Impact: SLA Leadership & Management Division Blog

SLA Leadership Summit -- Leadership & Management Division Brainstorming Session

Many people have traveled to Louisville, KY for the SLA Leadership Summit.  You can read notes from the conference here, here and here.  This evening, approximately 20 - 25 people gathered for a Leadership & Management Division Brainstorming Session led by Ulla de Stricker (Immediate Past Chair).  Approximately six people were not members of LMD.  Why brainstorm?  It was felt that broader input was needed in order to think about how to position the Division, what benefits it should provide, and how it should communicate with its members.  Here are some thoughts that stood out to me from the session:

• We need to communicate better that you do not need to be in a leadership or management position in order to join this Division.  Several people noted that they joined the Division in order to learn about management issues before becoming a manager.
• LMD is not a subject-focus division, but a division that should be able to meet many member needs, since a high percentage of our members are in leadership or management positions, OR aspire to be in those type of positions. 
• Communicating with Division members -- as well as other members of SLA -- needs to take many forms, including using social networking tools.
• LMD's three sections need better visibility.  What are the sections?
  • Consulting -- Members of the Consulting Section represent services such as information brokering, strategy consulting and technical consulting. This includes consultants within an organization, and those serving external clients.
  • Marketing --The Marketing Section of the Leadership & Management Division was established to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and information regarding marketing theory and how to effectively market information services.
  • Content Buying -- The Content Buying Section of  Leadership & Management Division includes buyers and sellers involved in the many aspects related to managing enterprise-wide content, such as supplier relationship management, contract negotiations, budgeting and funding of licenses, training and communications, risk management, and measuring and maximizing an enterprise's return on the investment in content licenses.
• LMD is the fourth largest division (still) after giving birth to both the Competitive Intelligence and Knowledge Management Divisions.  The Division is financially sound.
• LMD's programs at the Annual Conference are well received.

I look forward to the actions that are considered based on today's discussion.  However, I honestly believe that just having the discussion helped to move the Division forward.

Advice for job hunters on seeking recommendations

I had an interesting conversation this morning with a Syracuse University faculty member about giving recommendations to former students who are looking for employment.  We discussed the problems of giving a recommendation to a student who was in a class years ago.  Do you remember the student?  Do you still  have access to the students work?  What kind of a recommendation can you give?

Undoubtedly, you have staff or colleagues that are job hunting.  When they come to you for a recommendation (or wondering who can give them a recommendation), here are questions that may help the conversation:

• Can you tell me what type of information you want me to give?
• Can you remind me -- in writing -- of the projects we've worked on together and your accomplishments, so I can refer to that when I write a letter of recommendation or talk to your prospective employer?
• Do you have recent contacts that can provide a relevant recommendation?
• Can you contact someone from your past who could provide a relevant recommendation, if you reminded them about the work your did with/for them?
• Can you re-connect with former workmates, supervisors or professors now, so that when you need a recommendation that will be willing to give one to you?

#1 and #2 were tips given to me this morning.  Not only will that provide you with information, but it also should help the job seeker to understand if they are asking for a recommendation from someone who can really give one.

Recommendations should not be difficult...and with a little planning on the job seekers part, you should find them painless and easy.

Partnering is serious stuff

Once again I'm working with a client who entered a partnership with the best of intentions and the least of agreements or exit clauses......& so is getting the worst of results. Sigh......  and this is not a library...it is a small organization who saw an opportunity to partner with another small organization to leverage resources. The problem, which I have seen all too often in other organizations as well as libraries, is that the partnership was not clearly defined - no governance - no working principles, no accountabilities, no success measures and no way out (gracefully anyway).  Those initiating a partnership often feel that a documented agreement is too formal, or might offend the other partners and indicate that they don't "trust" the other partners. Well, there are 2 realities here (probably more). 1. you wouldn't partner with someone you don't trust, and 2. the clarity of a contract prevents confusion, and confusion leads to conflict. A partnership agreement is a pre-nup. Ask Paul McCartney about pre-nups. Just like the group I'm working with right now, I'll bet he wishes he'd added that bit of formality to his partnership with Heather Mills. 

More on this later; right now I have to prepare for tomorrow's "managing a partner who is taking our business" session.

Job interview advice

This post is contains such good information, that it must be shared -- even if it is about interviewing for an academic teaching position.  Each piece of advice is worth pondering and using, but #16 made me smile.

"always get your shoes shined at the airport on the way to your interview"

Shoes say a lot about the person.  What to know who the person really is, look at the shoes.  And if you've paid enough attention to have on great shoes, likely you'll pay attention to a lot of other important details, too.

