Public Services Quarterly
ISSN: 1522-8959 (Print) 1522-9114 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wpsq20
Leadership Development Melissa Mallon To cite this article: Melissa Mallon (2017) Leadership Development, Public Services Quarterly, 13:2, 90-97, DOI: 10.1080/15228959.2017.1302391 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15228959.2017.1302391
Published online: 16 May 2017.
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Date: 21 May 2017, At: 19:31
Public Services Quarterly, 13:90–97, 2017 Published with license by Taylor & Francis ISSN: 1522-8959 print/1522-9114 online DOI: 10.1080/15228959.2017.1302391
INTERNET RESOURCES Melissa Mallon, Column Editor Column description. The Internet Resources column is designed to be a clearinghouse for free, online websites or apps; each column focuses on a theme relevant to current issues and trends in academic libraries and features resources selected to make the lives of public services librarians easier. Any comments about the column, including suggestions for themes or recommendations of web resources, can be directed to Melissa Mallon.
Leadership Development MELISSA MALLON Vanderbilt University, Jean & Alexander Heard Library, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Whether it is articulated or not, library deans, managers, subject liaisons, technicians, and library student employees should ideally share a common goal: to contribute to the success of both their library and their university. Successful leadership isn’t top down; rather, a strong organization sees everyone (at all levels) working in conjunction to fulfill the mission of the organization. Much of the work in keeping a library running is accomplished on the front lines, not necessarily at supervisory or administrative roles. Due to the range of existing staff skills and competencies within an academic library, a number of opportunities should be explored in order to help
© Melissa Mallon Comments and suggestions should be sent to the Column Editor: Melissa Mallon, Vanderbilt University, Jean & Alexander Heard Library, 419 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37203, USA. E-mail:
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cultivate leadership amongst all library employees. Koerber (2015) suggests that libraries should provide a: diverse, partly self-directed and partly synchronous program accessible by all staff, at home and at work. Formal workshops should still be part of the plan, but online training and informal, hands-on sessions should constitute the bulk of the instruction. (para. 5)
No matter what type of program or structure is developed, leadership development is a crucial step in increasing the engagement and productivity of employees. This issue’s column focuses on online tools and resources available for leadership development of academic, public services staff. The resources are not targeted solely to professional librarians, but rather to all levels of library staff engaged with the public. In addition to inspirational and coaching videos, reviewers recommend resource guides and advice columns that both staff and managers will find useful. Finally, because leadership development often starts with the individual, we have a review of a “self mentorship” toolkit. Readers are encouraged to visit these resources, and share them with their colleagues. The Public Services Quarterly Internet Resources column is designed to be a clearinghouse for free, online websites; each column will focus on themes relevant to current issues in academic libraries and feature resources selected to make the lives of public services librarians easier. Any comments about the column, including suggestions for themes or recommendations of web resources, can be directed to Melissa Mallon at mallon.melissa@gmail. com.
REFERENCES Koerber, J. (2015, June 1). Manage the device deluge: Professional development [blog post]. Library Journal. Retrieved from http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2015/ 06/public-services/manage-the-device-deluge-professional-development/
Ask a Manager (Blog) http://www.askamanager.org/ Visited: Winter 2017 Reviewer: Megan P. Smith, Coordinator of Technical Services Librarian/ Assistant Professor, Kemp Library, East Stroudsburg University Once you become a manager, or if you aspire to be a manager but do not have the opportunity in your current position, it can be incredibly difficult to find a mentor to ask questions; you likely cannot ask the people working closest with you, for various reasons. The blog Ask A Manager is run
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by Alison Green, who was a manager for a medium sized organization and now does consulting on hiring, firing, promoting, and managing. Green’s blog is an easily navigated wealth of information for aspiring managers, managers, job seekers, hiring managers, and more. Ask A Manager is a clearly designed blog with several ways to search posts, transparent navigation, and unambiguous categories. Not only is there the standard navigation bar at the top of the page, there is comprehensive navigation in the sidebar that goes into slightly more depth. The top navigation consists of three ways to view posts, provides a clear spot for asking questions, links to follow the blog via social media and RSS feeds, reader comments, and books Green has written/co-written. The sidebar navigation includes: a tool for searching the site; ads for Green’s books; three hotspot buttons for “Ask a Question,” “How to Comment,” and “My Favorite Posts;” and recent posts and post categories. The side navigation also has a button that takes users to random posts, as well as an email subscription option for blog updates. Social media links for the site’s Twitter, Facebook and RSS feeds are in the header and footer of every page. There are six ways to search posts: search the blog, use the topics or categories, view the chronological archives, view a random post, read Green’s favorite posts, or look at the list of recent posts. The topics used to group entries are straightforward and cover topics such as advice about bosses and coworkers, references, interviewing, being the boss, layoffs, firing, networking, and hiring. Each post allows comments where readers share their experiences, which greatly widens the network of advice. Green’s “About Me” page shares her management philosophy and her biases clearly and shares several posts that she feels illuminate her management strategy and outlook. It can be assumed that many commenters share these views, but there is a great deal of variety in people’s knowledge and backgrounds. Questions are encouraged and the rules of commenting encourage polite, helpful discussion and a place to share personal stories that could benefit others in certain situations. Green will answer questions directly (although it is a popular blog so replies are not immediate) via email and have conversations, and may ask to share a story anonymously on the blog to help open discussion and share issues. The variety of workplace topics makes this blog an excellent resource for anyone with questions about how to handle a work situation of any type, from interns to CEOs. While this blog is not centered on library matters, it is centered on issues involving people and all types of work relationships and problems which makes it a great resource for any librarian. In Short: Anyone with questions about their workplace that they might not be able to ask elsewhere or find answers to would likely find this blog useful due to its care for user privacy and wide background of people reading and responding to the blog, as well as Alison Green’s own experience and insights into an ever-changing world. Library specific
