Leadership Lessons & Strategies

Presenters: Rebecca Raven, Brampton PL; Frank Cervone, University of Illinois; Rudy Leon, UNC Wilmington; Ben Bizzle, Craighead County Jonesboro PL

Own your mistakes. In a new leadership role: Listen as long as you should before starting to implement changes. Ask questions to gain knowledge of culture, who we are and how we do things, to avoid stepping on toes. Need to go deep enough, beyond the surface. Is it a collaborative environment? Sphere of influence vs. sphere of control. May need to use same strategies that you used as non-manager librarian to make changes. Where does your authority lie, even if you have title of authority? Have regular meetings, listen to gossip, eavesdrop in lunchroom, listen for what’s assumed but not said and deeper concerns. Everything that you hear is not necessarily an action item.

When you take a new position, you have about 90 days to set the course for what you plan to do, how you’re going to change the organization in the way it needs to change. If you set the course too early, you may not understand subtle things, things you don’t realize are happening. If you wait too long, things return to normal and you become part of the system. Most often in a new position you’ll be given a charge, things that need to be investigated. Don’t put that off, even though it’s uncomfortable. You’ll probably have to have frank conversations, resetting the expectations of others. The environment could be resistant to change or have external factors inhibiting change.

Take a different perspective, responsibility rather than authority. Listen to folks, interpret what they’re saying, call out what they’re really trying to tell you. People don’t realize what it’s possible to do.

Let creative people be creative. Good leaders foster a culture of creativity that allow people to fail with confidence. If you can do that, you’ll succeed as leader by putting people in a place they can grow and excel. Leadership is relationship w/people, vs. managers having relationship w/processes. Managers may be more interested in controlled environment vs. leaders creating environment where people can flourish. Know what you don’t know and trust people that you believe know those things to do them, with checks and balances. Let them bring their ideas to you, and make them explain their ideas until you understand them, and only then decide as leader if you want to implement.

Make it clear as a leader that we support your professional development: give people time during day for purchased training, as many opportunities for local events as possible and the occasional trip. Have people tell you what they’re interested in and why and how it relates to organization, and think strategically about how we can use that interest. This gives the leader an idea of where organization should go at a larger level. Let people have responsibility and increase that as both sides gets more comfortable.

Be honest w/choosing whom to hire – how much dynamic disruption can you handle? Have their back if you hire them and others are pushing back.

Accept that it’s not your library.

Leader of library needs to advocate for library and demonstrate why it is relevant, talking to other leaders of organization. Know how you are perceived by the rest of the organization, and be sure that you are regarded highly. This is key to getting funding, having support from stakeholders and patrons. Be the voice or create the voice (have other staff do this if they're better at it).

If organization is changing a lot – have set of core initiatives that can get done regardless. Adapt to new direction of organization, to be successful in the environment (you may get to inflection point where you need to get on board or get out).

Won’t win every battle. Have meeting and ask everyone to explain person by person what is going on in department, so you have understanding of what was going on in institution as a whole. Inspire those below you – ask lots of open-ended questions and wait for responses and listen. Force them to answer. People above you – you don’t know the reasoning behind their decision – may be political, not in best interests of organization. If someone is not willing to grow with you – replace them. Look for disposition to learning in new hires. Every role deals with technology, learning new systems. How is review system organized? Build technology into review goals, such as learning to use systems or spending 1 hour/week learning.