The Golden Thread presentation delivered by Darren and Dawn Brews at EARCOS Leadership Conference in 2018. Finding the Golden Thread the ties everything together in your school.

1. The Golden Thread
Presenter: Darren Brews
Director of Marketing and Communications
Co-Presenter: Dawn Brews
Elementary Assistant Principal/PYP Coordinator

2. Why should families
choose to enroll at your
school?
What makes your school
unique?

3. What do you think is this
school’s Golden Thread?

4. Spartans

5. https://schooladvisor.my/articles/changing-landscape-international-education-southeast-asia/
2500
Schools
8650
Schools
6000
Schools

6. ● What is the Golden Thread?
● Why is it necessary?
● How do we define it?
● How do we implement it?
Overview

7. What is the Golden
Thread?

8. What is the Golden Thread?
Our idea of the Golden Thread is a common idea that runs through an entire
school and pulls it all together. It is a defining characteristic of a school’s identity
which culminates in a school community that knows, understands, believes in,
and embodies what makes a particular school unique. It’s part of a school’s
DNA.
Our idea of the Golden Thread is not obvious, it is something deeper and more
subtle.

9. The Characteristics of a Golden Thread
● It is a single unifying idea embraced by all stakeholders
● It is applicable to every dimension of the school system
● It must create an identifiable experience / feeling for the people involved
● It awakens the desire for people to cooperate across the school system
● It can be lived by those who embrace it
● It is dynamic… it can change as the context demands

10. Why do we need a
Golden Thread?

11. Why do we need a Golden Thread?
● We owe it to our customers, colleagues and ourselves
● A school consists of multiple and diverse departments that need to
cooperate
● Cooperation needs a single unifying idea that can be embraced by all to
make it happen
If everyone is on the same page and everyone is driven towards a common
Golden Thread, then people are empowered to deliver. Empower everyone with
the knowledge of where the school needs to be and use the Golden Thread as
tool to achieve your school’s goals.

12. Why a common Golden Thread?
● Who knows what a Silo Effect is?
“A mindset present when certain departments or sectors do not wish to share
information with others in the same company. This type of mentality will reduce
efficiency in the overall operation, reduce morale, and may contribute to the
demise of a productive company culture.”
Reference - http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/silo-mentality.html

13. The Characteristics of a Golden Thread
● It is a single unifying idea embraced by all stakeholders
● It is applicable to every dimension of the school system
● It must create an identifiable experience / feeling for the people involved
● It awakens the desire for people to cooperate across the school system
● It can be lived by those who embrace it
● It is dynamic… it can change as the context demand

14. It is for them….

19. Identifying your
Golden Thread

20. Identifying your Golden Thread is a
collaborative process that should involve
multiple stakeholders in the school
community

21. The Process
● Surveys
● Focus Groups
● Include
Everyone
KNOW YOUR
SCHOOL
● Involve
everyone
● Multiple
iterations
● Test
DEFINE YOUR
SCHOOL’S DREAM
● Involve
Stakeholders
● Identify the
single game
changing idea
● Define the idea
DEFINE YOUR
GOLDEN THREAD

22. The Starting Point: Know Your School
Finding a Golden Thread within in a school requires more than surface
knowledge of your school. It requires you to dig deep and listen to both the
comfortable and uncomfortable realities that people are willing to share.
This is not about right or wrong or who is to blame, it is the starting point of the
journey.

23. The Destination: Define your school’s dream
● Clarify everyone’s desire for the school
● Take all ideas into consideration
● Have multiple conversations
● Narrow the desires to the dominant ones
● Decide on a common desire
What did we do to determine our dream?

24. The Journey: Define your Golden Thread
● Ask identified stakeholders: What is the single game BIG changing idea (that
fits the criteria) that will enable us to move from where we are to where we
want to be?
● Define multiple possibilities
● Test the possibilities
● Ask which will best take us the next step in our journey
● Implement
● Review

25. What are your possible Golden Threads?
The process of finding your Golden Thread would normally involve multiple
stakeholders in an effort to determine your SINGLE Golden Thread. The more
input they have, the more likely they are to live it. Ask this question of your:
● Leadership Team
● A Focus Group of Faculty/Staff
● A Focus Group of Students
● A Focus Group of Community Members
Choose 3-5 Golden Threads that YOU think are right for your school.
What single thing would change our school for the good?
9
Tim
es!

26. The Characteristics of a Golden Thread
● It is a single unifying idea embraced by all stakeholders
● It is applicable to every dimension of the school system
● It must create an identifiable experience / feeling for the people involved
● It awakens the desire for people to cooperate across the school system
● It can be lived by those who embrace it
● It is dynamic… it can change as the context demand

27. What if there is no consensus?
No-one said it was going to be simple!
● Analyze the feedback
● Find commonality
● Eliminate the oddballs
● Get feedback
● Refine it
● Share it with everyone
● Live it

28. Implementing the Golden
Thread

29. Who owns the Golden Thread?
● The Golden Thread does not lie with one person or one team
● Everyone, from the cleaners to Bus Drivers need to live the Golden Thread
● As marketers, leaders or communicators, we cannot operate in a silo
Sales
HR
Leader Teacher

30. Weave the Golden Thread
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Vestibulum congue
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STAFF
&
FACULTY
SUPPORT
DEPARTMENTS
ADMINISTRATIVE
DEPARTMENTS
ADMISSIONS
COMMUNITY
&
FAMILIES
STUDENTS

31. Communicating the Golden Thread?
There is no one correct way to communicate the Golden Thread.
● If stakeholders are involved in defining the Golden Thread communication is
made much easier
● Communication has to come from the top.
● It has to be reinforced at every possible occasion - faculty meetings, all
school meetings, review sessions, parent meetings, tours, etc.
● It’s has to be ingrained in the psyche of each individual
● Identify any person or department working as a silo and stress the
importance of living the Golden Thread.

32. Time to Conquer!
To summarize, a Golden Thread has three dominant characteristics:
● It is a single uniting idea that everyone embraces and can live
● It is applicable to every dimension of the school
● It awakens in everyone a desire to cooperate fully with the entire school
system