How can you encourage stakeholder ownership of your strategic plan?

In my experience, setting clear expectations at the outset for how feedback will be incorporated, and stating what the “inflexibles” are in project scope/goals is helpful to avoid misunderstanding and resistance down the line. Not all input can/will be reflected in project planning and being realistic with stakeholders up front helps to clarify that on all sides.

Whether you are developing a new strategic plan or reviewing an existing one, a diverse “guiding coalition” is essential. This group should represent every stakeholder group served by your school district, including students. The guiding coalition should also be diverse in thought and perspective. Here is who you should be sure to include: teachers and staff representing each school, leaders representing all labor partners, principals representing each school configuration, parents, city leaders, business leaders, representatives from local colleges and universities, alumni, and, just mentioning again, students. The superintendent, a board member, and members of cabinet should also be a part of this work.

There is so much potential for misunderstanding. The precision of our language can support colleagues to develop a shared understanding of what we are trying to achieve and the strategies that we have selected to achieve them. Or indeed it can muddy the waters. Therefore I’d argue that we need to be a lot clearer about the words that we use for even the every day elements of school life. As Louise Stoll says: 'Having words for important concepts enables community members to talk about them, think together and agree on their meaning, interrogate them for deeper understanding and gain collective clarity around related action and impact.'

Improvement is dependent on the team becoming more expert. Too often in school development plans, any references to CPD are vague, such as allocating some INSET days and twilight sessions, or sourcing external training. We can be far more deliberate about the processes that we design and refine to broker professional learning. When leaders run structured training over a period of time on their strategic priorities, or send colleagues out to learn on courses such as NPQs, this is formal learning and it is this type of learning that we might bring to mind when thinking about developing our teachers. However, informal learning has been found to be more prevalent with some estimates upwards of 75% of total learning engaged in by teachers.

While each source of data or external judgement individually is probably an unreliable measure of how well a school is performing, they are starting points for further exploration. Looking at the facts alone may result in a hypotheses about the school which are there to be tested. Our desired outcomes are likely to be realised at some point in the future but we need to know how things are going on a much shorter time scale. The end result and early progress might not look the same and thinking too far ahead in the future might mean that we miss what’s going on in the present. Small things left unattended can become bigger problems down the line so it is prudent to have some early warning signals that things aren’t working as we’d like.

As the driving force behind the execution and progress of a successful strategic plan, stakeholders deserve acknowledgement of their efforts and impact. This not only boosts morale but also reinforces their commitment and loyalty to the plan. By recognizing stakeholders’ input and impact both privately and publicly, you create a positive feedback loop. Stakeholders feel valued and appreciated, which in turn motivates them to continue investing their best efforts in the plan. This not only strengthens their current commitment but also fosters a culture of ownership and collaboration, vital for the long-term success of any initiative. A little appreciation goes a long way in building strong, productive relationships with your stakeholders!