Remember the book, "Good To Great"?  It was published back in 2001, and written by Jim Collins.  Here are the first four chapters:

• Chapter 1: Good is the Enemy of Great
• Chapter 2: Level 5 Leadership
• Chapter 3: First Who, Then What
• Chapter 4: Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith)

If you look at this book as a planning tool, it's a step-by-step process.  The first step is "mindset."  Change it.  Don't accept "Good."  As education professionals, we shouldn't.  Good is a "B".  Great equates to achieving to our potential as leaders of an organization...and as educators, we want all our kids to get "A"'s, right?  But only if they earn them and achieve to their potential.  As leaders of a faith-based school, why should we accept anything less from ourselves.

Chapter two follows through with a study of what Collins calls "Level 5 Leadership."  Chapter 3 is "First Who, Then What" - which discusses having the right people in the right places within the organization.  Only then can we confront the brutal facts (Chapter 4) of the problems we have to solve or the concerns we have to correct.

Now, let's consider a Marketing Matter from just several weeks ago - one where Simon Sinek encourages us to "Start With Why."  After the "why" is known, then the "how" can be focused on, which can result in focusing on the "what" our organization does.

So, do we look at "Who" first, then "What," or do we consider "Why" first, to lead us to "How" and then "What"?

But let's throw in the Strategic Planning Process, which asks three questions: "Where Are We?," "Where Do We Want To Go," and "How Do We Get There?"

Let me throw in another one - "How Do We Know When We're There?"

And let's muddy the waters a little more.  "The Little Blue Book of Marketing" by Paul Kernit and Steve Lance (published in 2009), agrees with Sinek, and suggests starting with "Why Are We Here?" as a springboard, and then refers to the "Vision" for the organization.  But then, they skip over the "How," and focus on "What" you do and "Who" you are. Then and only then, after you, according to Collins, "Have the right people on the bus," can you proceed to the "How" you're going to do what you need to do.

Both Sinek's model and Kernit/Lance might be correct - it depends on the organization.  If you, as the leader of the school, can craft a vision and determine a plan of action by yourself, as some people can, then you're following the "Why --> How --> What" model.  However, if you have a vision of what you'd like to see as the leader of the school, know why your school is important and worthy of support, you may need to bring some very good people on board to figure out how you're going to create the vision.

"Why" almost assumes that there is a vision.  Think about it - when we ask ourselves "why" we do something, the answer starts with "Because," but then is followed by a statement that is related to an outcome.  On an organizational level, that would be the vision of the organization.

For instance, "Why should my school use a tuition management system?"  "Because it automates the tuition process, helping you to capture virtually all your tuition, and so that you can focus on enrollment and development activities in order to grow your school."  This answer assumes that growing your school is a part of your vision for your school.  The danger is assuming that "Vision" and "Case" (that is, "Why") are the same, and is why many strategic planning models speak to Mission ("Who" and "What") first, then Vision ("Why") and Values ("How").  These are the same organizations that have difficulties developing Case statements, since "Case" speaks to "Why;" "Vision" speaks to "Where" you want to see your school in three years; five years; ten years.  If your school has difficulties developing Case Statements and Vision Narratives, your Development efforts may be lackluster at best, doomed at worst.

And what does all this have to do with marketing?  Knowing the answers to these questions (Why, Where, How, What and Who) relative to your school will help you when talking with parents, donors, parish supporters and businesses.  As for revisiting "Good To Great," you may be able to get "the right people on the bus," and even get the those people in the right seats, but it really helps to know where the bus is going.