Library Leadership and Management

Paula Kaufman2011

Leadership

Doesn’t rest on a title

Leadership vs Management

Leadership – Leadership – directly directly and indirectly and indirectly influencing people to influencing people to cause changecause change

Management – Management – effective utilization of effective utilization of resources to achieve resources to achieve organizational goalsorganizational goals

Think About Library Leaders and Managers You Know What attributes did they have?

What did they do that you admire?

What did they not do or do badly?

Politics

Always present Rarely understood fully

Seasoned Leaders Say:

Fundamental change is more likely Fundamental change is more likely through effective leadership than through effective leadership than managementmanagement

Seasoned Leaders Say:

Effective leadership can change Effective leadership can change the culture of an organization, the culture of an organization, management cannotmanagement cannot

Seasoned Leaders Say:

Effective leadership is based on Effective leadership is based on valuesvalues

Seasoned Leaders Say

What makes you successful is how What makes you successful is how you treat peopleyou treat people

Leaders instill in their staff Leaders instill in their staff hope for success and belief inhope for success and belief in themselves. Positive leadersthemselves. Positive leaders

empower people to empower people to accomplish their goalsaccomplish their goals

Leaders instill in their staff Leaders instill in their staff hope for success and belief inhope for success and belief in themselves. Positive leadersthemselves. Positive leaders

empower people to empower people to accomplish their goalsaccomplish their goals

Vision

Key to an organization thriving in the future

Shared Vision

Leader’s responsibility is to build a shared vision, which requires:

Articulating a visionListening to input from staff and othersReshaping and restating vision based on

input

Mission Central to the life of the Central to the life of the

institutioninstitution

Enhance institutionEnhance institution’’s mission by s mission by providing and stewarding providing and stewarding collections and content and by collections and content and by offering a wide array of servicesoffering a wide array of services

Typical U.S. Academic Library’s Mission Enhance institution’s goals Ensure unfettered access to information Provide expertise Be an information and knowledge broker

Values

Kinds or standards of behavior used to realize vision and fulfill mission

Basis of guidelines and expectations of employee behavior

Samples of A Library’s Values Excellence in everything we do

Be a nimble and adaptive organization

Provide services that advance users’ endeavors

Sample of Librarians’ Personal and Institutional Value Protect users’ privacy and freedom of

thought and expression

“

Balance Security with Liberty

Leading Any Organization Learn and understand the culture

of the institution and the library

Understand the valuesvalues of the institution and the Library

Leadership ChallengesLeadership Challenges

Effectiveness and relevancyEffectiveness and relevancy

TerritorialityTerritoriality

MoraleMorale

Financial resources Financial resources

Political positionPolitical position

Importance of Organizational Structure Clarifies reporting

relationships Establishes

authority Facilitates

communication Sets basis for

change processes

Know YourselfKnow Yourself Why did you take the Why did you take the

position?position? What is your decision What is your decision

style?style? What are your strengths?What are your strengths? What do you fear most?What do you fear most? How will you measure How will you measure

success?success? How will you stay fresh?How will you stay fresh?

ATTITUDE MATTERSATTITUDE MATTERS

Positive, supportive, empowering – share Positive, supportive, empowering – share information and engender trustinformation and engender trust

Reduce conflict and competition by role Reduce conflict and competition by role modeling respectmodeling respect

Communicate values and principles that Communicate values and principles that characterize how you will function through characterize how you will function through examples examples

ATTITUDE MATTERSATTITUDE MATTERS

Distinguish criticism from critical analysis - Distinguish criticism from critical analysis - ““blame and complainblame and complain””

Don’t overreact – people have opinions Don’t overreact – people have opinions and different personalitiesand different personalities

Don’t put off difficult decisionsDon’t put off difficult decisions

Rumors are important to understand and Rumors are important to understand and addressaddress

Outline a Clear VisionIdentify barriers and facilitators for Identify barriers and facilitators for

achieving the visionachieving the vision

Include key individuals that who will Include key individuals that who will support changesupport change

Begin consensus building and unit Begin consensus building and unit refinements of the visionrefinements of the vision

Build shared vision with deliberate Build shared vision with deliberate speedspeed

Outline a Clear VisionReward behaviors that contribute Reward behaviors that contribute

to achieving the to achieving the vision/goals/values publiclyvision/goals/values publicly

Link individual goals to group Link individual goals to group goals goals

Facilitate collaborationFacilitate collaboration

DEALING WITH DEALING WITH RESISTORSRESISTORS

Spend time to understand their concernsSpend time to understand their concerns

Define consensus clearly & make Define consensus clearly & make decisions transparent decisions transparent

Do not empower their position Do not empower their position

Make true merit decisionsMake true merit decisions

Two Important Keys to Success Maintain an open mindMaintain an open mind

Find a mentorFind a mentor

What is a Mentor?A mentor helps you

Set long-term goals and short-term objectives

Explore new directions to achieve goals

Identify personal strengths and weaknesses

Make career-worthy contacts and engagements

Some Ways to Stay Fresh Read reports and other materialsRead reports and other materials

Talk with staffTalk with staff

Familiarize yourself with Familiarize yourself with institutional processesinstitutional processes

Identify issues, aspirations, Identify issues, aspirations, concerns, perceptionsconcerns, perceptions

A Leader is a Coach for all StaffA Leader is a Coach for all StaffGood staff are key to Good staff are key to meeting librarymeeting library’’s goalss goals

Determine best ways to Determine best ways to involve staff in setting involve staff in setting and meeting goalsand meeting goals

Measure performance Measure performance objectively against objectively against progress towards goalsprogress towards goals

Encourage Leading From One’s Seat Leader’s job is to make employees feel

empowered Leader makes sure it’s ok for employees

to fail Employees must know their role and

what they’re accountable for

Talk to colleagues holding similar positionsTalk to colleagues holding similar positions

Try to be fully informed before making decisions Try to be fully informed before making decisions and remain transparentand remain transparent

Remember what is said and what is heard might Remember what is said and what is heard might be differentbe different

Suspend negative judgments as much as Suspend negative judgments as much as possiblepossible

THE LONG HAULTHE LONG HAUL

Role model desired behaviors Role model desired behaviors

Cultivate distributed leadership through Cultivate distributed leadership through influencing othersinfluencing others’’ decisions decisions

DonDon’’t worry about who is getting credit – t worry about who is getting credit – celebrate togethercelebrate together

Challenge yourself and others to Challenge yourself and others to ““figure out a figure out a way to get thereway to get there””

THE LONG HAULTHE LONG HAUL

THE LONG HAULTHE LONG HAUL

Distinguish temporary setbacks from the need to Distinguish temporary setbacks from the need to revise goalsrevise goalsCommunicate Communicate Encourage & supportEncourage & supportRevise methodologies & processesRevise methodologies & processes

Identify potential leaders and create plan to Identify potential leaders and create plan to develop their skillsdevelop their skills

EVERYTHING IS EVERYTHING IS INTERCONNECTEDINTERCONNECTED

Management decisions are Management decisions are financial decisions and vice financial decisions and vice versaversa

Library servicesLibrary services

Recruitment/retentionRecruitment/retention

Fund-raisingFund-raising

Enjoy the Difference You Are Making!Enjoy the Difference You Are Making!

Your Success as Leaders is Your Success as Leaders is Measured Measured

by the Success of Othersby the Success of Others

Create an environment that fosters achievementCreate an environment that fosters achievement