Teacher Leadership Roles in the Classroom PDF

Review Material Prepared by Prof. Susan T Depiedra, 2024 **Teacher Leadership Roles Inside and Outside of the Classroom** Leadership Styles ----------------- According to Dr. Tiphanie Scroggins who runs the American University School of Education's administrative program, there are a few key lea...

Review Material Prepared by Prof. Susan T Depiedra, 2024 **Teacher Leadership Roles Inside and Outside of the Classroom** Leadership Styles ----------------- According to Dr. Tiphanie Scroggins who runs the American University School of Education's administrative program, there are a few key leadership qualities vital to success as an educator. "The heart of an educators work is students' learning and well being," says Dr. Scroggins. "They need to be focused, strategic, innovative, and collaborative." Here are five leadership styles that teacher leaders can use inside and outside the classroom. - **Authoritative Leadership**\ Authoritative leaders push their teams to pursue common goals. They balance maintaining a high bar and inspiring their teams to success. According to Dr. Scroggins, authoritative leaders rely heavily on strategy, using data to set high expectations and take thoughtful risks. Authoritative leaders can also be relentless in their pursuit of meaningful growth and demonstrate determination and resilience. - **Affiliative Leadership**\ Affiliative leaders are people who their teams can trust and feel safe going to. They validate their colleagues and build camaraderie among their teams⁠---qualities that promote inclusivity, equity, and culturally responsive practices, according to Dr. Scroggins. A school's success largely depends on building culture and values. This requires affiliative leadership to push staff and students alike in the same direction. - **Democratic Leadership**\ Democratic leaders are the first to seek feedback and share decision-making responsibilities. In education, this often means gathering feedback from students, staff, administrators, and families to implement school-wide changes and policies. "Democratic leadership is about believing students, parents, and the community have a voice," says Dr. Scroggins. "This approach helps build community and nurture partnerships among stakeholders." - **Pacesetting Leadership**\ Pacesetting leaders essentially focus on the practice of leading by example inside or outside the classroom. They do it all, setting the tone of a school and inspiring other teachers by their skills, dedication, and achievements. - **Coaching Leadership**\ Coaching leaders take young or struggling teachers under their wings to mentor. This style of leadership is usually time-consuming and requires much empathy and patience on the leader's part. However, it has significant benefits to teacher development and student academic success. ### Academic Coach Many schools look to veteran teachers to coach teachers on behavior management or content specialty. Coaches observe teachers in practice and then set goals, plan lessons, and review data. Academic coaches can give in-the-moment feedback to teachers during class through nonverbal cues, ask students about what they learned that day, or record class to review with the practicing educator. Coaches also write plans for each teacher to outline specific benchmarks and student outcomes as goals. This leadership role is focused on staff development but impacts students directly and requires a veteran teacher's experience and expertise. ### New Teacher Mentor Whether a first-year teacher or an experienced educator new to a school, a new staff member requires special attention and onboarding. Getting to know a new school involves many details that are essential for all teachers. Having a go-to person for general questions makes the transition to a new school much smoother. Being a new teacher mentor is a leadership opportunity for veterans who know the ins and outs of the school, as well as teachers who recently transitioned to the school and have a fresh perspective on information necessary at the beginning of the school year. A new teacher mentor should be honest, understanding, and patient to best support a new teacher and strengthen teacher retention. ### Community Outreach Coordinator A transformative outside-the-classroom leadership opportunity is the school community outreach coordinator, who arranges after-hours or weekend events that involve students and their families and community members. An event like a fundraiser is an impactful way for schools to raise money for special supplies, field trips, and scholarships. Teachers who can gather resources to manage events like this are how schools and communities intertwine and benefit each other. This teacher leader is a go-getter who can access resources, motivate volunteers, and ultimately support students and their families. Expanding Leadership -------------------- For teachers with advanced leadership skills, there are many opportunities in education that require visionaries with the ability to lead. Teacher leadership roles go beyond the classroom, as many school administrators and nonprofit