Taking the Stairs

It is amazing how many opportunities I’ve had lately to either read or hear about change and organizational structure. What is exciting about each one is how they can be applied to all that is happening at Linebaugh or with our strategic planning process. Let me share with you some snippets from a recent speaker at the monthly Rutherford CABLE meeting, Rory Vaden. He is the co-founder of Southwestern Consulting and New York Times bestselling author of Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success, published in 2012.

Vaden shared a study of U.S. employees that reveals that the average worker admitted to wasting 2.09 hours each day on non-job-related activities. This costs employers $10,396/year per employee! What is the source of this? Procrastination.

We all know about procrastination, and most of us admit to falling prey to it, whether as a college student and waiting till the last minute to study for a test or finish a project or in just cleaning the house. Vaden shares three forms of procrastination:

1. Classic procrastination – You know when you do it.
2. Creative avoidance – Unconscious procrastination. It’s doing menial work just to be busy and avoiding what really needs to be done.
3. Priority delusion – Allowing your attention to shift to less important but more urgent tasks.

Vaden’s premise in Take the Stairs is that success in life comes down to the choices you make, especially when no one is looking. Really successful people formed habits of what they knew they should be doing even when no one else was doing it. Nobody wants to take the stairs, because we live in an escalator world. Even though a broken escalator becomes stairs, some will complain and look around for the elevator. That convenience has turned into entitlement and a majority of people are no longer willing to do the work. (I see this a lot with the handicapped button in our front entrance…but I digress).

Negativity in life comes from continuing a bad habit and putting off what we knew we should be doing in the first place. Vaden says the solution comes from something we all know about but don’t like to hear – discipline. “Success is never owned, success is rented and the rent is due every day.”

I was thinking of this principle recently as an email was sent to remind staff to “slow down and be more careful with checking items in.” Being more purposeful in our work takes discipline, and though we may see it as going slower, the end result is better efficiency. With the changes happening in our system, we will all have to change some habits that we’ve grown comfortable with but which no longer meet the needs of our patrons or organization.  As we look to the success of our libraries, we will all have to pay the rent of a disciplined mindset and work ethic each and every day. So, let’s take the stairs to get on the bus!

Get on the Bus!

Change is a-happenin’ at Linebaugh Public Library, and this “Energy Bus” is moving at breakneck speed these days, it seems. With every kind of change, each of us goes through transition, which can involve grief, stress, excitement, trauma, or many other emotions that affect our mind, bodies and even work performance. Our Director recently gave us a book to read, The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon, and it has an interesting point about dealing with change:

E + P = O

“The E stands for events in your life…The P stands for perception and the O stands for outcome. We can’t control the events in our life but we can control how we perceive them and our perception and response to the events determine our outcome.” The way we choose to look at change determines the outcome or effect it has on our life and/work. In choosing to face change with a positive attitude does not deny the natural emotions that are part of the transitional process, but means that even if the change is tough or hard, I am going to choose to see that there could be something positive happening as result of this specific change.

In our local circumstance, we can apply this is in looking at our new HOLDS process. It has brought change, because we have to adjust a procedure that they are used to and comfortable with. The new system is not perfect yet, because we still need some work done through adjustments in our library software, which will take time. So, I can choose to either be unhappy, because I have to change the way I’ve always dealt with Holds, or because the imperfect result may cause confusion sometimes. If I choose this, the outcome of the event plus my perception is going to be negative on my work performance and on patrons who come in and I deal with.

The other option is that I can choose to be positive about the change, because I see how it will benefit patrons and staff in the long run (even when it’s not perfect yet), and thus the outcome will be that I encourage patrons with excitement to see how easy this will be for them, and look forward to having more time myself in taking care of other tasks or helping patrons in ways I haven’t been able to do previously. Either way, I have a choice. What we all need to realize is that the choices we make affect how we work with others, how we relate to our patrons and even how we feel.

I’m excited about the road ahead! Yes, change is a constant, but also reminds us that we are growing and improving and making even more of a difference in the lives of our community. GET ON THE BUS!

Effective Leaders Create Focus

One of my tendencies when dealing with an active child is to look them in the eyes and say as I'm pointing to my own: "Now, let's focus. Do you hear me? What am I asking you to do?" The more I hear and read about leadership, the more I see that much of it relates directly to what some of us do naturally as parents. I have been in many a home (sometimes my own), when the place is a mess, kids are running wild and one spouse is sitting with his feet up on the couch and the other is sweating in a hot kitchen trying to get dinner on the table.

