Leadership
Leadership is core to the innovation of libraries and related information organizations. Leadership enables the translation of visions into reality. Leaders motivate and empower others to reach their maximum potential. Leaders are those who make things happen. Each day brings opportunities to make a difference, no matter how small. The actions and decisions one makes every day build up. Slowly, but surely this turns into the legacy one leaves for the world. Leaders have got the courage to make a difference, the drive to succeed, and the readiness to seize opportunities.
Courage, preparedness, opportunity, planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, budgeting, project management, flexibility, and networking are concepts related to leadership. I increased my familiarity with all of these concepts when I created, owned, and operated Elfin Sound. Elfin Sound is an electronic music company I orchestrated from 2008-2010. When first starting Elfin Sound I learned the importance of courage. If I didn’t have the courage to take the risk of losing money, Elfin Sound never would have happened. I learned the importance of being prepared to take advantage of opportunities. For example, if I did not have the money to risk I never would have been able to put on my first event as close to when I first had the idea as I did. If I would have waited longer I might have missed the opportunity to maximize my chances of success as the popularity of the genres of music my company focused on was trending up. Whenever I put on an event I performed project management as I had to budget, purchase supplies, rent equipment, select DJs, maintain communication between all parties involved (i.e. DJs, venue managers, other promoters, and volunteers), and put together teams of volunteers to help create decorations, distribute flyers, assist with event activities, help set up, take down, and clean up after an event. While putting on events I learned the importance of flexibility, as there were many occasions I found myself needing to react rapidly to unforeseen issues (e.g. door person not showing up to work the cash register, missing cables to connect equipment, not enough float, and some volunteers leaving early). I learned the importance of networking, a concept stressed by Ken Haycock during a Speakers’ Corner put on by SLIS September 26, 2012. Networking was required to spread the word about events, coordinate with other promoters who put on events the same night (e.g. sometimes I made a deal with promoters that we would let attendees get in to each others events at a cheaper price if attendees possessed a wristband from the other’s event), borrow more costly decorations and equipment (e.g. psy flags (i.e. artistic wall hangings) and black lights), and create connections for future events.
While working as an intern at Jake Epp Public Library, I improved my leadership disposition as I initiated and took on multiple projects above and beyond what I was initially hired for. My initial role was to conduct tutorials on digital literacy and assist patrons with technology. However, I took on a great many other projects, including:
I improved my knowledge of leadership throughout my MLIS degree, but especially in the following courses:
In LIS 504, I gained a great introductory understanding of organization, management, planning, organizational structure, organizational design, social responsibility, ethics, human resources, branding, and marketing. In this course we also spent a lot of time listening to and teaching our peers. This improved our ability to work in groups and greatly expanded the number of real life experiences we could learn from.
In LIS 545, I expanded on the foundation of human resources learned from LIS 504. I learned about power structures and relations, motivation, interventions, problem employees, crucial conversations, interviews, unions, and discussed many case studies to learn how to determine the best course of action in various situations. As part of the course I also got the opportunity to read A Leader’s Legacy by James Kouzes and Barry Posner. Some things I learned while reading the book include the following (more ideas can be found in my summary):
In LIS 598: Management of Financial Resources, I gained an understanding of the budgeting process. I learned how to develop appropriate budgets for library and related organizations. I learned how to read and interpret financial statements. I learned how to prepare and present basic financial reports. I learned how to analyze financial reports to identify operational issues, irregularities, and appropriate internal controls. I gained the ability to identify appropriate purchasing procedures and respond to prospective implementation challenges. I learned the value of grants and fundraising. Evidence of some of my learning can be found in an assignment I completed on financial management and libraries. In this assignment I discuss the importance of financial management to the success of libraries. I provide an overview and short discussion of some elements of financial management I think are or ought to be most important to libraries, including budget type, internal controls, outsourcing, present value, break even, and cost-benefit analysis. I claim financial management is more relevant today than it has been in the past and discus reasons in support of this claim. I discuss what role or influence the quantifiable and objective financial aspects of any issue should have in the overall process. Lastly, I discuss how to optimally incorporate financial management in libraries.
