When I was first appointed to my current role of Principal at Catholic College Wodonga I was advised by two colleagues to give a speech to all staff at the earliest opportunity, making it very clear what I believed and what I wanted as Principal.

Reflecting on this advice and what I actually did, certainly helps me to appreciate what I actually believe. What I did was be me. I am not a fire and brimstone, yell it from the bridge Principal. I am a Principal who believes in working as a team regardless of our role, to put our students first and to model what I expect through action. For example, in 2019 I am teaching the Year 11 Business Class.

It was very clear to me that simply saying this in my early years was appropriate for then, but not as I moved into my third year. It was here that the mantra I developed in 2016 started and holds true to this day.

“We will find the next educational horizon; we will not catch educational waves.”

It then comes as no surprise that the use of a mantra and vision for the leadership project is the key focus of LDS 2, “Lead the Way”. I believe that it is important to consistently repeat your vision to the community you lead. By the time you believe you have said it enough times that the community know it, you actually need to repeat it at least five more times. A colleague, from whom I often sought advice reminded me that at the point you became uncomfortable repeating the mantra, was about the time it could be resonating amongst the staff.

At what point did I know it was reaching our staff at Catholic College Wodonga? The time a teaching staff member told me he believed we were catching an educational wave by implementing a particular program. In many ways I believe he was right. Over the past year I have shortened the mantra to “We will find the next educational horizon”.

The following clip is of the ten staff from Catholic College Wodonga who are currently participating in LDS for 2018. Beyond having a mantra and vision you also need to be able to articulate it to the community. The recording of the mantra and vision by Hayley Neves, Publications & Media Officer, gives each member the opportunity to share their mantra and vision. Sharing it on camera can be tricky, but it is also a great way to start and receive feedback through viewing your clip.

I thank each of the ten staff who are participating as they have given me permission to share this as a part of my blog post.

Happy days, and I look forward to posting again in 2019.