A Reader Asks... Your Personal Mission and Vision

A LYS Teacher asks:

SC,

I have recently started working on a Masters in Education Leadership. One of my assignments was to develop and write my “Vision of Leadership” statement. Which got me wondering, what is yours? And/or do you have an opinion on having a personal “Vision of Leadership?”

SC Response

First, I think that every leader (especially those in public service) needs to know who they are, what they are about and why they do what they do.  This understanding keeps you from going astray. Can this be encompassed in a “Vision Statement?” Maybe for some, for some maybe not.  

I don’t operate under a concrete vision statement, posted on a wall in my office, but there are some overriding themes that drive me, my work, and my teams.  And these overriding themes have done so for going on 25 years now.

1. If not us, then who?  My entire career has been spent working with the underdogs.  At-risk students, at-risk schools, and at-risk districts.  In this pursuit, it is understood that there is no “safety net.”  Instead, WE are the safety net.  Which means that if we don’t step up and do the right thing, put in the extra effort, care about the results, etc., no one else will.  

2. Today’s best is tomorrow’s base line. Meaning that we are always pushing to get better, reflecting on our practice, challenging the status quo and looking for the next mountain.

3. Do what’s right for students and don’t worry about the fall out.  In the vast majority of schools the big people worry a lot about the other big people.  We don’t.  The big people are in schools to maximize student opportunity.  If they are not willing to do so, get new big people (yes, our job is that important and that urgent).  If you get fired for doing right by students (it happens), trust me, the next job will come. Easier and sooner than you expect.

4. The answer is out there. We just have to find it.  There is an answer to how to get schools to operate at maximum effectiveness.  It’s just beyond our grasp… today.  But it we stay focused and keep grinding, we’ll figure it out. And then we’ll share that answer with the profession.  Because if not us, then who?

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote); The 2016 Texas Charter School Conference (Multiple Presentations); The 4^th Annual Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of August 16, 2015

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of August 16, 2015 when they were first posted.  And if you are on Twitter, you might want to check out the Tweeters who made this week’s list.

1. The time is always right to do what is right. (By @CoachKWisdom)

2. "Upper levels of cognition have almost nothing to do with us [teachers] and almost everything to do with them [students.]" (By @SISDSocStu_CI)

3. People always move towards someone who increases them and away from anyone who decreases them. (By @blitzkrieg607)

4. If you don't expect yourself to accomplish great things then it's likely you won't. (By @LeadToday)

5. If you won't make enemies with adults because you're fighting for kids to have access to a great education, you have no real fight in you. Go away. (By @DrStevePerry)

6. Love kids first. Hassling over a pencil is not worth destroying relationships. Just give them one. (By @alicekeeler)

7. Teacher practice is the leading indicator, student performance is the lagging indicator.  Improve teacher craft, increase student success. (By @DrMetz_MJH)

8. Beginning to realize a profound vision can't be communicated. It must be modeled and walked before it can be learned. (By @txschoolsiupe)

9. Today we are awash in pessimism. But history suggests that it’s the optimists who have tended to be right. (By @FareedZakaria)

10. If you ever reach a point where you don't think it's awesome that you get to go to school and teach kids, call a sub immediately. For real. (By @BluntEducator)

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: Illinois ASCD Fall Conference (Multiple Presentations), Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Fall AP Conference, The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Multiple Presentations); National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations); American Association of School Administrators Conference 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Reader Writes... Vision, Mission, Goal, Target - Part 2

In response to the 5/22/14 post, “Vision – Mission – Goal – Target: A Travelogue,” a LYS Assistant Superintendent shares:

SC,

This is the best description, definition, visual representation I have ever seen of vision, mission, goals and their relationship to each other.  As usual, LYS has done it again. 

I want to let you know that after 41 years, I’m retiring.  Though it was a while back, I am grateful for the leadership and mentoring that you provided back when we were in the same district.  You allowed me to do my thing and knew how to rein me in when I started to go astray.  And you did it in such a way that I didn’t mind it, at least most of the time. I will continue to follow your blog and I will keep sharing it with the teachers that I will continue to mentor. 