LMD's Strategic Future

On January 24, I will be conducting an ideas session at the Summit in Louisville focusing on the activities and measures LMD should undertake in order to attract new members and deliver value to all.  My "LMD Strategists" - Christina Bennett McNew, Rikke Bisgaard, and Terri Brooks - have already provided ideas and comments that will be used to start the meeting off ... now we need yours, too.  If you can't be in Louisville in person, be there in spirit by letting us know your thoughts:  What can we do to make LMD a "destination division"?  What is LMD's unique role not already fulfilled by other divisions?  How can we clarify SLA members' understanding of LMD (and dispel the myth that "one has to be a library manager to belong")?  What specific material, solutions, communication tools, and learning opportunities should LMD offer - and how would they be possible?

Post your ideas here - and don't be shy about thinking big!  Thanks in advance!

Request for award nominees

The co-chairs for the 2008 Awards Committee are Shelly Edwards and Carol Feltes.  Each year the Division presents the Karen J. Switt Award to an SLA leader who has made notable contributions to our profession.  The award is presented at our annual business meeting at Conference(it is both monetary and a physical item commemorating the award and event).   The Division also presents, on an irregular basis, an "Outstanding Member" award.  This award is to a long standing LMD member who has made contributions to the Division, and who is usually at, or near, retirement.  While the Switt award is given every year, the Member award is only given on appropriate occasions.   If you wish to nominate someone for either one of these awards, please email the name of your nominee, and some supporting information, to either of the committee co-chairs:  Shelly (shellyfish26@yahoo.com) or Carol (cfeltes@rockefeller.edu).   Thank you for your thoughtful consideration!

How's your career path coming along? My answer: two thumbs up!

Have you been following the conversations in the blogosphere about career paths (or lack thereof), leadership vs. management skills and how to get some of those, the ambitions of Gen-Xers vs Gen Yers vs previous generations, life changes when you get on the mommy track, etc?  If you haven't, you really must follow these links to some very interesting dialogues. (I say dialogues because you have to read the comments to get the full gist.)

I believe Meredith Farkas kicked it off by revealing to us her agony on finding out that there is no upward mobility for her at her current place of employ:  Darn that dream.  Then there's Steven Bell asking us "Are You Where You Want To Be Professionally?" http://acrlblog.org/2007/12/05/are-you-where-you-want-to-be-professionally/. It would seem that he has been satisfied by his career path - and so he should be.  And then there was Brian Mathew's answer to Steven Bell:  Be like Emeril: my response to Steven Bell, endorsing more celebrity.  Finally, if you want the "catty" viewpoint, check out the Annoyed Librarian's take on all this and the comments from her readers - who include Meredith and Steven and Brian:  Careers and Stuff.    

No matter where you are in your career or what is around the corner, these conversations are food for thought.  And my thought was:  doesn't SLA offer a good selection of courses on specific Leadership and Management topics through Click U which surely should support members' interests in moving forward in their careers?  My next thought was:  where are YOU in your career - and how can LMD help you to get where you want to be?

In the interest of starting this dialogue with you and as I don't believe most of you know me, I'll go first:  I graduated from Library School at McGill University 20 years ago now.  (I can't believe how the time has flown!)  I spent the first 10 years of my career on the "library" side of the street, working in progressively more senior positions in special libraries, ending as the Manager of the Business Information Centre at Deloitte & Touche in Toronto.  I've spent the next 10 years on the "other side" (Stephen Abram http://stephenslighthouse.sirsi.com/index.html  once said the "dark side") of the street, mostly working for and / or consulting to vendors.  SLA helped me all along the way:  first with public speaking opportunities, leadership opportunities with my local chapter, then gaining (small-p) political skills in roles at the association level, networking, contacts, more public speaking in much larger venues - and TONNES of fun.  Where will my next 10 years be?  I'm not sure (I'm of the Annoyed Librarian's "improvise - not plan" approach to career), but I'm hoping this next year as Chair of this division will provide me with some skills in working with all kinds of different people - including some members out there who are FAR more experienced than me!

-Juanita - Chair, Leadership & Management Division

Advice from Karen

K.G. Schneider (Free Range Librarian) wrote a very thoughtful post filled with advice.  Titled "How to be 'famous' (wink wink, nudge nudge)", the advice is good for anyone who is in a leadership position.  For example:

• Like it or not, you are a role model
• Pace yourself
• Help up-and-comers

Who knows...you may find advice here to pass along to your staff and other colleagues.

Decluttering your mind

At the beginning of every year, we all spend time thinking about what we could do differently.  The bloggers at Zen Habits have had several posts recently meant to help us refocus and be productive, including this one entitled "15 Can’t-Miss Ways to Declutter Your Mind." Among the tips are:

• Identify the essential.
• Go slower.
• Single-task.

Although the best tip is likely the first one: breathe.  When we're rushed at the office, we often forget to stop and breathe.  A couple deep breaths will slow you down, help you clear your mind, and help you focus.

Go ahead...give it a try.