Demcratic Principles:

Focusing the Effort: Mutual Purpose, Shared Vision and Common Goals

Page 1 of 3

Creating a safe school environment for children requires that the efforts taken to do so are focused and effective and must be inherently grounded in a reasoning that is clear and articulated. Without this articulated sense of reasoning, efforts become disjointed, ineffective and worst of all counter productive. While it may seem obvious as to the purpose of intended efforts, (we want to make schools safe) it is important to write it down so everyone can know the foundation point of the work at hand.

There are three complementary declarations that any organization seeking to achieve a difficult job must answer in order to focus their efforts.

These statments are about purpose, vision and goals.   Mutual Purpose Shared Vision Common Goals

Each one provides a point of connectivity with the other, clarifying and explaining the why, what, and how of the efforts to foster a safe school environment.

Mutual Purpose
Mutual purpose is like the North Star guiding the leadership and decision making process. Mutual Purpose answers the question, Why are we here to do this work? The “why” is important because we humans remain a “why” driven specie. We might be asked to do some difficult tasks in achieving our ideas but we can accept that those things must be done if we know the “why” of our efforts. Answering the “why” question fills out the big picture aspect of our efforts. Gaining a sense of the big picture is extremely important because more than anything else the “why” brings meaning to our tasks at hand. Meaning is a powerful motivator because humans need meaning to give their lives a sense of reason, continuity and importance. “Why” also requires commitment to an idea. When people become committed to an idea, the leadership dynamic begins to form and the impetus for change materializes as a movement.

Pages:  1  2  3