Lack of Vision?

I am fearful that Education’s new Vision will fall before it hits the first hurdle.
 
It will fail because you simply can't get there from here.
 
Here is an organisation which still wants to lead from the centre. 

Why else would it produce a vision without seeking the input of its own staff? Not only that but then roll it out with what some have described as a rather lacklustre performance and this to the very people who they're expecting to deliver at the coalface
 
This is not how you do it guys.
 
You start by acknowledging the mistakes of the past.
 
Then draft a set of core values which you hope will drive every decision made by your whole organisation for the foreseeable future.
 
So if you say something like “Our staff are our most valuable asset” then you're going to have to start treating them like you mean it.
 
That means putting this draft out for discussion and comment from all of your staff (yes,everyone) and allowing them to redraft,add or subtract from the document.
 
Put up an in house website and allow moderated comment so that everyone can see where the discussion is going. Trust your staff to be the intelligent people you hired in the first place.
 
The downside is that these people will start to hold everyone to these standards, including yourselves. So it will be no good saying one thing and doing another. No good lauding transparency and then shutting the doors as soon as something controversial comes along.
 
It's a tough road but the journey’s worth it because you will then have an organisation which has decided for itself how it wants to behave and which will then work towards these ends.
 
With your core values in place,you can then start to build your new vision using exactly the same process.
 
Why would you want to do anything else if you trust your staff?
 
At the moment your actions are saying that “we’re the smartest people in the room and we know what's best for the rest of you”.
 
Just how does that sound?
 
Would you want to sign up to a Vision if it was put to you like that?
 
You have a large team of trained professionals with a wealth of talent and experience. Why not use these assets to their fullest capacity?
 
Or do you still think you're the smartest in the room?