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questions can (and have) been asked in the past, but areas of management, job hunting, how to deal with a variety of co-worker complaints, and hiring are where this blog shines. Highly Recommended. Results Coaching Systems YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/resultscoaching/feed Visited: Winter 2017 Reviewer: Neda Zdravkovic, Learning Services Librarian, University of Auckland, New Zealand What could be some of the valuable secrets that the leadership training industry reveals to professionals for a good price? The core of these training programs is based on an understanding of the key drivers of human behavior, or, what makes people tick; the inspiring motivators or de-motivators and how to apply them in different circumstances and situations on self and others. Open access training materials and resources bring to light some of the practical aspects of leadership training and business coaching that LIS professionals can apply in their daily practice at no cost. One of these is the Results Coaching Systems YouTube channel containing eight short videos by Dr. David Rock, the co-founder and CEO of the NeuroLeadership Institute. Bringing together the research findings from neuroscience and psychology disciplines and leadership training expertise, David Rock (2008) introduces the SCARF model for collaborating with and influencing others. SCARF is based on the basic neurological principle of the human brain function: the approach [reward]/avoid [threat] response which is at the core of our survival instinct. Rock (2008) analyzes the human survival instinct within the social and work place context and identifies the following key drivers of human behavior that leaders and managers must address in order to trigger positive feelings, responses and actions within their teams:
• Status: • • •
A potential reduction in representation of one’s social status generates a strong threat response. Certainty: A potential change generates uncertainty and a feeling of threat due to one’s inability to predict future. Autonomy: A reduction of one’s perception (even an illusion!) of having control over the environment and having choices/options, generates a strong threat response. Relatedness: Lack of safe social interactions and feeling of belonging to a social group generates a threat response and perception of whether another human being is a “friend or a foe” (Rock, 2008, p. 5).
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• Fairness: A perception of others as unfair and lack of transparency and clear expectations in the workforce generates a strong threat response in human brain The videos point out that, if two or more of these parameters are not addressed in the social or work environment, the risk of inflicting a “social pain” (Eisenberger, 2012) and negative feelings of social exclusion and disengagement may occur affecting relationships among individuals and teams, as well as levels of their productivity and ability to learn, grow and develop. In Short: The Results Coaching Systems YouTube channel contains videos introducing David Rock’s Results Coaching Model. This is an excellent insight into the benefits of professional business training that may inspire viewers to opt for live sessions and enroll into one of the commercial programs. Otherwise, the channel opens an auto-play YouTube video list focused on leadership training practice that LIS professionals can benefit from to reflect on their own work place situation from the corporate perspective, seek new ideas and find valuable practical solutions. Highly Recommended.
REFERENCES Eisenberger, N. I. (2012). The neural bases of social pain: Evidence for shared representations with physical pain. Psychomatic Medicine, 74(2), 126–135. Rock, D. (2008). SCARF: A brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others. NeuroLeadership Journal, 1, 1–9.
Center for Creative Leadership https://www.ccl.org/ Visited: Winter 2017 Reviewer: Elizabeth Price, Business Librarian, James Madison University The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) is a non-profit educational institution founded in 1970 that aims to advance the understanding, practice and development of leadership through 10 worldwide campuses (2017). It provides executive education programs to organizations or individuals in the private, public, education and nonprofit sectors. In addition, CCL performs original scientific research such as “The Bossy Project,” which examines how men and women are perceived in the workplace. CCL shares a mix of resources including white papers, research reports, a podcast and blog. These are located under the “Research & Insights” section of its website. All resources helpfully have topics assigned; some relevant ones to librarians include first time managers, feedback, emotional intelligence, coaching and mentoring, and work and life. A search tool
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implies that users can sort both by topic or type of resource but its effectiveness was limited. Using the topic tags on articles was more successful. The white papers probably are the most valuable free content. Recent documents examine how leaders can influence others, the queen bee syndrome in hiring, developing a coaching mindset, and using analytics for change. Blog articles vary widely in quality and depth. Recent insightful posts include tips to avoid feeling like an imposter and characteristics of politically-skilled leaders. Several 2016 posts were excerpts from books published by CCL faculty, such as William Gentry’s Be the boss everyone wants to work for: A guide for new leaders. Other posts are reprints of articles in trade publications such as Training Journal or posts from LinkedIn Pulse. The Leading Effectively podcast was disappointing. Verbatim transcripts accompanied the episodes, most of which lasted less than five minutes. In Short: The Financial Times ranked CCL fourth among the top 50 executive education schools in 2016 (Ortmans, 2016). The point of the CCL website is to drive users toward purchasing the Center’s training products (workshops, webinars, books, etc.). Users might find the site frustrating because many of the posts feel too short and references seem circular. Overall, though, the site provides plenty of introductory material and evidence to help new or experienced leaders develop their skills (or justify the need for further training). Recommended.
