The 80/20 Librarian: Focusing on the 20% that matters

I have come up with the following tips when I speak to the press about library services. I use the acronym LIPS as a guide.

You’ll want to keep things:

L- Light as you will not need nor want to expound on a weighty philosophical concept.

I- Informative as you will want to have accurate information to share.

P-Positive as you will want to speak to the advantage, the benefits, or the good of what your organization or operation is doing.

S-Short as you will want to be concise with your message. Keeping things succinct also allows for greater clarity to come through.

I’m working on a project for the Maryland Library Leadership Institute with an eye towards seeing how my library system might create an internal management training program for interested staff aspiring to supervisory leadership roles.

From my point of view such a program can be successful should it create a pathway for interested staff to obtain some hands-on supervisory experience under the guidance of a current manager. This type of hands -on supervisory experience could possibly make one eligible for an interview for a managerial position at some point down the road. Clearly, it also assists with succession planning.

This program obviously will involve more discussion with various key stakeholders within the organization, but I believe that the idea is well worth pursuing.

If anyone out there has some information on existing internal library management training programs, let me know.

I just came across a quote by Winston Churchill which is, “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”

Persistence does pay off. Are we able to get back up after a challenge knocks us down? We ought to look at strengthening our own resilience. A positive attitude to keep at it despite the obstacles in our way, will be an indicator of future success.

I’ve been pondering what I would say to an audience about library middle management (which I refer to as branch management) and the remarkable thing is that there is not much talk out there about some general guidelines to measure success. Sure, text books will explain what management is all about in great detail. Of course, great industry conference presentations will show how management guided or supported the creation of a specific program or service that is doing wonderful things. No doubt, statistics can be rolled out to create a narrative about key numbers such as gate counts, program attendance, and item (books, DVDs, etc.) check outs.

That being said, the success metrics I use are more of a “feel it in your bones” instinctive pulse checking for the middle manager. These metrics force the middle manager to give themselves either a pass or fail grade. Are you doing well or not in certain areas? About once a week it is good to reflect on the following:

Metric #1 Infrastructure

Infrastructure is the hardware keeps the library physically existing. I’m referring to the facility (building) itself, the collection of materials, and the technical equipment. For technical equipment we should also include by extension the technological software.

The key question on infrastructure is simply, does all of it work as intended?

If not, is the middle manager taking the proper action to ensure that it all does work? Is the building being maintained enough that is a welcoming space? Is the collection being reasonably well used by customers? Does the technology allow staff and customers to do what they want or expect to do?

Metric # 2 Community

This is the customer base of the library without which the library would have no serviceable purpose.

The key question on community is simply, does enough of the community positively identify with the library that it would support the library in a crisis situation in such a way that the library would emerge victorious?

If a middle manager cannot answer this question, it is time for them to truly engage with their community.

Middle managers should not only be reading up about their communities, but they need to put in the face to face time with the customer community both inside the library building and outside of it. Only by knowing the community can you assess the community’s perception of the library and what the community values about the library. That information is critical also for how the library organizes its daily operations.

Metric # 3 Staff

The Staff form the important inter-face system which brings the customer community and the library’s infrastructure together. Staff assist customers and connect them to the appropriate resources. Staff offer programs and events for the community.

For me the key question on staff is, can the staff successfully carry out operations when the middle manager is absent?

The middle manager should, at the very least, offer enough support and guidance so that the staff feel empowered to create the appropriate operational rhythm that best serves customers.

These top three metrics are the core metrics for everyday success in my book.

A fourth metric for success, more geared toward upper management, but something the middle manager ought to keep in mind is:

Metric #4: Identifying Trends (that you need to adopt since they will make a lasting impact)

Trends can be technological or cultural/societal.

The key question for this metric is, before spending too much energy/resources to implement a trend into library operations, can a manager identify which trends will have a long- lasting impact and which ones will only have their proverbial 15 minutes of fame?

I walked into a few different establishments (one a small business and the other an educational institution) in the past few weeks and both of them had this sign displayed.

Before you speak, THINK…

T – is it True?
H – is it Helpful?
I – is it Inspiring? (In one sign this was listed as Important)
N – is it Necessary?
K – is it Kind?

This is a good acronym to focus on before engaging people. Being a bit reflective in our interactions can go a long way. Emotions should be in check so we can concentrate on the best communication possible.

Lee Colan wrote an article on this THINK topic for Inc. a few years back. It’s still good advice. Feel free to read it.