SC Response

First, coming from you this is high praise. Very high praise. Second, I can believe that you are retiring, but 41 years... That is very hard to believe. And rein you in, when did that happen? Congratulations on a successful and meaningful career.  All I can say is that every district that you worked for, you rose above it. And by doing so, redefined for each district what was possible. 

Thank you.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Reader Asks... Vision, Mission, Goal, Target - Part 1

In response to the 5/22/14 post, “Vision – Mission – Goal – Target: A Travelogue,” a LYS Assistant Superintendent asks:

SC,

Okay, I’m in the middle of a hornet’s nest!!  I need input from you regarding yesterday’s (5/22/14) blog post.  Our district has a vision of (MASKED TO MAINTAIN CONFIDENTIALITY).  We are doing some work with our principals about vision for their campus.  Should the campuses have a separate vision that supports the district vision or should all campuses share the same district vision????  

Thanks for weighing in!!

SC Response

Excellent question.  And I think the answer for your district (large, diverse, over 30 campuses) is different than the answer for the small district.

Let’s tackle the small district answer first.  This is the one high school, one or two middle schools, and one to three elementary schools district. In this case the district and the campus visions should be very similar.  The district has the ultimate vision for students and in a small district that vision reflects the reality of the few schools in the district.

This is a significant strength of the small organization, there is less opportunity for vision/mission divergence.

Now the large district is different.  Yes, there is still a district vision, but the campuses are a heterogeneous mix of different communities, students and staff.  Therefore, the all encompassing, everyone in lockstep vision is a myth.  Instead, what you what is big picture understanding of purpose coupled with small picture understanding of operational parameters.  This means that the campus vision may be different than the organizations, but the campus vision must directly correlate with the district vision and campus progress in fulfilling the vision furthers the district in its vision quest.

A lot of words for a mushy explanation, so I’ll give you a concrete example.  Let’s take a district with two high schools, one with a very affluent student population and one with a very poor student population. Not an unusual scenario. 

Now in our example the district’s vision is, “Producing graduates that make a difference.” 

The campuses could co-opt that vision and there would be nothing wrong with that. Or based on the campuses unique mix of students, community, staff, resources and leadership there may need to be a variation of that vision.  The affluent campus may look at the district vision and its own mix of operating parameters and may realize that its mission should be, “Enter the student. Exit the World Class scholar.”

The strength of this vision is that it drives that particular campus and in the pursuit of that vision, the campus is also helping the district pursue its vision.

Now let’s consider the economically disadvantaged campus.  That campus could look its mix of operating parameters and develop this vision, “Always compete.”  Again, the strength of this vision is that it drives the campuses forward and in doing so propels the district forward.

The district vision creates a destination; the campus vision creates a logical pathway to that destination.

I hope this helps, or maybe I just should have answered, “It’s complicated.”

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of June 22, 2014

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now Twitter users.  If you haven’t done so yet, we want you to join us.  To let you see what you are missing, here are the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of June 22, 2014.

1. Write everyday. Nothing is better for processing your thinking. (By @DrJerryRBurkett)

2. Today's Quote:  "True, a little learning is a dangerous thing, but it still beats total ignorance." (By @DrRichAllen)

3. Speak up for the teaching profession because I can promise someone is speaking against it. (By @BluntEducator)

4. Teaching is arguably the most complex and most essential profession in the world. (By @PrincipalFHS)

5. What do your grades measure: purely objective mastery or something else? Anything beyond objective mastery is misleading and useless for data.  (By @JasonJj7)

6. Everything gets better as you purposefully spend more time in the Power Zone! (By @LYSNation)

7. Many mission and vision statements are vague and general. I guess that makes it easy to not live up to high expectations. (By @woscholar)

8. "People who get things done, are not always liked." (By @ptarkkonen)

9. Expect opposition to your dream. Every nitpicker who doesn’t have a dream will oppose yours. (@LollyDaskal)

10. Onward and upward, The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird) just passed 60,000 copies sold! Thank you LYS Nation! (By @LYSNation)

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: NAESP National Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

The Campus Vision

There is no “right” campus vision, but there are definitely “wrong” ones.  When either assessing the quality of a campus vision, or creating a campus vision, there are elements that should be considered.

