Promises You Can't Keep

Vision and mission statements are intuitively attractive, generally boring, and potentially dangerous. As you may recall from last month's column (see "Controlling Your Own Destiny," p. 37), the two statements are hardly synonymous. A vision statement defines the core values and beliefs that drive an organization; it's qualitative, idealistic, and continuous. A mission statement, on the other hand, describes something that's tangible, a measurable goal that can be accomplished.

Both vision and mission statements are attractive because they satisfy a need to define our purpose and proclaim our reason for being. Despite the fact that research has yet to prove they make any discernible difference in our performance, we like to think they motivate us. Ironically, though, instead of inspiring us, these statements often end up boring us—probably because there is little in them that really captures our imaginations. Organizational psychologist Robert Evans sums up what's wrong with most of these statements in a book called The Human Side of School Change: Reform, Resistance, and the Real-Life Problems of Innovation (Jossey-Bass, 1996). He argues that most vision and mission statements are too long, too fragmented, too impractical, and too full of clichés. Nobody can grasp, let alone be motivated by, statements that ramble on for pages. Long statements with impractical, unrealistic goals generate cynicism rather than commitment. No wonder few people take them seriously.

But vision and mission statements are potentially dangerous. Why? Simply because some people do take them seriously and use them to evaluate others. Paradoxically, it's often our good intentions that put us in jeopardy. We so earnestly want our students to succeed—to develop sound research skills, to become information literate—that we turn our desires into promises we can't keep. Compare that to what other professionals, like doctors and lawyers, tell their clients. Physicians never promise to cure everyone. Attorneys never guarantee that they will win every case. They only pledge to deliver the best services possible. They recognize that some factors, such as their client's personal characteristics, are beyond their control.

What does this say to school librarians? It means that you need to create realistic vision and mission statements. Librarians need to recognize the inherent danger of taking responsibility for things they can't control, such as the actions of others. Although the American Library Association's Information Power suggests that all students will become "effective users of ideas and information," you cannot ensure that all students will succeed. You can only give your students the opportunity to become information literate—and that should be your vision. Your mission should describe realistic ways that you can apply your knowledge and skills. For example, your mission might be to initiate an outreach program to a certain type of student or you might create a particular number of collaborative projects with classroom teachers.

Educators deal in opportunities, not in certainties. Opportunities are your stock-in-trade. Your job is to provide your students with an abundance of learning opportunities. You're ethically bound to accept responsibility for your own behavior, but it's unreasonable to suggest that you can make everyone else accept what you have to offer. The simple truth is that you don't have the power to create effective researchers or to produce lifelong learners or to instill a love of reading or a love of learning in everyone. In light of that reality, your mission or vision statement should describe only what your library has to offer and the goals you wish to accomplish. Remember, you only have control over yourself.