The first day that teachers come back to the building is filled with excitement and nervous energy. I always loved the opening meeting of staff orientation, where we welcomed the faculty back and set out our hopes, dreams and goals for the coming year.
Wherever we are in our tenure as school leaders, though, that opening meeting can be an intimidating task. Two school heads I work with shared the challenge with me from opposite perspectives.
One head is starting his first year in a new school. He wants to set out an inspirational vision and build the faculty’s trust and confidence in his leadership, but he knows that if he promises too much in this first year he is likely to disappoint down the road - or to generate skepticism just as the year is beginning .
The other head is starting year five in her school. Her tenure has been successful overall, but last year the school faced some significant governance, enrollment, and financial challenges. She wants to start this year on the right foot, and she needs to show the faculty that she will be able to lead in this changing environment , but why should they believe her?
This opening meeting quandary is a nutshell version of the core issue we face as leaders: we want, and need, to inspire our staff with an uplifting vision - without being overly optimistic or out of touch with the reality on the ground.
So how can we present a vision for growth that lands as a credible plan rather than aspirational fluff?
1. First name the challenges honestly. Nothing kills believability faster than pretending the past was already perfect. Start by naming, specifically and without defensiveness, what didn’t work last year and what challenges are still present this year. Demonstrating that we understand what went wrong, and how that negatively impacted our people, shows that we are aware of the realities and helps us earn the trust of the staff. Hiding or glossing over the negative, on the other hand, creates a sense that we are either oblivious or just don’t care about our people.
2. Frame the plan as a hypothesis, not a promise. Instead of “this year we will raise engagement,” try “here’s our plan for how we will move the needle, and here’s how we’ll know if we’re right.” Leaders who present in this way are not lowering the bar, they’re showing that they are planning realistically rather than declaring victory in August. Eric Reis (Lean Startup) has shown that growth metrics work better than vanity metrics in building a company, and the same is true for engaging your staff.
3. Tie the aspiration to something concrete and near-term. A clear sign that your plan is a hypothesis rather than a dream is that you can connect it to specific actions in the near future. Talk vision, but connect the vision to 2-3 specific changes in the coming weeks. It could be a schedule change, new meeting structure, coaching or PD model, but it needs to be concrete, coming soon, and a reasonable ask of those around you. (Hence 2-3 changes, not 10!)
4. Implicate yourself, not just them. As leaders, we need to be clear about what we plan to do differently this year - not just what we are asking others to do differently. Here again, we need to be careful to outline realistic steps rather than empty promises. What are we going to change in our own behavior as leaders that will support the vision we are outlining for our staff? If there’s something that has been difficult for us in the past, whether it’s showing up on time for meetings, spending enough time in classrooms, or communicating effectively with all staff, we should not simply assert that it will be different this year. Instead, we need to present the concrete steps we will take, and be open about how we will hold ourselves accountable.
A mentor of mine once told me that there is a fine line between a leader of the pack and someone out on a walk by themselves. If we want our staff to come with us, we need to craft a grounded vision rather than an aspirational promise.
I’ll admit that this is a lot less fun and can come out sounding less poetic. But the goal of our opening meeting, and all of our leadership, is not merely to craft a beautiful vision - it’s to galvanize those around us to take a challenging journey together.
This does not mean you shouldn’t be inspirational. Vision is necessary, and leaders need to inspire and uplift. But that inspiration needs to be both thoughtful and credible in order to be effective.
For leaders who tend towards the visionary side, consider the four tips above a helpful self-check to make sure that you are actually bringing your staff along and not just taking a stroll by yourself.
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