organization leaders are former teachers or were previously involved in education. ### School Administrator Roles School administrators not only manage the day-to-day functions of a school but also are the driving force behind its mission and vision. Administrators are the leaders who inspire teachers, staff, and students to create a strong culture and a love for learning. Strong administrators influence teachers to take leadership roles and make their schools encouraging, safe, empowering places for students to be. School administrators additionally have a larger role in managing school budgets, evaluating teachers, and collaborating with school districts. What Is Teacher Leadership? =========================== the term "teacher leadership" is used to label a variety of different teacher roles and teaching assignments. Teacher leadership is a process. Teacher leaders are the professionals who carry through with this process to lead change in their schools for the benefit of all students. Teacher leaders step outside their classroom doors and accept the challenges to improve their practice through working with colleagues, school administration and professional staff---as well as students and their families. One of the confusions in defining teacher leadership and identifying teacher leaders is that "leadership" is not found in a position or title. In most schools there are teachers who are the designated leaders of their grade level teams or departments, but being named a "team leader" is not the same as being a teacher leader. Teacher leaders exemplify certain defining characteristics. While all teachers possess several of these traits, only teacher leaders consistently and simultaneously integrate them into teacher leadership. ##### Six Teacher Leader Traits 1. [**E**xperts](https://www.elmhurst.edu/blog/teacher-leadership/#experts) 2. [e**X**ceptional Communicators](https://www.elmhurst.edu/blog/teacher-leadership/#exceptional) 3. [**C**hange Agents](https://www.elmhurst.edu/blog/teacher-leadership/#change) 4. [**I**nspirational Leaders](https://www.elmhurst.edu/blog/teacher-leadership/#inspirational) 5. [**T**rustworthy Colleagues](https://www.elmhurst.edu/blog/teacher-leadership/#trustworthy) 6. [**E**xplorers](https://www.elmhurst.edu/blog/teacher-leadership/#explorers) Experts ------- Teacher leaders share their expertise. Expertise may come in the form of knowledge and skills about specific content (e.g., mathematics, social-emotional learning) or teaching skills (e.g., teaching with technology, questioning strategies). Their expertise may also come in the form of leadership skills (e.g., helping teams build consensus, making data-driven decisions). Expert teachers are not always teacher leaders. However, building expertise is essential to becoming a teacher leader.  eXceptional Communicators ------------------------- Teacher leaders are excellent communicators. A key teacher leadership skill is the ability to prioritize listening over speaking and seeking to understand different perspectives. Teacher leaders clarify, probe and synthesize ideas and questions to understand the concerns and leverage the expertise of others. They also strive to establish open communication, where all ideas are heard and all possibilities explored. Teacher leaders want to solve problems by getting a group to think outside of the box. One of the essential qualities of their communication is honesty. Teacher leaders communicate in ways that are professional and truthful, reflecting what is working and what isn't. They acknowledge where mistakes have occurred and where changes are needed rather than avoid difficult conversations. Change Agents ------------- While most teachers are experts and have effective communication skills, teacher leaders differentiate themselves by being change agents. They take up initiatives and work to make them successful. Education is a professional field that is constantly being "reformed" and reacting to social, economic and political changes. This continuous change makes being a teacher exciting and exhausting, and it is why teacher leadership is so important---every school needs teachers who will "lean in" when change happens. Teacher leaders themselves might initiate change based on evidence that things need to be done in a different way. When teachers are change agents, they are leading a transformation in their schools or their local and professional communities by supporting (and inspiring---up next) others to make changes that will have a meaningful and positive impact for students. Inspirational Leaders --------------------- They inspire everyone to be their very best because a transformational leader believes that everyone has important contributions to make and that everyone needs to be involved. Inspiration is at the core of transformational leadership---and it is not easy to master. Transformational teachers inspire within their classrooms and transformational teacher leaders inspire outside their classroom doors. Inspirational teacher leaders get their colleagues to step up, not because they feel they have to but because they want to. This inspirational role of teacher leaders is critical and often overlooked. Because teacher leaders are colleagues---not supervisors---successful leadership depends on other teachers wanting to follow their lead.