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Introduction
In recent years, we have witnessed a growing number of schools and educational non-governmental organizations formulating their own vision as a means of guiding organizational activity, very often in the form of a "credo" or formal doctrine. This phenomenon is related, among other things, to the assumption that vision focuses the energy within the organization and increases its effectiveness ([5] Bogler and Nir, 2001). Furthermore, it has been argued that a shared vision of the organization provides vigor and focus to organizational learning ([37] Wang et al. , 2004), uniting people around the image of the desired future, and generating mutual commitment among them ([33] Senge, 1990).
In fact, most researchers agree that vision is an important component of any organization and is necessary for organizational success ([1] Bennis and Nanus, 1985; [33] Senge, 1990; [7] Collins and Porras, 1994; [34] Sergiovanni, 1995; [13] Frese et al. , 2003). The process of formulating a vision is long and complex, and usually begins with the leader's unique personal ethos. According to [18] Katz (1999), in formulating a personal ethos, the leader is:
[...] trying to trace what it motivates him to influence, trying to identify what a reality he wishes to promote, and trying to learn from the people who influenced him and past experience (p. 135).
The ethos reflects his patterns of thinking and acting ([18] Katz, 1999), and as such significantly affects his personal vision of the organization.
Different studies have focused on the various characteristics that can be attributed to organizational-educational visions. For example, [21] Larwood et al. (1995) classifies vision statements by their level of innovation, difficultly, and flexibility; while [25] Korland (2006) classifies three types of school visions according to content: mission oriented, inspirational and communication oriented.
Most studies in the field, however, have ignored the complex system of relationships between the process of developing an organizational vision and its content ([21] Larwood et al. , 1995). As a result, no studies have been conducted investigating the influence of past personal experiences and values that shape leaders' motives and personality - i.e. leaders' personal ethos - on the content of the vision they promote in their organizations. The innovative contribution of this narrative research is the light it sheds...