Principals' vision of excellence as an aspect of strategic leadership

M.Ed.No job in schools is undergoing greater change than that of the principal. Increasingly research shows that educational leadership is a critical determinant of educational quality (Dekker and Lemmer, 1993:361). A major goal of restructuring the vision of excellence for an organisation is to enlist broader participation in school decision-making and operation. The decentralisation of authority within schools permits expanded roles for educators and all stakeholders in the processes of handling governance issues and planning a school's vision. As a holistic leader the principal should lead and guide his/her subordinates. Even the most effective leaders cannot succeed on their own. They need the support of all the team members. Leadership is not management. Management is to do things right, while leadership is to do the right things. Holistic leadership on the other hand includes components such as a professionally inviting culture, effective communication, ethical foundation, a vision of excellence, empowering followers, personal mastery, collaboration and open-handedness. A "SWOT"-analysis will determine the internal strengths and weaknesses of the school and point out the external opportunities and threats from the society or environment. Strategic choices should be identified to determine short, middle, and longterm influences on the school. The key issues of the vision will guide principals to the implementation process, where everybody should be involved to make changes or to replan. After implementation, controlling and supporting, teams should get feedback and be supported with financial resources. The influence of politics, the economy, society and technology should be taken into consideration to ensure that the values, beliefs, policies, culture and philosophy of the school will lead to a vision of excellence. This neverending process ensure that the vision, mission and goals will lead to real achievement. The vision of excellence will be the desired outcome and result of the shared vision and change. Without a vision the purpose and processes of any organisation or school are all useless