Question 1: What did you learn during the Institute that you have used or currently use in your work?
Many members of the group mentioned learning their own work style, acknowledging their own strengths and weaknesses as well as learning those of others, then using all of these skills to find ways to work more effectively with others. One person took it a step further: “Learning about the general concept of emotional intelligence, then using that knowledge about the way I work compared to others, helped me with personnel management.” Sheryl McGovern (then Groskurth) gave a specific example of using that emotional intelligence: “I remember something Maureen Sullivan said, referring to the workplace. ‘Someone here has to be the grownup.’ So simple and obvious, and so often overlooked. I took that phrase back to the library, and often reminded myself of it in situations that were difficult. When emotions run high, it is easy to put your grownup self on the backburner.” Gaining confidence was another common theme, such as finding the right person for the job, which may not be yourself, or getting out from behind your desk and making connections within your institution or community.
Two responses that I agree with and have tried to follow personally are leading from below and constantly learning. I lead a department of 20 librarians and staff, yet I am still looking for ways to learn more, by applying for opportunities in my library, in the university, as well as at the national level. I hope that I am teaching my staff and colleagues that it is never too late to learn. Nancy Carroll’s response to this question echoes my experiences: “I particularly remember being introduced to the concept that leadership is not limited just to those individuals who have the titles of Department Head or Director. The encouragement that I received at the Institute to step forward and ‘lead from below’ has served me well in each of the positions that I have held. After I became a Library Director, I found myself frequently using that approach as I interacted with upper level college administrators and also as I encouraged library staff to take on leadership roles.”
Question 2: What advice would you give to a new librarian interested in leadership?
As with the previous question, I intended to provide a summary of responses, represent themes in these responses, etc. However, after reading through them numerous times, there are entirely too many useful, well-stated recommendations and thoughts to share in this limited space. I will still highlight some here, but I will be posting the entirety of the responses to all three questions online as well.
Taking advantage of training was mentioned by numerous people, both generally and specifically. Applying for the ILA Leadership Institute was, of course, mentioned. But reading any of the numerous leadership books available or attending webinars was also mentioned. While there are plenty of books and webinars specifically for librarians, I encourage you to look outside librarianship as well. One resource that Maureen Sullivan returned to frequently with our cohort was the Harvard Business Review. Use what you have learned – from training, books, webinars, colleagues, mentors – to find your own leadership style and continue to hone it. Know your strengths and use them, but also be aware of your weaknesses and work to improve them.
My personal favorite piece of advice was this: “And say yes to opportunities that you may not think you are ready for – you will learn so much.” We are almost always harder on ourselves than others. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and trust when others say you are ready for an opportunity. You WILL learn something. Yes, you may learn that you weren’t quite ready for that challenge. But you may stretch your skills beyond what you thought you were capable of.