Being an effective administrator requires a vision that is clear, communicated, and shared with all stakeholders involved. T he concept of having a vision that everyone believes in is essential to the success of the school. To have a vision without any action is meaningless. Words alone are just that, words. Words with action can transform a school. One of the books that I reference often is DuFour’s Learning by Doing text. Throughout DuFour's work s ome common themes are repeatedly mentioned which I think are applicable to this post. Perhaps the most important thought is the idea that the first step in developing any vision is the need to establish a fundamental purpose. The creators of a vision need to be aligned in their belief of the things that are important and the things that need to be accomplished. Establishing that common ground must be done before any further steps can be taken. If the creators of a vision can’t agree on what the basic purpose of the school is or sho