\ Trustworthy Colleagues ---------------------- To be a teacher leader, others must trust you enough to follow your lead. Teacher leaders build trust through what they do and say---as well as what they don't. **Megan Tschannen-Moran **and** Anita Woolfolk Hoy** explained that trust between teachers involves five core qualities: - **Benevolence.** They share their confidence that others will act with goodwill. - **Competence.** They share their belief that the group has the ability to be successful. - **Honesty.** They communicate and act in authentic and equitable ways. - **Openness.** They share information, even if it shows their personal vulnerabilities. - **Reliability.** They always do what they say they will do. Trustworthiness is important across all aspects of teacher leadership, and engendering confidence in others is key to being a transformational leader. Competence is part of shared expertise. Honesty is essential in effective communication. Openness is seen in the willingness and ability to explore new possibilities. Reliability is essential to all these parts of the teacher leadership process because no one follows an unreliable leader. Explorers --------- Teacher leaders are trailblazers. They are first adopters, willing to try out new ideas and discover the unseen "potholes" in new initiatives. They volunteer for pilot projects and pursue professional development opportunities to learn more so they can improve their practice, share their experiences, and collaborate with others to solve problems and reach team goals. An important part of this explorer quality is that teacher leaders---because they are willing to go first---share their vulnerabilities by being open about their successes and failures. They demonstrate honesty, an important part of building trust, by sharing their mistakes and "hard lessons" with their colleagues as they encourage them to take the trail they have begun to blaze. A Teacher Leader is a Professional Process ------------------------------------------ Teacher leaders reflect all of these qualities (and many more) in their teacher leadership through everyday interactions with students, colleagues and the school community. Teacher leadership is a "package" of attitudes, knowledge and skills that are continually developed. Teacher leaders are cautiously excited about change. They are ready to pursue new ideas that will result in more meaningful learning experiences and more positive and inclusive spaces for all students. They care not only about the students who share their classrooms but also about the students in their colleagues' classrooms and throughout the school. *What is teacher leadership?* It is a set of roles bundled with the motivation to inspire educational change and move beyond the status quo in collaborative ways. Teacher leaders lead alongside others, not from the front. They have their feet firmly planted in the classroom and their eyes on what is possible for all. **What is Teacher Leadership?** ------------------------------- The formal definition says that [teacher leadership](https://www.igi-global.com/dictionary/teacher-leadership/56890) is when "teachers go beyond their classroom responsibilities and assume informal and formal roles within the school to influence and enhance instruction and learning for all students. Teachers who hold the professional identity as an educator who demonstrate leadership within the classroom, school, community and beyond, either through formal or informal roles." In practice, teacher leadership can take many forms, but most often it looks like: - Acting as an advocate for their school and the needs of students - Leading a professional association/union - Serving as a mentor, coach, peer assistant, or peer reviewer - Working in instructional design, assessment design, or a curriculum planner - Monitoring improvement efforts and participating in administrative meetings - Engaging parent and community participation **Teacher Leader** Teachers who take on additional, high-level roles are typically called teacher leaders. Generally speaking, [teacher leaders](https://www.readingrockets.org/article/what-does-research-tell-us-about-teacher-leadership) are those who have "significant teaching experience, are known to be excellent educators, and are respected by their peers." **Why is Leadership in Education Important?** The primary purpose of educational leadership is **to ensure academic success through process, material, and training improvements**. This is mainly accomplished through collaboration with different individuals, such as educators, parents, students, public policy makers, and the public. According to a [Wallace Foundation study](http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/school-leadership/key-research/Documents/Investigating-the-Links-to-Improved-Student-Learning.pdf), "Leadership is second only to classroom instruction as an influence on student learning." This is because teacher leaders are intensely focused on improving and ensuring academic success for students, which implies success for teachers as well. Through teacher leadership, schools are pushed forward in terms of process, material and training improvements, and enhanced collaboration across all parties involved in school progress. **Leadership Styles in Education** ---------------------------------- Teacher leadership takes many different forms and will depend on an educator's personality and instructional style. Overall, there are a handful of distinct leadership styles in education. 