Staff, continued

We left off at problems, our favorite topic!

Problems can occur when power is

concentrated in the wrong places or badly dispersed

You’re only as good as your weakest link

• Solve one and the next pops up• Everyone is counting on YOU to

solve it• Expect fallout after you do

They can be like adolescents

Hard to get them separated so they can act singularly. Help them to do that. Like bus drivers with time between runs. Don’t give them time together!

Dispel myths and past rules

“But we used to…”“No one told ME that policy changed”

The person least invested in your vision will be the most likely to use those words.

Be their union!

Know your management rights clause

A contract can be their excuse and your crutch. Know it cold and put it away.

Have staff blanket the community

Helping managers

Your biggest staff challenges

• Keep close to them• Make them advisors• Give them time and attention

Your biggest worries

• Who is handling the finances?• Who is saying what directly to public?• Who has personal relationships with

key people like board members?

Watch out for:

• Showing favorites• Telling them more than they are

able to handle• Feelings of frustration

Think of the worst that could be said about you.

“You must be hard to work for”

Who me???

Poll time!

1. Do you have an evaluation process?2. Are you happy with it?

Evaluations and the Strategic Plan

• Stick to the strategic plan as a guide• Use situational management• Continuous feedback=no surprises• Document, document, document• Find good labor counsel

Evaluations, cont’d.

• Practice what you’ll say• How you evaluate your

managers will be the way they evaluate their staff

• Choose the right location

Cherish every one

• Everyone has a gift. Bring it out. • Know what motivates them. • Give each a role that’s unique

One staff, one library

Homework:Make a list of staff who you don’t know well or haven’t had

contact with

Ask for feedback on one or two things

you could do to be even better.

Reminders: 1. send me your photos2. make your second

1-on-1 appointment

The Front Row Culture by Seth Godin

The group files into the theater, buzzing. People hustle to get to the front row, sitting side by side, no empty seats. The event starts on time, the excitement is palpable.

The other group wanders in. The front row is empty and stays that way. There are two or even three empty seats between each individual. The room is sort of dead.

In both cases, the CEO or the guest speaker is going to address the group for an hour. But the two groups couldn't be more different.

The first organization sees possibility, the second sees risk and threat. The first group is eager to explore a new future, the second group misses the distant past. 

The truth is this: it's possible to hire for, train for and lead a front-row organization. And if you merely let entropy take over, you're going to end up with the second, lesser, failing organization instead.

It’s worth saying this as clearly as possible: The culture, the choice of front row or back row, is a choice. It's the result of investment and effort.

Where would you rather work?

Survive and Thrive: those you report to

More show & tell time

• Anything to share?

The person who hired you may be your best supporter

So when that person leaves…

Bad manager/board chairs

Mission

Your mission is to strengthen your community. Make that known.

Know your respective roles

Read the charter and then confirm with

actuality• Tradition overrides rules until

absolutely necessary• But always work for term limits!

Bridgeport, CT, example

• Percentage of the mil rate discovery. The library won but made enemies.

What are their responsibilities?

Board committees

• Governance and nominations• Finance• Long range planning• Executive committee (officers

plus committee chairs)

But not these

• Development• Personnel• Buildings and grounds• Any others?

If a board member does anything not in the purview of the

board’s charter, they are acting as a

patron, not a board member.

You and the Board Chair(or City Manager)

A special relationship, if you’re lucky

Put yourselves in their position

Visualize the meeting, the effort, the value

Poll time!

Who does a formal board or manager orientation?

Who does board evaluation?

Board selection

Board orientation

Board orientation

Sign up for library social media, get a library card, take a tour (physical and virtual), email etiquette and rules (no reply all!), FOIA, finance and budget, past minutes, past director’s reports, committee opportunities.

Board evaluation

Using outside consultants

How do you use the allotted meeting

time?

Boards Can Become

Bored

It’s up to you to prevent that

Use images

It adds credibility and keeps it lively. Video what’s happening in your own library. “If only they had been there” is solved.

Our stories are more powerful than our

statistics

Calendar of topics

• Local issues• National issues• International issues

What does your reporting look like?

No surprises!

Have “fire drills”

Speak their language

• Economic development is always a winner

How do you use the informal time?

Have stories ready for every party, concert, and ball game.

Typical challenges

• The know-it-all (“I’m not expert, but…)• The resume-builder• The distracted one• The latecomer• The gossiper

Know their soft spots

• They are also humans with needs and feelings

• Make them smart and important

Know when to step back and forward

• Yoyo moves are common when the players change

Where do you sit at meetings?

How to make deals

When not to make deals

What did I forget to mention?

Resources

• simonejoyaux.com• ALA think tank on Facebook• Library Administrator’s Digest• ICMA (International City Management

Association

Class yearbook (monthbook?) time

Class #4, the final chapter

• Friends groups• Vendors• “Physical space” leadership• Plus, how to know when it’s time to

leave your position