This coming week, I’ll be presenting on my work launching the Anne Arundel County Public Library’s Spanish Language Facebook page at the Maryland Library Association’s annual conference on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. An excellent presentation and slide show are prepared. That being said the platform speaks volumes by itself, so I’ve shared the link above for folks to take a look at. Not many public library systems in the United States currently have something like this.

WTOP Radio Station station shared this article by CNN recently on what made for a good boss.

The 5 characteristics of a good boss are:

1. Trust employees to do their jobs
2. Respect the people who work for you
3. Support the success of the employees and back them up
4. Be open, honest, and a good listener
5. Show compassion and caring

In reading Leaders: Myth and Reality by General Stanley McChrystal, Jeff Eggers, and Jason Mangone there are three myths that society associates with leadership.

These are the Formulaic Myth, the Attribution Myth, and the Results Myth.

The Formulaic Myth makes the error in assuming that a certain prescribed set of required leadership qualities or traits is needed for a leader’s success. If a leader has this winning “formula” then they’ll be a successful leader. The problem with this, as pointed out by the authors, is that truly successful leadership needs to be adapted to changing circumstances and times. Leadership in the authors’ view is very dynamic (not static) and is clearly not about possessing a one size fits all strategy for success. Leaders must be continually flexible in their approaches to multifaceted problems that they have never faced before.

The Attribution Myth is dangerous in that the perceived results (good or bad) that happen under a leader’s watch largely ignore the role of followers and group dynamics. In short, all results are thought to be directly derived from the particular leader. In the extreme this can lead to what the authors refer to as a type of hero worship.  It is better to think of leadership existing within a “network of relationships” (page 398).

The Results Myth makes the point that leadership is all about moving an organization toward beneficial outcomes. In reality, the authors argue that the symbolic values of the particular leader may actually be just as valuable, if not more so, than their production of results. The words, style, and appearance of a leader can be extremely important. “The truth is that when we look closely, we see leadership as much in what our leaders symbolize as in what they accomplish (page 378).”

Another concept that is worth noting is the suggestions that the writers give for followers.

“Followers are better served in pushing information, feedback, and recommendations up to leaders, rather than waiting for decisions and guidance to flow down. In simple terms, followers should operate via a push system rather than a pull system. One logical extension of this concept is the requirement for followers to practice reverse accountability, or the process of followers’ holding leaders accountable. This view of leadership suggests that a leader’s operating parameters are often defined by followers, and that the real efficacy in a leadership system lies with the followers. Thus followers should be more willing to shape and confine their leaders’ styles (page 400).”

I like the following commentary on the training of leaders. “Rather, they (leaders) should be equipped with an understanding of leadership as a system, see themselves as the enablers of that system, and learn how to adjust their approach based on the needs of that system (page 400).”

Also worth pointing out is the possibility for reformed views of leadership to improve the collective good.

“It becomes possible to resurrect the expectation that it is the function of leadership to improve the overall progress of humanity. Too often, results-based leadership has been focused on the bottom line, trying to manage a perceived trade-off between the mission and taking care of people. Through this new conceptual lens, we dispense with such either-or thinking. Rather, the two become positively correlated, and we can more easily see how societal prosperity is linked to workforce fulfillment, and how unit effectiveness is linked to morale. Redefining leadership as the enablement of a human system allows for the relinkage of prosperity and productivity in a more positive way (pages 400-401).”

I just came across a recent example of the mentoring manager cited in Richard Koch’s book the 80/20 Manager. Koch’s basic premise with the mentoring manager is that, “When people take an interest in us, we thrive. The mentoring manager takes an interest in his or her people (page 85).”

In her book Becoming, former First Lady Michelle Obama discusses the impact of her visit to the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson school in the U.K. “An economist from a British University would later put out a study that looked at the test performances of Elizabeth Garrett Anderson students, finding that their overall scores jumped significantly after I’d started connecting with them- the equivalent of moving from a C average to an A. Any credit for improvement really belonged to the girls, their teachers, and the daily work they did together, but it also affirmed the idea that kids will invest more when they feel they’re being invested in. I understood that there was power in showing children my regard.” (page 608 of large print edition).

The visit to the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson school in the U.K. is a good example of a mentoring manager and the positive benefits of taking a genuine interest in supporting people.

Let’s think of ways that we all might be mentoring managers to others.

Just completed a new post entitled Empowering Others.