By Dr. Eugene Bellamy, Jr. - Jasper County School District
Importance of Vision
Oftentimes, as leaders, we miss a prime opportunity for personal and collective growth within our team by allowing our vision to remain in our mind or to become dormant. Leaders must become more reflective and have the ability to challenge one’s own process, protocols, and systems in order to create an environment that leads others to become more thought-provoking and be able to see beyond their own personal experiences. This is the power that vision has, but vision only works if all team members develop an understanding of the vision and make a personal and collective commitment to ensuring the vision manifests daily.
As a leader, it is imperative to ensure the facets of the vision are embedded in every aspect of the system or organization. In so doing, one will eliminate the optics and contradiction that sometimes is exposed when what is written and spoken does not align with the actions of members of the organization. In order to be successful, the vision must be understood, processed, and implemented clearly and consistently. Leaders must work to overcome some of the deadly sins of leadership that, often, corrupt or cripple institutions: complacency, blindness, megalomania, and pride.
Overcoming Obstacles
How do we overcome these deadly sins to develop policies, practices, procedures and protocols that create a climate and culture of excellence? We focus on our “why” and our “how”. As leaders, we should be responsive in our leadership styles, supporting the vision while meeting the needs of everyone connected to the institution. To be responsive, we must understand that our role is not simply to serve as a resource, but in all actuality, we are required to be a support for everyone connected to us. In essence, we shouldn’t just provide stakeholders and the organization with materials and assets necessary to build an effective operation, but we should be able to hold up and give assistance to all who are invested, enabling the organization to function, act, and thrive. Once our role as a responsive supporter is established, then a culture of shared-power is established where all members of the organization have the capacity and ability to direct or influence the behaviors of others to align with the vision of the organization. As a leader, it is imperative to establish the goal of having power-with, not power-over all others connected to and responsible for executing the vision.
The greatest avenue for establishing this shared-power to execute the vision of the organization is the elimination of silos and the promotion of systems where all individuals and departments are interconnected in their efforts to fulfill the organizational vision. It is vitally important that members of the organization understand that working in isolation from others is counterproductive to building and establishing an interconnected network that works collectively and collaboratively to accomplish the goals of the organization.
To begin the process of eliminating silos and moving toward the shared-systems approach, leaders must be able to establish a culture that:
develops resiliency;
establishes respect for everyone whether it is earned or not;
identifies compliance vs. following;
welcomes mistakes and new ideas;
develops a growth mindset;
establishes failure as a motivational tool;
focuses on action not excuses;
and embraces the thoughts, ideas, and contributions of all team members.
Moving Forward
When silos are eliminated and systems are established, a culture that is aligned to the vision begins to develop. As a result, members of the team move away from functioning within the cave of excuses - highlighting what isn’t working and needs to be improved, to beginning the ascent on the mountain of change - developing an understanding that success and excellence takes work, and collectively, we can overcome all obstacles by supporting and lifting each other up. In addition, the challenges that are faced are only used to strengthen the team effort in meeting and/or exceeding the goals that have been established in alignment with the vision.
Oftentimes, as leaders, we miss a prime opportunity for personal and collective growth within our team by allowing our vision to remain in our mind or to become dormant. Leaders must become more reflective and have the ability to challenge one’s own process, protocols, and systems in order to create an environment that leads others to become more thought-provoking and be able to see beyond their own personal experiences. This is the power that vision has, but vision only works if all team members develop an understanding of the vision and make a personal and collective commitment to ensuring the vision manifests daily.
Every leader must be 100% committed, not just to their vision, but also, to everyone who will help to implement and establish the vision as well as be impacted by the vision. Understanding the role of a leader in establishing and bringing life to the vision is vital. Further, helping others believe in, support, and implement the vision is even more important. This will not happen without a healthy investment and belief that everyone tied to the vision can enhance the vision in some way. Because, at the end of the day, developing vision is a work of heart!
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About the Author
Dr. Eugene Bellamy, Jr., currently, serves as the Digital Platform, Math, and Professional Development Coordinator for Jasper County School District in Jasper County. His goal is to serve and support school-level administrators by providing high-quality, high-yield professional development sessions focused on technology integration, math content development and pacing, and the SC Instruction Hub-Safari Montage. Connect with Dr. Bellamy on Facebook at Eugene Bellamy, Jr., Instagram at just_endure, and X @EBJMoment.
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