driving force for decisions.
2. Knowledgeable – I have always considered myself a lifelong learner with a growth mindset. I am always striving to increase my knowledge surrounding education and school matters. I feel it is very important for a leader to be competent and knowledgeable in what they do.
3. Reflective – Reflection is a key ingredient that distinguishes a mediocre leader from a great one. At the end of every day, I always reflect on what’s working and what isn’t. A leader needs to always keep an eye on the shared vision and reflect on what adjustments need to be made along the way.
4. Compassionate – Compassion and kindness for others is another core value of mine. It is critical that a leader is aware of the personal and emotional needs of others and treats each and every student and staff member with compassion and kindness so they can be the best learner, teacher, and leader they can be!
5. Honest and Trustworthy – I have always prided myself on being honest and trustworthy. Integrity and trust is built on honesty. It is a critical core value of a good leader.
6. Good Listener/Good Communicator - Excellent administrators will always listen and communicate in a clear way. I believe in maintaining clear and honest lines of communication open with students, staff, parents, and community members in order to build trust in pursuing a shared vision of learning.
7. Collaborative – I believe in fostering collaboration and building strong teams. Great leaders understand that relationships and interactions as a cultural force are top priority!
8. Positive and Passionate - Positive and passionate energy is contagious. I will model and radiate positive and passionate energy always!
Where Are I Going?
I believe in establishing a culture of thinking in a school where staff and students’ thinking is valued, visible, and actively promoted. Students are afforded opportunities to innovate, collaborate, communicate, problem-solve, be creative, and think critically. I envision a school where all students and staff see themselves as capable of learning and take ownership of their learning journey. All students can learn and grow.
Secondly, I envision a school where students and staff are compassionate and kind and reach out to help one another learn. I believe in character education and developing habits of mind to enhance the culture of thinking. Educating the “whole child” and empowering students with social-emotional skills is critical for successful learning.
Last, but not least, my vision includes a school where the community works together for the common vision of establishing a culture of thinking and learning. We need to develop school-family-community partnerships where not only staff have the opportunity to practice strategies, reflect, and engage in conversations about teaching and learning, but parents and community members as well.
How Do I Plan to Get There?
The plan of action for how I will attain the vision of where I am going as a leader has six core components as follows:
1. Build Trust and Lead with Integrity – I will build trust and lead with integrity by being a good listener, being visible and accessible, attending to people’s needs and wants, providing positive and timely feedback, sharing in the decision-making, and distributing leadership.
2. Invest in People - I wholeheartedly believe that an effective leader must invest in their people first. Accordingly, schools must invest in relationship-building and interactions as a cultural force and teach staff and students how to take care of themselves and each other.
3. Lead with A Clear Purpose – Effective leaders must lead with a clear vision and always begin with the “why?” Leaders must then establish a shared vision of “what” we want to achieve and ensure a clear path of “how” to get there.
4. Create a Culture of Thinking and Learning - I will set standards for excellence, set goals, and celebrate success along the way with all stakeholders. Focus will always be directed toward creating and maintaining a culture of thinking and learning. This will be done first and foremost by being the “lead learner” and then by building a community of learning and investing in the learning of others. In addition, it will be important to keep a close eye on what resources, tools, and supports teachers and students need, for the attainment of creating a culture of thinking and learning. Supports may range from “time” necessary to enact change to “tools” such as access to technology or instructional materials.
5. Build a Team and Believe in the Team Members – It is essential to create a team of educators, parents, and community members who believe in the vision of the organization and to share in the building of the structures and processes that align with the mission and vision of the school. From beginning with quality interviews, to providing ongoing feedback and professional learning to teachers, to providing teachers with collaborative learning time, to the encouragement of staff to participate in meaningful decision-making, to engaging the community in the creation of the best learning environment possible for all students, it takes a team.
6. Radiate Passion and Positive Energy – Modeling passion and positive energy at all times will be a critical part of my plan.
What will success look like?
ALL students and staff will be engaged EVERY day in quality learning opportunities and work together to support a culture of thinking and learning. All students will excel as individuals, and become productive and contributing members of society. Families and community members will be connected, informed, and valued participants in the process.
References
Sinek, S. (2010). How great leaders inspire action [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html
Leadership Vision - Begin with the "Why?"
Artifact: Leadership Vision Statement
Simon Sinek in a TED talk entitled “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” (2010) speaks of a leadership idea he calls the “Golden Circle.” According to Sinek, all great leaders communicate from the inside out. These great leaders inspire others to act by giving people a sense of purpose or belonging. It all starts with “Why?”