Then there are other homes where the kids are helping to chop tomatoes and set the table, one spouse is getting drinks ready as the other pulls a casserole out of the oven. It is a calm and peaceful place and everyone is pitching in.

We we look at our libraries, we can easily relate them to life in either home. It's not the child's role to tell everyone what to do, but the parent's, and as Robert Benson shared in a recent presentation: "When a person becomes a director, their thought pattern changes from thinking not about what I can do as an individual, but about what we can do as a team." The effective director gives the team focus or vision, and the key to that is for staff members to understand their place in the priorities of implementing that vision.

If a child knows that by helping mom set the table, he will be able to eat sooner, then he will be more willing to help. In the same way, a staff member is more willing to do his specific task if he or she realizes that in accomplishing that, a child will be able to learn to read sooner or a person will learn the skills they need to get that job they so badly need.

If we set the vision and connect it with a higher purpose than just the "task at hand", our staff will be more emotionally invested in the overall goals of the library. Routines will change from dull tasks to an invaluable part in the process of seeing the library reach her potential in changing lives for the good.

Along with striving to find the "why" we exist as a library in our community, our next goal should be not only for the staff to understand and "buy into" that purpose, but also to then discover their areas of strength which we will then be able to harness to see our purpose fulfilled. One of the greatest deficiencies in many organizations is for people to "move up" or into empty positions because "they've been there the longest" and not because they are qualified or gifted to serve in that capacity. Working toward seeing staff grow and work out of their strengths is an important goal to work toward as a leader who strives to create focus.

One big goal, one small step at a time

Productive self-evaluation is hard to accomplish, and when asked to do the same for one's organization, it is no easier -- mainly because part of looking at where we are at the present means that I'm partially responsible for our current position, and when looking at the future of where I want us to be, also means I have to take responsibility for getting us there. Both are hard to face, but I'll bite the bullet and try to muse on both.

Presently, I believe our library is moving in a positive direction. We have made some hard changes in the past two years, staff have learned that change is inevitable, and that it will continue to be part of our ongoing reality at our library. We have worked hard to nip gossip in the bud, learn to talk about what's bothering us and talk about issues. I'm not always the first person they come to as the Branch Librarian, but I do seem to eventually hear about issues and am able to address them before it gets too far out of hand. I am very pleased with the changes that have taken place in our Children's Area, and our staff there are much happier too.

Circulation staff have come a long way, and they are actually involved and looking forward to the implementation of our new holds system. We have been able to do some cross-training between Reference and Circ, and that has helped a great deal as well. There is more to do in Circulation, but we are moving in a positive direction.

Reference staff are quality employees, though they do not always handle change well. This is an area we have some major changes happening in for the future, so I am not pleased with how well they are prepared for this. It will require work.

My vision for the staff is that they would become pro-active owners of the vision of the library and see their role in making our library the best it can be to our patrons. This means that they will be willing to move from their comfort zones and try new things or be willing to help in areas that are not necessarily a part of their job assignment.

We are preparing to have a major paradigm shift in our library with the planning and implementation of a new strategic plan under the guidance of Sandra Nelson. The small step I would like from my staff is to see them engaged in the process and excited about what it will mean, not for them, but for our patrons and community. I am working in these weeks to share with them stories that help them see that they are part of something much bigger than themselves, empowering patrons to achieve greatness in a multitude of areas because of what we provide for them at our library. If I can get them to grasp this concept and get excited about it, I will be thrilled that I have accomplished something.

How will I know I've achieved this? I will see staff smiling more than frowning. I will see staff engaging with patrons. I will see staff interested in areas outside their work space. I will hear staff talking to one another about something exciting that happened with a patron instead of complaining about work or another colleague.

That's my dream...that's my hope...I know it's possible and will lead to great things!

Managing Performance -- Easy to say, Hard to do

When I think about managing performance and the public library, the first thing that comes to mind is a stage performance. While some would say, no, this is about a person's work performance, there are some connections with theatre. In any work environment, the various employees have to both do their individual jobs as well as work in harmony with the rest of the staff in order to effectively serve the public through our materials or services. Unfortunately, I think many people come to a job with the mindset that as long as they do their job, it doesn't matter what is happening in the rest of the library. There is no sense of being a part of the larger picture or of the team. Who's fault is this? Well, I could easily point my finger to one of many leaders who came before me, but in the end, I have to look at myself as the manager or supervisor as the one responsible.