1. Affiliate -- a leadership style that sees the teacher focusing strictly on those who rely on them, i.e., their affiliates. They tend to set aside their personal goals or priorities and work to improve life for those they already lead. 2. Authoritative -- this leadership style works in an educational setting that has a strong code of conduct or strict rules to be followed. Authoritative leaders typically use the rules and regulations as a guideline for all decisions and set goals that fit within them. 3. Coaching -- if mentoring is more comfortable for you, then a coaching leadership style might work for you. Coaching leadership style helps others identify their weaknesses and then works to help them improve. 4. Emotional -- educational leaders with strong emotional intelligence often use an emotional leadership style. These leaders can read the emotions of their reports and use that understanding to motivate them. 5. Instructional -- possibly the best fit for educators, the [instructional leadership](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/leadership-styles-in-education) style emphasizes "improving teaching performance and student progress simultaneously," by setting expectations and incentivizing good performance. TRAITS OF EFFECTIVE SCHOOL LEADERS **1. They Understand the Importance of Building Community** Educational leaders are most successful when they have buy-in from their fellow teachers and the student body. To foster that sense of trust, they know they must invest time and resources into building a sense of community. When the feeling of community is established, stakeholders are more apt to go above and beyond to help everyone achieve their goals. **2. They Empower Teachers and Cultivate Leadership Skills** No one can succeed alone, and that is certainly the truth with educational leaders. There is simply far too much to achieve for one person, and good leaders know that delegating tasks is the mark of a good manager, not a bad one. Empower fellow teachers to tackle leadership-level tasks and help them to develop their leadership skills --- the school will be better for it. **3. They Utilize Data and Resources** While they can be a pain, standardized tests and other school-based data resources are great opportunities for school leaders. Using this data, good educational leaders know to use this information to drive continuous improvements within the school. They can identify areas that need additional attention, learn from departments that are succeeding, and ultimately leverage data to make strategic decisions to benefit the entire school community. **4. They Have a Vision and a Plan** Having a clear plan will not only help leadership stay the course, but it also provides guidelines for the school community as a whole. Good educational leaders have clear goals --- a vision --- that they can unite their team around, helping to encourage their performance in pursuit of that mission. **5. They Create Collaborative, Inclusive Learning Environments** To reach all learners, educational leadership professionals must put inclusivity at the forefront of their goals. By creating an inclusive learning environment, students have access to flexible learning options that suit their learning styles, and ultimately feel a sense of belonging. This also empowers educators to focus on student success because they know the leaders who support them have their backs. **Leadership Opportunities & Roles for Teachers** ------------------------------------------------- Roles that teacher leaders can take on/are suited for with or without a formal title: - Instructional Specialist: [Instructional specialists](https://www.ziprecruiter.com/e/What-Is-an-Instructional-Specialist) "support each department head in their planning of curriculum. Their duties are to make classroom visits; speak with students, teachers, and administrators; assess the current curriculum; and work to improve learning outcomes by introducing a tutoring program or recommending additional support to classrooms." - Classroom Supporter: Classroom supporters can be anyone within a school, and their job is to help teachers with new lesson instruction. This usually takes the form of a guest lecturing, coteaching, or observing a lesson and giving feedback. Any teacher can be a classroom supporter and take this on in addition to their own regular teaching. - Learning Facilitator: Educational leadership isn't just for the students' benefit. A learning facilitator helps facilitate professional development opportunities for colleagues. This could be within their department