The power of a Venn Diagram (mission + alignment = success)

Yesterday marked the 180th birthday of John Venn. Google did a fantastic animated doodle to celebrate and illustrate the concept. See it here. Peter Gow a few weeks ago wrote an interesting blog piece about mission statements at independent schools in which he used a Venn Diagram. You can click here to see Peter's post. Playing around with the Venn Diagram illustration that Google created and reading Peter Gow's post got me thinking about some of the work that CalWest does matching candidates.

The beauty of independent schools is that they adhere to a mission and vision that is particular to that school and its constituents. For example, a teacher who excels in a project-based learning environment of one school might flounder in another context. Part of our work at CalWest is to help candidates understand the nuances of different schools' mission statements, and to support candidates as they identify elements they desire from a school's mission. Figuring out the qualities that a school wants, and that a candidate offers, offers similarities to constructing a Venn Diagram.

Sometimes it is obvious to educators that they are a good fit, or not. But often times it's not clear because the teacher may feel that he/she is able to easily adapt to any setting. The missing ingredient is often alignment with the school's mission. While a teacher can undoubtedly teach in a variety of settings, it takes alignment with the school's mission to increase the odds of being successful. Getting excited to come to work everyday, pouring oneself into the job and knowing that you are making a difference is so much easier when you identify with what the school is doing, and why it's doing it. As you look at school websites, please pay close attention to their mission statements. They contain valuable clues as to whether you could be happy working there.

Seen any compelling school mission statements recently? What drew you to them? How does your life look like as a Venn Diagram when you think about the degree of alignment between your personal goals and the mission/purpose of your current employer?

Fleisch

P.S. Looking to grow professionally in your current position? Currently working at an independent school? If you answered yes to both, please check out the CalWest Emerging Leaders program. We're accepting nominations from independent schools now. We hope you'll consider it!