1. Building Shared Vision. The first discipline starts with group commitment to developing shared "images of the future" and then to the pursuit of the principles and practices of the learning cycle.
Vision building never ends. It is not just building a "vision statement," although that may be an acceptable starting point. It is an ongoing process that engages all members of the organization in continually reflecting on what they, together, want to create. All must see the picture of the future clearly, not just the leaders. In a school, it involves a commitment from the principal to work with all stakeholders to discover (not dictate) the vision, to actualize it in the school, to regularly reflect on its evolution, and to accept the fact that it will and must change.