Though an employee's attitude may be"preset" before I got on the job, it is my responsibility as the branch librarian or supervisor to help them to "reset" in accordance with the new work environment I have to establish under my leadership. This takes effort, and as Maggie Bahou shared in a recent presentation on the subject, it also requires us to build trust with our employees. If my employees trust me, they will be willing to change for the good of the library.

Trust, however, cannot be built overnight, but comes as we develop rapport with each person by communicating to them our vision and purpose in a way they hear and accept. For some, this will require constant written correspondence, while for others, it means daily verbal interaction. I believe for all it requires a combination of both.

My brother worked for many years as a stage manager at the Chicago Lyric Opera, and I know the hard work that went into his job to coordinate all the actors and staff required to put on a performance. Library management requires the same intense labor, and managing performance should be part of our daily routine. After I get into my email and send our supervisors my "Daily News from Carol" update, which includes the day's activities, who is off or out of the office for the day and any other important news they may need to convey to their groups, I take time to go to each of my supervisors, greeting other staff members along the way, and check in with them. See if there is anything I need to know about their day, if there are any problems, or if they need help with anything from me. This has been one of the biggest boosts to increasing trust in our organization, for my supervisors know they can come to me for anything. I do keep my door open, and they can see from my window if I am with someone else or on the phone, so supervisors and staff know I am accessible.

When there are issues or problems in a supervisor's performance, I always talk to them first about the problem and give a window of opportunity for them to make a correction. If the issue continues, I talk to them and give a written warning, always copying our HR Administrator and Director. I work to keep documentation on all issues that arise with those I'm responsible for, which enables me to either get issues solved in a timely matter or have backup if dismissal is required.

I am working to be better at doing a formal semi-annual review, so that I can go over the goals that my supervisors made at the beginning of the year. This helps them to remember what they're supposed to be working on and to make corrections if progress is not being achieved. This will aleve stress at the end of the year when you realize their goals were not met, but you as their supervisor did not take the time to check on their progress throughout the year, so how can you blame them all of a sudden?

Again, managing performance -- easy to say, hard to do. Is it achievable?  Absolutely! Is it worth it? Most definitely! For you, for your staff and for the good of the people you serve.

Staff Development Day Woes

When asked to muse about Staff Development Day, my mind naturally went back to the last few that I have participated in at our library. Historically, they have been a time when staff have worked on the strategic plan, played some "group" games, eaten together and been able to "be casual" without the patrons being around. Since I was not the one to plan this day, I wasn't responsible, so I got to hear staff moaning and groaning about one thing or another. I didn't blame the Director or HR Administrator for this, because there are some who will complain about everything. I did, however, try to take their comments to heart and give my input for future events.

I was especially encouraged when, I was able to coordinate this day in 2012 for our system. I used the opportunity to invite other libraries from the region to join us for a frontline conference. We used outside speakers and some good breakout sessions to not only learn from experts but from one another. It also enabled our staff to see how good they have it, as other librarians came into our building, ooh-ed and aah-ed at this or that and asked us how we did things. I think it is helpful for staff to interact with others to grow both in their professional skills but also to realize they have much to give and teach.

Two things were suggested in relation to Staff Development Day that are making me think:

1. Get staff input on what they would like to do for the day.

2. Reward and recognize.

Knowing some of the complaints I've heard in the past about Staff Day, I wonder about the validity of asking them for suggestions on what to do. However, just because one hears from the nay-sayers does not mean that other staff (or even the nay-sayers) do not have a positive contribution to make for the planning of future training events.

I have been working hard to be consistent in recognizing staff who get complements from patrons or do an excellent job at a certain project. Most of this is done through system-wide emails or our in-house newsletter. The challenge is finding a way to reward without leaving out. I would be very much up for suggestions on this one. We do give out door prizes and special gifts for staff, but actual recognition of specific individuals does not always come, though I see the value for morale and longevity.

All that said, I am looking forward to this year's Staff Development Day in our system, because we will have an excellent speaker that will be working with staff in regards to our new strategic plan. Knowing what she brings to the table, I'm excited to see how staff will respond as we move forward to a whole new level of engagement with the community.

Staff Development Day Woe -- No! Staff Development Day -- Way to Go!

Geek the Library and Me

When a staff member shared with me about a new library awareness campaign entitled, Geek the Library, I was immediately taken with the idea. With funding provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and guidance given by library cooperative, OCLC, it seemed like a win-win opportunity for public libraries to get the word out in the community. I read up on the campaign and scheduled a conference call for supervisors, so we could all be on the same page in planning and implementation.

That was almost a year ago, and now as we are winding down our year of awareness building efforts, I have a few observations to make.