1. Does the vision set the horizon for the campus?  Meaning that the vision does aspire to something worthwhile. That even though this may never be attained, the pursuit is a compelling reason for a lifetime of work.

2. Does the vision address maximizing opportunity for all students.  Too many campus visions are built for a select few.

3. Does the vision address competing / performing at the highest level?  Too many visions paint a picture that just showing up is enough.

4. Does the vision focus on what matters most, academics and learning.  Too many visions forget that we are schools, first.

A campus vision that doesn't address at least 2 of these elements, I would characterize as a limiting vision. A vision that limits the potential of the organization. A vision that addresses 2 or more of these elements I would characterize as a leveraging vision.  A vision that has the potential to maximizes the potential of the organization.

How would you assess the vision of your campus?

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas ASCD Summer Conference; ESC 14 Sumer Conference (Keynote Presentation); ESC 11 Summer Conference (Keynote Presentation); NEASP National Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Vison - Mission - Goal - Target: How They Relate

The 5/23/2014 post, “Vision – Mission – Goal – Target: A Travelogue,” gave a visual representation of those elements.  Today I will discuss how they relate and impact your campus.

There are a lot of people who believe that you must have a vision, then a mission, then a goal, and then a target.  That: 

1 – It is a backwards design process; and 

2 – Without having all four, you are lost.  

Both of these beliefs are true in some cases and false in other cases. In practical terms, here is how it works in schools.  

I can make significant and meaningful progress (in the short term) without a vision and mission.  The reason for this is two-fold.  First, as a profession, educators want to do well by their students and please their boss.  We are good people who crave order.  Just doing what comes naturally to us represents steps in the right direction.  Second, the state mandates annual performance goals that force us to adjust our practices towards meeting those goals.  We can argue how those goals are measured, but bottom line we are expected to teach students to a standard.  As we teach to standards, again we make steps in the right decision.

For those that embrace their mandated goals, there is a need to create a slate of interim targets that inform us in the pursuit of goal accomplishment.  For many schools, this is all that is needed in the short to midterm.  But once we build some competence we need more to keep us moving forward.  Just increasing the goal is one way to do this.  But that doesn’t stoke the fire in the belly, at scale.  Now is the time to build that vision and mission. 

Which one you build first is situational.  There are those who first define the mission of the organization and then paint the picture of what the organization aspires to be.  This is a viable solution.  There are those who paint a picture of the vision for organization and then define a mission that supports the vision.  This is a viable solution. 

What I think is the important take away from this discussion is that what is most important on any given day is a clear understanding of the goals and targets of the organization.  What is important for the long-term success of the organization is a clear understanding of the vision and mission.  But this is a crawl, walk, jog, run dynamic.  If your team isn’t ready to consider vision and mission yet, that doesn’t make you a bad leader. But note that the longer it takes to get your team to that level of competence and consciousness does have a negative effect on progressing from survival mode to actualized mode.

      

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas ASCD Summer Conference; ESC 14 Sumer Conference (Keynote Presentation); ESC 11 Summer Conference (Keynote Presentation); NEASP National Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Vision - Mission - Goal - Target: A Travelogue

I am often asked to better define the concepts of Vision, Mission, Goal, and Target as they relate to campus operations.   For terms that are thrown about so casually, there really is a lot of confusion and just wrong thinking about what these are.  In an attempt to clarify these terms and critical understandings instead of a 6,000 word essay, I present to the LYS Nation, “Vision – Mission – Goal – Target: A Travelogue”

Consider the following picture. For something seemingly so innocent and benign, there is a lot going on.

In this picture of a seemingly random journey, the RV represents your school.

The mountains on the horizon represent a vision. This vision, though somewhat abstract, represents where we aspire to eventually arrive. 

The road represents our mission. This is what drives us forward and over time positions us to fulfill our vision.  The mission can and should slowly adapt and evolve.

On we progress on our mission path, there are goals.  These goals ensure that we stay focused on accomplishing our mission.

Finally, there are targets that we use to gauge progress and determine what adjustments we need to make to ensure that we meet our goals.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas ASCD Summer Conference; ESC 14 Sumer Conference (Keynote Presentation); ESC 11 Summer Conference (Keynote Presentation); NEASP National Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook