Keeping Your School Vision Alive: Practical Strategies for Everyday Leadership

Table of Contents

Vision Process Recall: A 5-Step Plan for Inspiring & Motivating Staff

Practices to Keep Your Vision Alive

One Last Thought

As we trek through the heart of autumn with Thanksgiving break quickly approaching, the energy from the start of the year can begin to fade. Hopefully, that’s not the case for you, especially if you’ve been intentionally reconnecting with that awe-inspiring vision guiding your school.

Back in August 2024, I wrote “Crafting Your School Vision: A 5-Step Plan for Inspiring & Motivating Staff” as I was developing the vision for my own school. Now, in our second year of living that vision, I want to share ways to keep the momentum alive.

You have your school vision—now what?

As Jimmy Casas reminds us, a vision can easily become just “words on the wall.” What truly matters is how we live that vision through our actions, decisions, and mindsets.

Before exploring how to bring your vision to life, here’s a quick recap of the 5-Step Vision Process I shared last year.

Vision Process Recall: A 5-Step Plan for Inspiring & Motivating Staff

1. Lead with humanity

Reflect on the human side of your work. Ask yourself: What kind of school do we want to create for our students, staff, and community? Let your experiences, empathy, and emotions guide you and ensure your vision speaks to all community members.

2. Consider the data

Use survey results, academic performance, and local data like observations to identify themes. Be open to what the data reveals - sometimes it stings, but those insights can drive growth. 

Balance data with empathy; numbers alone can’t capture your school’s heart.

What truly matters is how we live that vision through our actions, decisions, and mindsets.

3. Connect to core values

Your core values are your anchor. Keep them visible as you write and refine your vision so your words align with what truly matters. When work is grounded in shared values, your vision becomes both sustainable and impactful. This will drive the purpose behind that vision. 

4. Draft with intention

Bring together your human experiences, data, and values. Collaborate with colleagues or even AI to gain perspective and uncover blind spots. Give yourself time between drafts to step away, reflect, and return with fresh insight.

This isn’t a one-day workshop task—it takes time and collaboration to ensure every voice shapes the vision.

5. Share with purpose

When you’re ready to share your vision, invite others into the story. Explain your why, encourage staff to reflect on theirs, and connect those pieces to the collective mission. Vulnerability and authenticity inspire connection and connection drives change.

Practices to Keep Your Vision Alive

Creating the vision is only the beginning. The real challenge is keeping it alive - making sure it continues to inspire, guide decisions, and shape culture. Over the past year, I’ve found several practices that help sustain that focus.

1. Words, Actions, & Mindsets

A vision lives through the words, actions, and mindsets of everyone in the community. Living your vision requires a deep commitment to consistency.

If your vision centers on belonging but key voices are excluded from decision-making, the message will be hollow. Likewise, if your culture celebrates risk-taking but educators are punished for instructional experimentation, progress erodes.

Your vision thrives only when it’s reflected in everyday behavior - from the classroom to the conference room.

2. Weekly & Monthly Reminders

Consistent communication keeps the vision visible. In my weekly updates, I connect upcoming work or recent celebrations back to our vision. These small, intentional links help staff see progress and purpose and over time, those connections create powerful momentum.

3. Focus Areas

To prevent overwhelm, identify three to five focus areas that align directly with your vision. These should ground your professional learning, helping staff clearly see how daily efforts move the school closer to its larger purpose.

Your vision thrives only when it’s reflected in everyday behavior - from the classroom to the conference room.

4. Professional Learning

Whether in faculty meetings, coaching sessions, or professional learning communities, make explicit connections between the content and your school’s vision. Better yet, invite staff to make those connections themselves. When educators articulate how their learning advances the mission, ownership deepens.

5. Check-Ins

Regular check-ins help staff stay grounded in the vision. Use them to celebrate progress, reflect on challenges, and reaffirm collective goals. These moments of reflection keep everyone aligned and motivated.

6. Celebrations & Short-Term Wins

Recognizing growth - big or small - fuels belief in the vision. Whether you highlight a teacher’s innovative approach or celebrate a team’s collaborative success, these acknowledgments remind everyone that their work matters. Purpose and progress are inherently motivating.

One Last Thought

I’ve seen success with these practices, but it takes purposeful, sustained effort. As a leader, you help set the tone, but it’s the collective that brings the vision to life.

Bring others into the process. Honor their contributions. And let your vision live - not as words on a wall, but as a daily expression of intentionality and purpose.

Keeping a vision alive isn’t about a single meeting or a glossy poster - it’s about the daily choices we make as educators and leaders. It’s how we speak to one another, how we respond when things don’t go as planned, and how we stay grounded in what truly matters.

I’d love to hear how you’re keeping your school’s vision vibrant this year. What strategies or practices have helped your team stay connected to its purpose? Share your thoughts in the comments or connect with me on LinkedIn—let’s keep learning and leading together. ❤️