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After Purpose, comes Priorities

 Now your Purpose is set through your Core Values. The next part is to now set your Priorities. Schools historically are seeking the "Magic Bullet" - the quick fix to all of their problems. I have seen schools switch from one "curriculum" (which is really a resource) to another year after year. Without appropriate professional development or time to see if that resource really is impactful. This of course leads to many issues. 

  • If you don't know your Core Values and Purpose, what problems do you really have? 
  • Of the problems you are facing, which ones are the 20% that if you can solve them, will fix 80% of the issues you are facing?
  • People are more important than programs. 
    • Do you have the right people on your team? 
    • Are those people in the right places to make their biggest impact?
    • Does your team have enough people? Does your team have too many people?
    • Are the roles of the people on your team clearly defined?
    • What is the communication structure for your team?
    • What is your meeting structure for your team?
  • What data do you need to determine the extent or cause of your problems?
  • How often will you check on the progress towards your goals, and who will do this?
  • What triggers will you have in place to implement the next step in your progress (either forwarding or pivoting?)
  • What does success look like eventually? What does it look like in 3 years? By the end of this year? By the end of the semester? By the end of the month? By the end of the week?
  • What are the first action steps you need to do now to monitor your progress at the end of the week?
These are all important questions to be answered. But first, define your purpose. Then, define your priorities to tackle, and identify from all of your problems, which are the few that are causing the biggest issues? That cross many different lines, that include the most people, and will make the biggest impact? Start there, not with the easiest but with the biggest.

So, make your list of problems. Then put them in order from biggest priority to least, and start to tackle the biggest priority first.

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