1. Creating public awareness for the library does not have to be hard.

• The most impressive part of the Geek the Library (GTL) campaign for me was the simplicity of it. It had a cool logo to get things started, and OCLC made it easy for libraries to take it and adapt it to our needs.
• Online resources abound in helping libraries get the message out. GTL was great to use in conjunction with Facebook, Twitter and our website -- all free and easy.

2. Getting staff buy-in is crucial to any public awareness campaign.

• Sometimes buy-in comes with buying something for the staff -- in our case it was a free t-shirt! We provided every staff member from the Director to the Maintenance Man a free GTL t-shirt and told them to wear them "outside" the library! Who doesn't like a free shirt?
• How staff talk about the library is vital in how the public perceives it. If staff complain about work, then their friends will never want to walk through our doors. If they never re-post a library event on their Facebook page, then why should anyone else. Staff are the first line of offense in getting the word out about the great public library.

3. We are only as good as a patron's first impression.

• No matter how much you promote your library in print, billboards, or online, if patrons have a bad experience when they come into our facility, that will trump all our efforts.
• Customer service must be our primary aim in all we do. Keeping them happy leads them to tell others about how great we are.
• I have also learned a lot in how to respond to patron complaints in this process, realizing that helping them to be happy in the end, helps them to remember us well to others.

4. Stories are important.

• Numbers count to some, but stories are remembered by all. Finding ways to get staff to send me patron stories has been my greatest challenge in this campaign.
• However, I'm learning that a few great stories is better than too many good ones. The community doesn't need to hear too much, but just enough to remind them about how we're meeting needs.
• The GTL campaign has taught me how to share stories through picture posts, and this will carry on long after the campaign is over.

5. Public awareness of the library is an ongoing process and has to be incorporated in all we do.

• Stories have to be shared on a regular basis.
• Frontline staff have to be on their toes with great customer service every day.
• The library has to meet the needs of the community, even if that means changing the way we do things. 

I'm thankful for the Geek the Library campaign and how it has bumped up our public image and helped us as staff to be more mindful of our message and image.

Emotions in the Workplace? Never!

I was intrigued by the title of a recent webinar taught by Eryn Kalish of Workplace Connections: "A Manager's Guide to the Emotional Workplace". Priding myself for being more of a "no nonsense" kind of person, I chose to watch this session knowing that I probably needed help dealing with my more "emotional" colleagues; or, perhaps I thought it might help me to show some emotion in difficult situations. Whatever the true motivation, I found the webinar very beneficial on several fronts.

I was encouraged from the very beginning by a statement Kalish made about the desire to use the energy of conflict to release positive energy for managing the situation. How to turn negative feelings into positive results is a challenge every manager faces. While this is a noteworthy goal, our tendency as managers trends in the opposite direction with the word "avoidance". We have two choices to make when faced with a problem: 1. Take action, or 2. Avoid it. The result of choosing the second option is that what began as a small or manageable problem will grow and return again. If avoidance continues to be the reaction on our part, the once small then larger problem grows into a full-blown crisis.

When faced with a true crisis, the wimpy manager now is forced to take action, but it usually ends up being a quick, unilateral decision that is a poor solution to the problem and damages relationships. When I saw this diagram on the screen and heard the speaker sharing the above process, I saw many real-life scenarios on the computer screen of my brain. I could do nothing by agree with her assessment and wanted to hear her solutions.

When dealing with intense feelings at work, most people do one of three things: fight, flight or freeze. Our speaker, however, gave another more positive response -- feel and deal! I liked the deal part, but was now open to learn about the feel side. While myself and some others I know (no names named) have a tendency to do the dealing by sticking with the facts and trying to use objective reasoning, I could also make a list of managers I know who swing to using their feelings and show so much empathy with the person in question that they give less than objective credibility to their side of the problem.

What I learned was that we can and should show empathy without agreeing with the other person's position. I acknowledge their feelings and thus give them value, but I don't place a right or wrong judgement on them. In doing this, I decrease the tension by showing that I understand and make room for us to work together to find a positive solution to the issue at hand. There is a fine balance, however, in acknowledging their feelings and analyzing them. In the optimum setting, a good manager will express his own feelings and not bring up those of the other person. This statement was a good example: "I am concerned that I did not handle the feedback well and nervous that you quit" (This is after an employee has stomped out of the room over a confrontation). Though I didn't like the word "nervous", I got the idea of deflecting and keeping the tension down by talking about my feelings first.

Emotions are a part of life, and we cannot help but see them in the workplace. Addressing them effectively is key to being a good manager and a worthy personal goal for 2014.