or even school-wide and should be intended to achieve a specific goal or promote initiatives that further student learning. - Mentor: Teachers who have been in the classroom for many years, or those who have advanced degrees, can move into educational leadership by becoming a mentor. Mentors advise new teachers or teachers who are new to a school and help them by sharing advice, observing, and supporting their development as professionals. - School Leader: School leaders serve on committees, represent the school at PTA or school board meetings, serve as department chairs, or take on any extracurricular responsibilities beyond their classroom teaching. They serve as representatives for the school or certain departments. A. COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP IN EDUCATION, ARE *YOU* ONE? Community leaders take responsibility for the well-being and improvement of their communities. Community leaders are often self-appointed. Even people who run for office first make a decision that they want to be a leader. You can probably take as much responsibility for your community as you are willing to. Many community leaders learn by trial and error. That\'s not a bad way to go; people mostly learn from experience. Nonetheless, flying by the seat of your pants can be a bumpy ride. So why not get some help along the way? B. BE A COMMUNITY LEADER You don\'t have to lead out of obligation. You can choose to lead and participate in ways that energize you and help you grow, instead of leading in ways that drain you. You can choose to work on issues that you care about. You can take on challenges that are fun, rewarding, or interesting. It\'s up to you. Let\'s take a closer look at what you can gain from being a leader: C. MAKE A DIFFERENCE Establishing a day care center, increasing job opportunities in your community, getting rid of a toxic waste dump, or empowering others to lead are all activities that are heroic in their own way. We may not all establish our own foundations, but we can make a significant difference if we put our minds to it. Doing so can be infinitely satisfying. D. YOU CAN GROW Often, people lead because it helps them grow and expand their lives. There is almost nothing as challenging as leading groups of people. As a leader, you may need to communicate to large numbers of people, negotiate, and handle dicey situations. You will become more confident in yourself and in your world if you take action to lead others around you. Leadership skills are built step-by-step. No matter what your skills are right now, you can become a better leader if you work at it. You may find yourself doing things you never imagined you would! E. WE NEED *MANY* COMMUNITY LEADERS There is room in this world for more community leaders. The model of one leader at the top with everyone else at the bottom just doesn\'t work for communities. One or two leaders can\'t possibly solve all the complex problems that our communities face. With more community leaders, our communities will do better. The more people become leaders, the more problems we will solve. We need community leaders to think about and organize around many issues: youth development, economic growth, substance abuse, crime, the environment, health care \-- the list goes on and on. Here are some community leadership examples: 1\. A citizen speaks up at the city council open meeting. Her words reveal the key issue regarding a local problem; the resulting discussion leads to a workable solution 2\. A few people in the neighborhood successfully organize to protest the cutting down of trees by the city 3\. A family member generates a plan to help a loved one to stop smoking, enlisting the 4. support of other family members 5\. A young person organizes a kick-the-can game after dinner on the block Of course, having a title can be useful, at times. The following are some examples of community leadership carried out by leaders who have formal positions or titles. 1\. A group of ministers creates an anti-drug initiative in the community 2\. A teacher periodically invites his students\' parents to a potluck dinner to talk about school issues 3\. A member of the city council proposes a task force to provide services for homeless people 4\. The president of the high school drama club organizes students to do a play that addresses racial conflict among teens What is true about all of the examples above is simply this: One or more people took responsibility for their communities. WHEN SHOULD YOU LEAD? You can *always* lead. As we\'ve said earlier, you can \"lead\" whether you are the designated leader or not. You can always think and act like a leader. You don\'t have to take over someone\'s leadership role in order to help things go well. In fact, one way of helping a group function better is by supporting the official leader. You can do this by organizing others to help with the work, by listening to the leader, and by encouraging the leader when she or he feels discouraged. F. LEARN HOW TO LEAD PEOPLE People learn how to lead. Even the people who seem to do it naturally had to learn the skills of leadership. They might have learned by watching their parents, teachers, or clergy. They might have been given a lot of responsibility when they were young and might have been expected to take charge. They might even have taken classes in \"leadership development.