Vision, relationships and teacher motivation: a case study

School leaders continue to be urged to have vision. Some argue that effective schools have principals who create and communicate a vision for the school. However, although there is literature on visionary leadership, relatively little is empirical. The purpose of the study was to investigate transformational leadership behaviour and vision in schools. Four schools, in which the transformational leadership practices of principals were perceived by teachers to be characterised by individual concern and vision, were identified. A qualitative approach using semi‐structured interviews was used to collect data. Content analysis identified patterns and themes in the data from which propositions and conclusions were drawn. Within the context of the study, the results suggest that the influence of vision may be overestimated and the most critical leadership transformational behaviour is individual concern. The main conclusion of the study is that leadership in schools is mainly characterised by relationships with individuals, and it is through these relationships a leader is able to establish her/his leadership and encourage teachers to apply their expertise, abilities, and efforts towards shared purposes.