Leadership VP

Lori Ehat

Email: lori@utahpta.org

Phone: 801-261-3100

"The leadership that frees people to be their best, affirms them in their diversity and includes them in the dreams, decisions and benefits of the organization is a servant leader."   - James M. Childs, Jr.

"Don’t lose sight of the most important factors that lead to successful leadership: commitment, a passion to make a difference, a vision for achieving positive change, and the courage to take action."   - Lorraine Matusak

"Leadership is the capacity to translate a vision into reality."   - Warren G. Bennis

"Where there is no vision, there is no hope."   - George Washington Carver

"A vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world."   - Joel A. Barker

"Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks out side dreams; who looks insides awakes."   - Carl Gustav Jung

"Keep dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible to those who believe."   - Gail Devers

"Good leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion."   - Thomas Hardy

"A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position."   - John C. Maxwell

Walt Disney was one of the greatest dreamers of the twentieth century. The spark for that vision came from an unexpected place. When Walt’s two daughters were young, he used to take them to an amusement park in the Los Angeles area. His girls loved it, and he did too. The carousel especially captivated Walt. As he approached it, he saw a blur of bright images racing around to the tune of energetic calliope music. But when he got closer and the carousel stopped, he could see that his eye had been fooled. He observed shabby horses with cracked and chipped paint. And only the horses on the outside row moved up and down. The others stood lifeless, bolted to the floor.

The cartoonist disappointment inspired him with a grand VISION. In his mind’s eye he could see an amusement park where the illusion didn’t evaporate, where children and adults could enjoy a carnival atmosphere without the seedy side. His dream became Disneyland. His vision could be summarized as, “No chipped paint. All the horses jump.” Because of Walt’s VISION, Disneyland has brought joy to millions of children and families. (Taken from a leadership book by John C. Maxwell.)

You have been elected as a leader in your PTA. Every year in our Utah PTA Leadership Convention we meet new PTA Presidents who hope to leave convention understanding exactly where to start in leading their local PTAs. The first thing you need to do is to “Catch the Vision” of where you want your PTA to be at the end of your term. John C. Maxwell said, “Vision is everything for a leader. It is utterly indispensable. Why? Because vision leads the leader. It paints the target. It sparks and fuels the fire within, and draws him forward. It is also the fire lighter for others who follow that leader. Show me a leader without vision and I’ll show you someone who isn’t going anywhere.”

The documents below will be of help to you as you serve as Leadership VP:

In the fall of 2011, Granite School District commissioned a group of BYU graduate students to study factors impacting student and school achievement.   Comparing schools with similar demographics, only two factors stood out as indicators of increased student performance and school achievement.  One of those was PTA membership.   Schools with greater PTA membership consistently performed better than schools that lagged behind in that area.  While it is certain that other factors, including the support of school administrators, affect the amount of PTA membership; this data validates what those of us who work in PTA know -  involving parents in their PTAs does make a difference in the academic achievement of students.  Continuing to invite parents and community members to join us in PTA helps build a strong foundation of learning for our children. 

See below for the Power Point Presentation