\" The point is this: If you don\'t feel that you are a \"born\" leader, don\'t let that stop you. You can become a leader by: 1\. Jumping in and practicing 2\. observing others lead 3\. Finding a mentor 4\. Taking a class or workshop 5\. Reading books about leaders and leadership Remembering that people who are now successful leaders, once weren\'t leaders at all. **Below is a list of what community leaders do. You don\'t have to be able to do all of these things right now. But most likely you are already doing some of them. You can pick up other skills as you go.** 1\. DREAM BIG TO CREATE YOUR PERSONAL VISION 2\. TAKE YOUR DREAM AND MAKE IT A REALITY 3\. LISTEN TO PEOPLE 4\. DECIDE THAT *YOU* ARE THE PERSON TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR COMMUNITY 5\. SET GOALS Give your [vision](http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/structure/strategic-planning/vision-mission-statements/main) a sharper image. [Turn up the focus](http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/leadership/leadership-functions/develop-and-communicate-vision/main). Set some long-term and short term goals. That is how you carve a real path to your vision. For example, if your vision is:* \"To create a community where every person can enjoy city parks in safety,\"* then you might [set goals](http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/structure/strategic-planning) like these: **Long-term goals:** a\. Create more city parks b\. Reduce crime in city parks **Short-term goals:** a\. Find out where the city parks are, who uses them, and what the crime levels are c\. Identify what actions might reduce park-related crime 6\. THINK ABOUT THE INDIVIDUALS IN THE GROUP As a leader, you need to think about how each individual is affecting the group. Are there individuals whose talents are not being well used? Is someone acting in a way that is divisive or is draining the group of its energy? Is there a person who needs some help learning how to work in a team? 7\. THINK ABOUT THE GROUP AS A WHOLE Someone has to think about the group as a whole. Is the group cohesive? Do people in the group have a shared vision? Is there trust and a sense of mutual support? Does the group need some training to help it function better? Are there some policies the group needs to strengthen it? 8\. PROPOSE PROGRAMS AND POLICIES Groups need direction and policies to keep them moving towards their goals. You don\'t have to be a dictator to make proposals. You can make proposals, then listen to people\'s responses and then make appropriate changes. Someone needs to take responsibility for moving the whole group forward. 9\. GET THE WORK DONE Someone has to wade through the mud and do whatever it takes. This includes getting others to help, and making sure that all the bases are covered so that the job gets done right; when need be, it also means printing out labels, cleaning up the kitchen, making those extra phone calls, staying up late, or getting up very early. 10\. RECRUIT AND TEACH OTHERS TO BECOME LEADERS Last, but not least: One of the central and long-term jobs of a community leader is to develop other leaders. Developing leaders is how we build a strong community of individuals that can work together to achieve goals. It is the basis for how a democracy works. [Leadership development](http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/leadership/leadership-ideas/plan-for-building-leadership/main) is a long-term investment. Often community leaders have to put the development of other leaders ahead of achieving short-term goals. For example, it may be more important to take the risk of letting a relatively inexperienced person chair a small meeting and acquire new skills. If the meeting gets messy, perhaps that is not so bad. Leadership development is not a tidy endeavour. G. QUALITIES OF SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY LEADERS You don\'t have to be a perfect human being to be a community leader, either. That\'s good, since none of us are. But it might be helpful for you to know a few of the characteristics that successful community leaders often have: - **Integrity: **To trust you, people have to know that you say what you believe and act accordingly. If people trust you, they may follow you to the ends of the earth. - **Courage**: It\'s okay to shake in your boots, but someone has to go slay that dragon, and it might as well be you. Leadership means that you show others the way through the dark, scary, forest. Go ahead and speak the truth\--even when it\'s not popular. - **Commitment**: You have to stick with a task through the good times and the bad. Your commitment will serve as a model. - **Ability to care about others**: People will follow you if they know you care about them and about others. The greater your ability to care about all types of people, the more confidence they will have in you. - **Creativity and flexibility**: Every