Friday in Ethiopia I had great fun co-teaching a training on planning. The teaching staff of the BCI Academy school participated.

After an introduction I led with the big why question. You just can’t plan if you don’t know the why.

“Why does BCI Academy exist?”

First nobody wanted to raise their hand. Then a teacher said “To teach students.”

I said “Good answer, that’s the basic truth. Why do you want to teach students?”

“To enable them to do well academically.”

I asked “If the students do well academically, then what?”

After a silence the principle raised his hand. “If the students do well academically they will be productive and successful members of society, and we will make a better Ethiopia.”

I got chills when he said that. What a big why and a great motivation to the teachers. With that inspiring vision in mind, we were ready to talk about how deliberate planning gets us from here to there.