In LIS 598: Principles & Concepts in Technology Management, I learned the ideal technology manager should be a leader who can rally enthusiasm as well as create incentive to complete projects. One of our guest speakers in the course stated the core essence of leadership is social influence. This led to a discussion on the main traits/feelings that lead people to be motivated by others. These traits were trust, compassion, stability, and hope. Building influence requires a potential leader to make a conscious decision to lead, share information, turn small talk into meaningful discussion, and listen more than talk (aided by asking questions). Leadership power can be gained by empowering those whom the leader wishes to lead. This could be done with persuasive communication. Persuasive communication is transparent, mutually beneficial, and involves open communication. While leading a team towards a goal it is important to create a sense of urgency by communicating problems and opportunities for mutual benefit to others. People are more likely to work towards a solution when they realize and understand there is a problem to be solved. A great leader needs to know how to properly frame a message to generate feelings of urgency in others. Proper framing also guides others to taking a desired path towards a solution. Since people tend to remember what is said first and what is said last, but tend to forget what is in the middle, it is important to start and end on a positive note. Another important thing to be mindful of is that decision-making tends to be mostly emotional for the majority of people. Most people make a decision based on emotion and then justify it with reason. This is one reason why it is important to be assertive instead of aggressive. When assertive you are taking other people’s opinions, feelings, and ideas into consideration. When you become too aggressive you lose credibility. Persuasive communication can greatly assist a leader with influencing the direction of a group or the allocation of resources to achieve desired ends.
In LIS 598: Project Management, I learned about all aspects of project management. I learned about deliverables, including deciding how deliverables should be reviewed, approved, and validated. I learned something is not a project if it does not have an end date. Projects that never end are normally programs or services. I learned about forming a team with an optimal balance of thinkers, numbers people, inventors, researchers, collaborators, communicators, glue people, ‘get it done’ people, and go-to people. I learned about risk management and how to create a risk management plan. I learned about the concepts of ROI (Return On Investment) and TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). I learned about creating a business case. I learned about identifying all stakeholders and how to go about balancing all needs and desires. I learned how to implement my learning in the form of a project plan, which included the identification of project objectives, assumptions, constraints, risks, contingencies, stakeholders, project scope, deliverables, critical success factors, success measures, completion criteria, estimation assumptions, resource requirements, and operations impacts. The project plan also involved the creation of a project framework, project structure, project approach, Gantt chart, and plans for status reporting, issue management, scope control, deliverable quality control, and risk management.
A leader needs to be able to scan the current environment, notice trends, and have a vision for the future. This can be achieved by staying up-to-date on the work of other organizations, communicating with other professionals, reading the literature, personally using and involving oneself with projects and technology on a regular basis, attending conferences, and continuing lifelong learning in relevant fields. I understand an essential part of continuing professional education is networking, playing an active role in associations, and engaging in other professional activities. As evidence of my understanding I present the following lists:
Professional Societies and Associations
Listserv’s (i.e. Mailing Lists) I am a part of
Conferences Attended
LISSA (Library and Information Studies Students’ Association) Events Attended
University of Alberta SLIS Events Attended
Other Talks, Meetings, and Library-Related Social Events Attended
Over the past few years I have participated in research surveys related to library studies. I am friends with and follow other library, information, and technology-related professionals, groups, and associations on Facebook and Twitter.
Courage, preparedness, opportunity, planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, budgeting, project management, flexibility, and networking are concepts related to leadership. I increased my familiarity with all of these concepts when I created, owned, and operated Elfin Sound. Elfin Sound is an electronic music company I orchestrated from 2008-2010. When first starting Elfin Sound I learned the importance of courage. If I didn’t have the courage to take the risk of losing money, Elfin Sound never would have happened. I learned the importance of being prepared to take advantage of opportunities. For example, if I did not have the money to risk I never would have been able to put on my first event as close to when I first had the idea as I did. If I would have waited longer I might have missed the opportunity to maximize my chances of success as the popularity of the genres of music my company focused on was trending up. Whenever I put on an event I performed project management as I had to budget, purchase supplies, rent equipment, select DJs, maintain communication between all parties involved (i.e. DJs, venue managers, other promoters, and volunteers), and put together teams of volunteers to help create decorations, distribute flyers, assist with event activities, help set up, take down, and clean up after an event. While putting on events I learned the importance of flexibility, as there were many occasions I found myself needing to react rapidly to unforeseen issues (e.g. door person not showing up to work the cash register, missing cables to connect equipment, not enough float, and some volunteers leaving early). I learned the importance of networking, a concept stressed by Ken Haycock during a Speakers’ Corner put on by SLIS September 26, 2012. Networking was required to spread the word about events, coordinate with other promoters who put on events the same night (e.g. sometimes I made a deal with promoters that we would let attendees get in to each others events at a cheaper price if attendees possessed a wristband from the other’s event), borrow more costly decorations and equipment (e.g. psy flags (i.e. artistic wall hangings) and black lights), and create connections for future events.