situation will call for a different response. Be ready to change and come up with new solutions. Those are a few qualities of successful leaders. What are other leadership characteristics that you think are important? H. GETTING AND GIVING SUPPORT AS A LEADER All leaders need support from others to help them keep growing and get through the fears and discouragement they face. Also, leaders sometimes feel isolated in their jobs; they need others to listen to their thinking, and they need to listen to others\' ideas. You can develop relationships with people for sharing your leadership successes, discouragement, and for processing the pile of information you are exposed to in your leadership role. You can set up a regular time where you and another person or group of people can talk about being a leader. Definition of A VISION A vision is your big picture of the way things ought to be. It is your billboard image of what you are working towards. For example, you may have a picture of all the different ways you want your neighborhood to be better. You may want a neighborhood that has clean streets. You may want people to watch out for each other so that crime is less likely to take place. You may want a neighborhood in which people know each other well enough to be able to solve problems together. Everyday, as you go about your life, you may find yourself thinking about all the ways things could be better. *If you put together all the pieces of how things should be, you have an overall vision.* Once you put together all those pieces, your overall vision might be: A neighborhood that is friendly, safe, and clean; one in which neighbors know, like, support each other, and work out differences together. Your overall vision is like a billboard: It is a picture of your ideal neighborhood or community that gets your ideas across powerfully, accurately, and quickly. Once you have a vision, you tell people about it and use it to lead people. B. COMMUNICATE YOUR VISION TO OTHERS Why communicate your vision to others? Because no one can decide to follow you until they know what direction you\'re headed in. **If your vision is one that touches a chord with many people and if you can communicate it well, people will join you in reaching towards your goals.** In the words of the Syracuse Cultural Workers, \"No matter what our attempts to inform, it is our ability to inspire that will turn the tides.\" Sharing a vision is a central role of a leader\--a vision gives people a bigger picture of what things can be like. It helps people raise their hopes and expectations; it inspires them. When people are inspired, they are more likely to work on something. B.1. YOU NEED TO COMMUNICATE YOUR VISION At all times, whenever you talk to people about your group or organization, tell people what you are working towards. The more you do it, the better you will get at it, and the more people will be willing to support you. Even before you have formed a group or organization, it is important to talk about your vision. As you communicate it to others, you are creating a community of people who know about your idea and who potentially will support you. B.2. LEARN TO CREATE A VISION 1\. DREAM BIG Dreaming is the first step. Go ahead and dare to dream about what you can do and what is possible to accomplish. *Don\'t be afraid to dream big.* You can always scale down to meet the realities of the situation, but dreaming big allows you to think about ideas that may not seem likely, yet are in fact possible. Thinking big also forces you to think about the long term, always a useful thing to do. 2\. DEVELOP YOUR PERSONAL VISION How do you start developing a vision? Let\'s start with ourselves for practice. Everyone has a personal vision. Everyone has a picture in their minds of what they want for themselves in the future. Perhaps you would like a better job, would like to have enough time in your life to think about what you want to do next, or become more influential in your community. A vision for your own life is simply a picture of where you want to be in the future. *And a vision for your community, group, or organization is simply your picture of where you want that group to be in the future.* 3\. DEVELOP A VISION FOR YOUR COMMUNITY, GROUP, OR ORGANIZATION So now that you\'ve had some practice creating a vision for yourself, try creating and articulating a vision for your community, group, or organization. The more a vision reflects what you really think and care about, the more powerful it will be. People will be more likely to respond to your message if they see you care about an issue, rather than seeing you as a political figure talking about an abstract issue. So go ahead and picture what you would like your neighborhood, community, or group to be like in the future. 4\. CLARIFY YOUR VISION Once you have lots of ideas down on paper you have a good start. Now, sift through everything you wrote down and pick out what is most important to you. (Don\'t throw away the details, though\--they are important for later when you are communicating your vision.)   