My leadership vision statement begins with my “Why” or my purpose, cause, and beliefs about education. The “Why” is broken into two parts – “Who Am I” and “Where Am I Going?” It is then followed by “How Do I Plan to Get There?” and “What will Success Look Like?”
Who Am I?
There are several primary core values and beliefs that I possess that I feel will drive the “Why” I do what I do as a leader. These core values and beliefs are as follows:
1. Visionary - I believe it is important to collaborate with the students, staff, and parents to develop a shared vision of learning and to begin with the “why?” I feel the vision should always be a driving force for decisions.
2. Knowledgeable – I have always considered myself a lifelong learner with a growth mindset. I am always striving to increase my knowledge surrounding education and school matters. I feel it is very important for a leader to be competent and knowledgeable in what they do.
3. Reflective – Reflection is a key ingredient that distinguishes a mediocre leader from a great one. At the end of every day, I always reflect on what’s working and what isn’t. A leader needs to always keep an eye on the shared vision and reflect on what adjustments need to be made along the way.
4. Compassionate – Compassion and kindness for others is another core value of mine. It is critical that a leader is aware of the personal and emotional needs of others and treats each and every student and staff member with compassion and kindness so they can be the best learner, teacher, and leader they can be!
5. Honest and Trustworthy – I have always prided myself on being honest and trustworthy. Integrity and trust is built on honesty. It is a critical core value of a good leader.
6. Good Listener/Good Communicator - Excellent administrators will always listen and communicate in a clear way. I believe in maintaining clear and honest lines of communication open with students, staff, parents, and community members in order to build trust in pursuing a shared vision of learning.
7. Collaborative – I believe in fostering collaboration and building strong teams. Great leaders understand that relationships and interactions as a cultural force are top priority!
8. Positive and Passionate - Positive and passionate energy is contagious. I will model and radiate positive and passionate energy always!
Where Are I Going?
I believe in establishing a culture of thinking in a school where staff and students’ thinking is valued, visible, and actively promoted. Students are afforded opportunities to innovate, collaborate, communicate, problem-solve, be creative, and think critically. I envision a school where all students and staff see themselves as capable of learning and take ownership of their learning journey. All students can learn and grow.
Secondly, I envision a school where students and staff are compassionate and kind and reach out to help one another learn. I believe in character education and developing habits of mind to enhance the culture of thinking. Educating the “whole child” and empowering students with social-emotional skills is critical for successful learning.
Last, but not least, my vision includes a school where the community works together for the common vision of establishing a culture of thinking and learning. We need to develop school-family-community partnerships where not only staff have the opportunity to practice strategies, reflect, and engage in conversations about teaching and learning, but parents and community members as well.
How Do I Plan to Get There?
The plan of action for how I will attain the vision of where I am going as a leader has six core components as follows:
1. Build Trust and Lead with Integrity – I will build trust and lead with integrity by being a good listener, being visible and accessible, attending to people’s needs and wants, providing positive and timely feedback, sharing in the decision-making, and distributing leadership.
2. Invest in People - I wholeheartedly believe that an effective leader must invest in their people first. Accordingly, schools must invest in relationship-building and interactions as a cultural force and teach staff and students how to take care of themselves and each other.
3. Lead with A Clear Purpose – Effective leaders must lead with a clear vision and always begin with the “why?” Leaders must then establish a shared vision of “what” we want to achieve and ensure a clear path of “how” to get there.
4. Create a Culture of Thinking and Learning - I will set standards for excellence, set goals, and celebrate success along the way with all stakeholders. Focus will always be directed toward creating and maintaining a culture of thinking and learning. This will be done first and foremost by being the “lead learner” and then by building a community of learning and investing in the learning of others. In addition, it will be important to keep a close eye on what resources, tools, and supports teachers and students need, for the attainment of creating a culture of thinking and learning. Supports may range from “time” necessary to enact change to “tools” such as access to technology or instructional materials.
5. Build a Team and Believe in the Team Members – It is essential to create a team of educators, parents, and community members who believe in the vision of the organization and to share in the building of the structures and processes that align with the mission and vision of the school. From beginning with quality interviews, to providing ongoing feedback and professional learning to teachers, to providing teachers with collaborative learning time, to the encouragement of staff to participate in meaningful decision-making, to engaging the community in the creation of the best learning environment possible for all students, it takes a team.
6. Radiate Passion and Positive Energy – Modeling passion and positive energy at all times will be a critical part of my plan.
What will success look like?
ALL students and staff will be engaged EVERY day in quality learning opportunities and work together to support a culture of thinking and learning. All students will excel as individuals, and become productive and contributing members of society. Families and community members will be connected, informed, and valued participants in the process.
References
Sinek, S. (2010). How great leaders inspire action [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html