Our Vision Breathes Us Alive

“Vision is distinct from mission,” write Ann Pelo and Margie Carter in their important new book, From Teaching to Thinking.  “Mission is a statement of services, it’s what we do,” they explain. “Vision is our most actualized way of being in the world; it grows beyond how things are to describe how we would like them to be. It’s the expression of a community’s purpose, its aim and intention...

Peter Block, an organizational consultant, writes that, ‘The most compelling dialogue we can have is about our vision. Leadership is keeping others focused on the vision, and this means that we have to get comfortable talking about it.’ 

Pedagogical leaders keep others in the community focused on vision, and keep vision at the heart of the dialogue about the community’s practices and pursuits...

Our values animate our vision...I spent some time poking around on the web to read how people write about values. Several websites, focused on ethics in the workplace, listed an array of values that an organization might adopt. Look at this quite varied list: ambition, competency, individuality, equality, service, responsibility, accuracy, dedication, diversity, improvement, enjoyment, loyalty, credibility, honesty, teamwork, accountability, empowerment, efficiency, dignity, collaboration, stewardship, accomplishment, courage, independence, security, compassion, friendliness, discipline, generosity, persistence, optimism, dependability, flexibility.

As I read this list, I had an immediate visceral response to each of these words—‘yes, yes!’ or ‘no way.’ Values are deep-rooted and carry potent imagery and resonance. They grow from our vision of who we want to be, and speak to how we aim to become who we envision. Articulated, our vision begins to breathe us alive. We can deliberately call forward the particular values that will carry us towards our vision and consciously consult them as we chart our course.”

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