5\. HOW CAN YOU BOIL THIS VISION DOWN TO A FEW POWERFUL PHRASES? Here are some examples: - A caring neighborhood where people from many cultures know their way around each other\'s kitchens. - In this neighborhood, \"a friend in need is a friend indeed.\" - An extended family neighborhood\--people talk, eat, and celebrate together. People help each other out when times are hard. - A \"guardian angel\" neighborhood\--people care and watch out for each other. Of course, everyone\'s vision for their community will be different. What phrases or words get to the core of what you care about? - Do you want a neighborhood in which each person is secure, welcome, and involved? - Do you want a child-friendly community? - Do you want economic justice for all? The more you put *your* own heart into your words, the more other people will be able to relate to what you have to say. Then they will be more likely to follow your lead. 6\. HOW TO COMMUNICATE YOUR VISION TO OTHERS? **a**. GET FEEDBACK ON YOUR VISION Talk to people about your vision as much as you can. Tell them what you are thinking. Give them your big picture of things. Then listen. See if other people are concerned about the same things you are concerned about. See if people are interested in your picture of how things could be. The more you talk to people and listen to them, the clearer your vision will become. First of all, you will get some practice speaking. Whenever a person talks, they have a chance to hear their thoughts out loud; as they listen to themselves, they get clearer on what they are trying to say. Secondly, after listening to people respond to your ideas, your vision will probably change somewhat. You may want to incorporate some of their thinking into your own. Other people\'s ideas will help you make your vision stronger. After talking to people about your vision for a period of time, you will get an idea of how strong your vision is. You will have a sense of whether other people get excited when you speak. Everyone doesn\'t necessarily have to agree with your vision for it to be a good one---b t if people get animated and interested in talking with you about your vision, that is a sign that you are onto something. **b.** DEVELOP AND COMMUNICATE THE DETAILS After you test and reshape your big-picture vision, you should develop the details. You need to give people some specifics as to what your big picture will mean on a day-to-day level. You also have to tell people what steps you will take to get there, i.e., [[develop a plan]](http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/structure/strategic-planning). People may think your big picture is a meaningless mirage if you don\'t give them some ideas as to how you think things will actually change. **c**. HELP PEOPLE TAKE OWNERSHIP OF A VISION *As a leader, you have to help people take your vision and make it their own.* This is an important step in bringing people together to work toward a common goal. Members of a group need to have a shared vision and a sense of ownership in order to be committed to the group. That is key in helping people stay with a group for the long haul. **d**. A BALANCING ACT: MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE AND CHALLENGE THEM AT THE SAME TIME Communicating a vision to people through that obstacle course can be tough. You often have to meet people where they are in order to establish some trust. As we talked about earlier, listening is an important tool in doing that. But you also have to communicate the parts of your vision that people can relate to. They may not be ready to think about an overall plan for transforming your neighborhood. However, they may be able to think about doing something about the potholes in the streets. If so, talk about potholes. Talk to people \"where they\'re at.\" Speak to their conditions and their personal needs. This will help you build some trusting relationships. Later you can do more. *A leader has to lead. And the most important aspect of leadership is winning over the thinking of people to a vision of what things can be like.* This can take time. You may need to be gentle, but also persistent. **e**. BE COURAGEOUS In order to create and communicate a vision, you must be courageous. People who communicate a vision of what things should be like are often the people who are courageous enough to state what is obviously wrong and unjust. It can be difficult to say out loud that the prince has no clothes. However, once you say it, people will see that it is true. **f**. MODIFY YOUR VISION As you lead, you will modify your vision. The more you lead, the more you will learn about what needs to change. You will also learn from the people you lead. Your vision should be flexible enough so that you can change it as circumstances change. That doesn\'t mean you give up your principles or your hopes about what is possible. But as you collect information and advance your thinking you should adjust your vision to keep it up to date. **g**. USE YOUR VISION TO ACT Developing and communicating a vision is just the beginning. Once you have a workable vision, you need to use it to get where you want to go. You need to organize, draw up an action plan, and go!