And we will live in the house while we build it
A rather catchy phrase that conjures up a can-do, get-it-done spirit while establishing a feeling of permanence and movement towards new things. Living in the house while you build it- allows you to stake your claim, call it yours, all the while still working out where the walls might be, the furniture will be placed, and confirming whether it is hardwood or carpet before you invite your neighbors over for dinner. Living in your house while you build it also creates urgency for at some point a friend, a relative, a guest will be knocking on your door wanting to see what you have created. Living in the house while you build it also creates a level of excitement and implies growth and a sense of importance to get going but if it lasts to long- that work in progress is viewed more as an unfinished masterpiece. Living in the house while we build it has been, for sometime now, many an Admission or Enrollment Managers saving grace in the absence of time, I mean real time to think, conduct data driven dreaming, plan and then implement.
From the seat that I sit this becomes a question of balance. In our day-to-day lives we can always find reasons and rationales that support the living in the house while you build it way of working. But, now more than ever, this way of operating your school’s enrollment planning process will only lead to limited success and most likely shortfalls. Again let me stress that this is the case in the absence of a fully well thought out and integrated plan. Being responsive and nimble is part of success. Being firm in your convictions, your direction, supported by data and planning--this is the foundation for a house that will stand the test of time and will allow you, later on, to then redecorate rather than completely having to renovate. You owe it to yourself, your school, and to the future to take the time and create the drawings, get the bids for construction, dream where the walls and the furniture will be placed and then, and only then, live in the house while you continue to build it.