REFERENCES The Center for Creative Leadership. (2017). Overview. Retrieved from https://www. ccl.org/ Ortmans, L. (2016, May 22). The 2016 FT Executive Education rankings: Analysis. Retrieved from https://www.ft.com/
TED Talk: Leadership https://www.ted.com/topics/leadership Visited: Winter 2017 Reviewer: Neda Zdravkovic, Learning Services Librarian, University of Auckland, New Zealand Chris Argyris (1991) explains that one of the most bizarre paradoxes of human behavior is the tendency of highly-driven and well-educated professionals to avoid learning in the workplace. Argyris (1991) sees the origin of this paradox not only in the “fear of failure,” or more accurately, the fear to acknowledge and recognize one’s own failure to perform or achieve results, but also in the “fear of the fear of failure itself” (p. 104).
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The TED Talk resources on leadership development bring fascinating insights into the aspects of the human condition, which trigger new understandings about ourselves as species and the world around us; they inspire action, personal growth, development of the full potential of communities, bringing inventions to life and adopting new ideas. In addition to David Rock’s Tokyo talk focused on “why leaders need development,” which can be accessed via the TED site (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDIyxxayNig), the How to Be a Great Leader TED Talk playlist of 12 videos introduces the importance of making good mistakes and the trial-and-error approach to developing new companies, business teams, products and inventions. The videos highlight the significance of the human ability to reflect and learn from failures and good mistakes and apply this valuable knowledge in practice. The How to Be a Great Leader section of the site is not only useful for leadership training purposes, but also for understanding the thought processes and inner drivers that make great leaders. The video stream should be more rightfully named What makes a good leader?, as the videos provide information about exceptional (or the contrary—quite ordinary) individuals who have influenced and benefited large numbers of people and organizations, and follow their journeys towards exceptional leadership and towards becoming drivers of change in their communities. In Short: Shifting the focus from how to … and from understanding the secret recipe of achieving great success as the holy grail of the Western society, the How to Be a Great Leader TED Talk case studies remind us that the measure of leadership does not have much to do with the notion of a success or failure, but the courage to follow one’s own beliefs, to fail and to try again and learn within that process. These individual stories remind us that it is about selflessness, care and love for humanity which moves great minds into action and realization of their leadership potential. That it is about why and them—and not self. Highly Recommended.
REFERENCES Argyris, C. (1991, May/June). Teaching smart people how to learn. Harvard Business Review, 99–110. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/archive-toc/3913
Self-Mentorship Toolkit http://www.gingerwilliams.me/librarians-self-mentorship-toolkit.html Visited: Winter 2017 Reviewer: Margaret Fain, Interim Head of Instruction Service, Coastal Carolina University
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Self-mentoring is an appealing concept, as many libraries do not have formal or even informal mentoring available to new librarians or librarians new to the library. Ginger Williams, Instruction and Reference Librarian at Fort Lewis College, has provided a succinct one page guide to assist librarians in choosing pathways to self- mentorship and in her words, greater “librarian awesomeness.” Self-mentorship, in the context of the site, appears to be defined as gaining knowledge on current issues facing academic libraries and librarians. The strength of this site is in the encouragement and sensible advice provided. Williams begins by introducing her favorite blogs for new librarians along with the reminder that we don’t all need to write blogs, but we need to read and contribute to the ones we like so that a community is built around these shared interests. She admits that her five choices of blogs skew to the academic and they cover a wide range of current issues in librarianship. The first recommendation, Letters to a Young Librarian, is the most active of the blogs as new content is posted weekly. The downside of blogs is demonstrated by the third choice, Hiring Librarians which became inactive in January 2016. The content is still available, but due to time demands and a change of direction, the original blogger has ceased updating the site, making it a one-time read. The recommendation to find people or groups on Twitter that you respond to and then follow them seems almost unnecessary. The Twitter choices are an uneven mix and readers will probably have discovered other more relevant accounts. Unexpectedly, all of the links on the page are still valid, which says something about the staying power of librarians on social media as it appears that this site was posted after a conference presentation in 2014 and has not been substantially updated since before January 2016. In Short: The strength of this site is in the practical advice for academic librarians on choosing how to participate in social media librarianship to learn more about the issues facing the profession. If you are looking for practical advice on developing leadership skills, there are other sites in this column that will be of greater assistance. Recommended.