While working as an intern at Jake Epp Public Library, I improved my leadership disposition as I initiated and took on multiple projects above and beyond what I was initially hired for. My initial role was to conduct tutorials on digital literacy and assist patrons with technology. However, I took on a great many other projects, including:
- Assisting with selecting and evaluating library acquisitions
- Creating presentations to promote the library and communicate ideas to staff
- Developing and implementing Jake Epp Library’s youth gaming service
- Managing social media promotion
I improved my knowledge of leadership throughout my MLIS degree, but especially in the following courses:
- LIS 504: Leadership and Management Principles for Library and Information Services
- LIS 545: Management of Human Resources
- LIS 598: Management of Financial Resources
- LIS 598: Principles & Concepts in Technology Management
- LIS 598: Project Management
In LIS 504, I gained a great introductory understanding of organization, management, planning, organizational structure, organizational design, social responsibility, ethics, human resources, branding, and marketing. In this course we also spent a lot of time listening to and teaching our peers. This improved our ability to work in groups and greatly expanded the number of real life experiences we could learn from.
In LIS 545, I expanded on the foundation of human resources learned from LIS 504. I learned about power structures and relations, motivation, interventions, problem employees, crucial conversations, interviews, unions, and discussed many case studies to learn how to determine the best course of action in various situations. As part of the course I also got the opportunity to read A Leader’s Legacy by James Kouzes and Barry Posner. Some things I learned while reading the book include the following (more ideas can be found in my summary):
- Leadership often involves serving one’s community and by doing so leaders earn commitment. People are more likely to follow someone who holds similar values, serves their interests, and understands them on a more personal level.
- The best way to learn is to teach.
- It is important to a leader’s credibility to possess a mind open to critical feedback and provide an environment where people feel comfortable and able to provide it.
- People are more likely to trust people they know. This suggests leaders, who have a relationship with those who follow them, should be open and willing to share their lives.
- Trust is immensely valuable. Trust involves valuing and respecting others. For leaders, trust involves being vulnerable by willing to trust others to complete their jobs. A lack of trust can lead to excess micromanagement.
- Leadership development requires self-development. Self-development enables leaders to discover their own drives and values, which help improve a leader’s ability to create a shared vision for the future and motivate others to work towards it.
- Leaders need to know how to follow to optimally lead. Being a follower brings humility and opens leaders to the advice of others.
- Leaders should understand risks are often required on the path to success. This being said leaders should also understand failure is possible no matter how well one plans against it.
- Being courageous isn’t something you plan to do, but it is something you choose to be.
- Leaders should always allow for the possibility of failure. If people are not allowed to fail, then they might become overly fearful and stifle innovation.
In LIS 598: Management of Financial Resources, I gained an understanding of the budgeting process. I learned how to develop appropriate budgets for library and related organizations. I learned how to read and interpret financial statements. I learned how to prepare and present basic financial reports. I learned how to analyze financial reports to identify operational issues, irregularities, and appropriate internal controls. I gained the ability to identify appropriate purchasing procedures and respond to prospective implementation challenges. I learned the value of grants and fundraising. Evidence of some of my learning can be found in an assignment I completed on financial management and libraries. In this assignment I discuss the importance of financial management to the success of libraries. I provide an overview and short discussion of some elements of financial management I think are or ought to be most important to libraries, including budget type, internal controls, outsourcing, present value, break even, and cost-benefit analysis. I claim financial management is more relevant today than it has been in the past and discus reasons in support of this claim. I discuss what role or influence the quantifiable and objective financial aspects of any issue should have in the overall process. Lastly, I discuss how to optimally incorporate financial management in libraries.
In LIS 598: Principles & Concepts in Technology Management, I learned the ideal technology manager should be a leader who can rally enthusiasm as well as create incentive to complete projects. One of our guest speakers in the course stated the core essence of leadership is social influence. This led to a discussion on the main traits/feelings that lead people to be motivated by others. These traits were trust, compassion, stability, and hope. Building influence requires a potential leader to make a conscious decision to lead, share information, turn small talk into meaningful discussion, and listen more than talk (aided by asking questions). Leadership power can be gained by empowering those whom the leader wishes to lead. This could be done with persuasive communication. Persuasive communication is transparent, mutually beneficial, and involves open communication. While leading a team towards a goal it is important to create a sense of urgency by communicating problems and opportunities for mutual benefit to others. People are more likely to work towards a solution when they realize and understand there is a problem to be solved. A great leader needs to know how to properly frame a message to generate feelings of urgency in others. Proper framing also guides others to taking a desired path towards a solution. Since people tend to remember what is said first and what is said last, but tend to forget what is in the middle, it is important to start and end on a positive note. Another important thing to be mindful of is that decision-making tends to be mostly emotional for the majority of people. Most people make a decision based on emotion and then justify it with reason. This is one reason why it is important to be assertive instead of aggressive. When assertive you are taking other people’s opinions, feelings, and ideas into consideration. When you become too aggressive you lose credibility. Persuasive communication can greatly assist a leader with influencing the direction of a group or the allocation of resources to achieve desired ends.
