Here's how you can respond to the question, "Where do you see yourself in five years.

This is a regularly scheduled reflection that I hold at the end of every Macro-Meso cycle (1 year). Like all scheduled reflections we have a specific set of practices we use, albeit in different and engaging ways. We start by reviewing the vision we set the previous year. Talk about the progress we made, what we learned over the last year as relates to our stated vision and ask if we are all still aligned and heading in the "right" direction. From there we brainstorm, gather ideas and open them up for discussion. We might break into smaller teams, each taking ownership of a part of the multi-year roadmap and doing a deeper dive, exploring ways to refine and improve it based of the lessons learned. Then we collaborate on the next version

I think deeply about this question every day. Since I’ve retired from my teaching position of 31 years. I’ve written two books about education during the last five years. I hope to promote my books. I will continue to help students graduate from High School. I’ve started a company that helps students to become educated about today’s society. I help students plan financially for college and post secondary endeavors. I am planning on starting a podcast for informational and educational ideas.

In five years I see myself as an international educational asset, helping other world leaders build solid educational systems on a global scale leveraging on the massive influence from my company Childatheart Consult by Gifty. In five years, my school would've been one of the best in delivering excellence especially in childcare, early education, grade school and high school respectively. In five years,my work and support in providing solutions to parents through consultations, and teachers through training would've been a global phenomenon by default and I will be a witness. I will still be an Educational consultant, teacher, and an international Child development specialist & director Childatheart Consult by Gifty.

When framing a vision, I find it helpful to consider: What is going to be different once I am able to deliver on the vision Who is going to be impacted? What will they get out of this new reality? Why does it matter to them? When crafting a vision I tend to write them from the perspective of the future me, looking back over time to when the vision was first imagined and having already brought the vision into being. Not a "I will, one day I will make a change" but rather "I did that and this is the change that was realized". This approach helps to bypass my brains auto-response of "You can't do that, that has never been done." This approach also makes the eventual pivot from strategic to tactical planning much easier.

I find that the most convincing vision is one that is centered around a business or societal problem you are uniquely positioned to, or compelled, to solve. A vision that is not all about yourself but is centered around others is where true leadership's at!

When Peter Drucker said "Culture eats Strategy for breakfast." his intent was for adaptive leaders to understand that when they are crafting their strategic vision, it should be a strategy that will nourish the institutions culture and support the overall mission. When you start from the stand point of "strategy feeds culture, so our culture can grow stronger." it allows for a shift in perspective that is empowering and freeing. The adaptive educational leader will develop a set of skills that allow them to grow in the competency of provide a clear Purpose to those they lead.

Think what inspires you and what you would like to contribute to the world. If your job can be aligned with your passion, that is already a huge win! Once you know how you would like to contribute, it will be also clear what you need to do. Such projects might include writing a book or starting a podcast or both.