Don’t get everyone involved in creating your vision

Please don’t feel like you need to get everyone’s input or agreement for your vision. I know we live in a time when we feel we must get consensus and more often than not I totally agree with this, but I believe that creating a vision is something best done by an individual or a small group (like your senior leadership team). If we create a vision in a larger group, it often ends being watered down and not being anything anyone is really excited about; in fact, the positivity we get from it is that we worked together to achieve it. I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, ‘A camel is a horse designed by a committee’, well the same often happens when large groups create a vision.

A head was once telling me how, a few years ago, in a previous school they’d worked on their vision with staff, governors, and held huge workshops with the children. It sounded wonderful and I was keen to hear more, but then she flippantly said ‘I can’t remember what it was now’ and my heart sank. A good vision is really easy to remember and whilst this school had involved everyone, the head, of all people, couldn’t remember it and I suspect very few people could.

Top tip: It’s ok to lead, you are leader and have been given this position because you are trusted to lead, so when you are working on your vision, work on it in a group of up to about 8 people who are going to lead it with you.

About the author:

Sonia Gill is founder of Heads Up, specialising in supporting headteachers and school leaders create an outstanding school culture. https://ukheadsup.com.