In LIS 598: Project Management, I learned about all aspects of project management. I learned about deliverables, including deciding how deliverables should be reviewed, approved, and validated. I learned something is not a project if it does not have an end date. Projects that never end are normally programs or services. I learned about forming a team with an optimal balance of thinkers, numbers people, inventors, researchers, collaborators, communicators, glue people, ‘get it done’ people, and go-to people. I learned about risk management and how to create a risk management plan. I learned about the concepts of ROI (Return On Investment) and TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). I learned about creating a business case. I learned about identifying all stakeholders and how to go about balancing all needs and desires. I learned how to implement my learning in the form of a project plan, which included the identification of project objectives, assumptions, constraints, risks, contingencies, stakeholders, project scope, deliverables, critical success factors, success measures, completion criteria, estimation assumptions, resource requirements, and operations impacts. The project plan also involved the creation of a project framework, project structure, project approach, Gantt chart, and plans for status reporting, issue management, scope control, deliverable quality control, and risk management.
A leader needs to be able to scan the current environment, notice trends, and have a vision for the future. This can be achieved by staying up-to-date on the work of other organizations, communicating with other professionals, reading the literature, personally using and involving oneself with projects and technology on a regular basis, attending conferences, and continuing lifelong learning in relevant fields. I understand an essential part of continuing professional education is networking, playing an active role in associations, and engaging in other professional activities. As evidence of my understanding I present the following lists:
Professional Societies and Associations
- CLA (Canadian Library Association)
- GELA (Greater Edmonton Library Association)
- LISSA (Library and Information Studies Student’s Association)
- MLA (Manitoba Library Association)
- Nominated for membership in the Golden Key International Honour Society
Listserv’s (i.e. Mailing Lists) I am a part of
- SLIS-everyone <Slis-everyone@mailman.srv.ualberta.ca>
- Jerome-L <Jerome-L@mailman.srv.ualberta.ca>
- SLIS-students <SLIS-students@mailman.srv.ualberta.ca>
- STS-L <sts-l@ala.org>
- NAHLA <Nahla-l@mailman.srv.ualberta.ca>
- MLA-News <mla-news@cc.umanitoba.ca>
Conferences Attended
- FIP (Forum for Information Professionals) 2014: BiblioTech – February 7, 2014
- Manitoba Libraries Conference - May 13, 2014
LISSA (Library and Information Studies Students’ Association) Events Attended
- Back To School BBQ!! – September 14, 2012
- Partners’ Week – Timothy Klassen (Head Librarian at Cameron Library / Science & Technology Librarian) – February 4, 2013
- Board Game Night!! – March 18, 2013
University of Alberta SLIS Events Attended
- Get Acquainted Party – September 20, 2012
- Speakers’ Corner – Dr. Ken Haycock, Research Professor of Management and Organization, University of Southern California – September 26, 2012
- Research Colloquium: Dr. Michael McNally, Assistant Professor, SLIS – “Developing a Framework for Assessing Alternatives to Intellectual Property” – October 10, 2012
- Speakers’ Corner – Heather Berringer – “The Shortest Distance Between Two Points: Considering Non-Traditional Career Trajectories” – October 17, 2012
- Research Colloquium: Dr. Tami Oliphant, School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alberta – “I’m a library hugger!”: Everyday Albertans’ Perceptions of the Public Library – February 6, 2013
- External Review Panel (ERP) of the American Library Association, Committee of Accreditation (COA) – ‘Meet and Mingle’ with SLIS students – March 4, 2013 – regarding School of Library and Information Studies re-accreditation of MLIS program
Other Talks, Meetings, and Library-Related Social Events Attended
- Webinar about inclusive programming in the library with Loraine Trudeau (Head Librarian at Jake Epp Public Library) – August 20, 2013
- Manitoba E-Association Virtual Meeting – September 18, 2013
- Teen Reading Trends: Is There Life After Wizards, Vampires & Dystopia? – HT Coutts Library presents local Kids & Teens Collection Librarian Ilona Storie (Edmonton Public Library) – Teen Reads and Trends in Young Adult Literature – January 29, 2014
- FIP (Forum for Information Professionals) Fundraiser Steak Dinner – January 23, 2014
- Dine-Around with GELA – February 27, 2014
- Volunteered at CALL (Canadian Association of Law Librarians) Conference 2014 – May 27, 2014
Over the past few years I have participated in research surveys related to library studies. I am friends with and follow other library, information, and technology-related professionals, groups, and associations on Facebook and Twitter.