I LAUNCHed into Networking

Hello friends,
This week was pretty eventful as I traveled to another city to attend a conference on leadership presented by the Texas Library Association. There were a variety of topics that were covered to develop early career librarians into leaders and promote academic excellence.

Belonging and Access

This is the new terminology to incorporate language that affirms that some people are at a disadvantage when it comes to systems that have not been designed for them. Belonging and access incorporates many of the conversations we had seen before about being a good person, leader, and professional. I learned a great analogy for equity.

Equality is giving everybody a pair of shoes. Equity is giving everybody a pair of shoes that fit.

I learned that IQ has very little to do with success at work below 120. Whereas EQ competencies are much more important. Emotional intelligence competencies distinguish outstanding from average performers. People can get hired because of their IQ but often times there is buyer’s remorse when they don’t display emotional intelligence that keeps the workplace a positive environment. Before i explored these topics i assumed that IQ was more of a predictor and indicator of high performance than emotional intelligence. Then I learned its the opposite.

We also learned about self awareness. I don’t have the source (i will try to update with the study later) but it is said that 80% of people believe they are self aware but the reality is that it closer to 10% of people. in conversation we discussed how self awareness can be harmful if the other person isn’t as self aware. Its possible to come across as arrogant when you’re most likely just self aware.

We talked about Leading from the side and Modeling effective strategies and situations where you have to “Lead Upwards”.

Teamwork and Collaboration

We discussed three values that are crucial to effective teamwork.

1. Honest communication
2. Appreciation for what each team member brings to the table
3. Familiarity with colleagues

Then we were asked an open ended question: What’s one practice you want to carry into your next team experience?

I stated to the group that i wanted to be confident in ensuring that everyone shares in the project rather than having no say or relation to the delegation of tasks. this is the difference between teamwork and collaboration. I stated that i wanted to and would lean more toward collaboration to effectively contribute to a facilitate in my groups.

Personal Power

The discussion on personal power was influential in how I see my ability to create positive change within not only my organization but my community and my life. Your personal power is strongly tied your interpersonal skills. There are different ways to generate personal power within yourself. The example that I most understood was that of the expert. By having a high level of knowledge & experience people will natural turn to you to demonstrate processes and give insights.

Personal power is Not

1. Authority
2. Leadership
3. Intimidation
4. Domination
5. Manipulation

This conversation gave the group the epiphany that Leadership and Management are not always one in the same. Anyone can lead from where they are. We were told to remember that we are not powerless and asked:

what are some things you can do to build personal power?

I’m still sitting with that one.

Vocational Awe

This was a very important topics. Let me briefly explain. Vocational Awe is the set of ideas, values and assumptions that trend toward thinking of the Library as a sacred place (paraphrasing).

Religious and Sacred Duties leading to “Awe”

1. Intellectual Freedom
2. Access to Information
3. Service
4. Sustaining Democracy

We think of the role of Librarians as protecting knowledge in the last bastion of democracy and education while everything is under attack. In this role, we imagine that librarians have to work selflessly for the community to serve the greater ideal.

You are considered “bad” when you don’t put in extra overtime for vocational work.

These beliefs are martyrdom and lead to burnout!

we use this martyrdom as a way to justify our jobs. You shouldn’t feel that you have to sacrifice just to keep your job.

Some protective practices for burnout:

1. Radical self permission at work, meaning you don’t always have to say yes.
2. Setting boundaries to protect your energy without guilt
3. Having a Joy identity & cultural connection in your life prioritized
4. Rest and Recovery Normalized
5. Letting go of Perfectionism fueled by Vocational Awe

Crucial Conversations

When we don’t always agree with someone there are way to set up and structure a conversation for the best outcome.

1. Commit to seek a mutual purpose
2. Recognize the purpose behind the strategies
3. invent (if you have to) a mutual purpose between the two of you
4. Brainstorm new strategies

In this section we learned that with a clear mutual purpose we can work together to find a solution that works for everyone. We may not always agree with people and feel we don’t always like them but i will leave you with an empathetic quote that restructure how I and thinking about difficult situations:

In having empathy, recognize that the person is not the problem, recognize that they have a problem

The conference was well worth the trip and I am excited to use these new strategies in my Day to Day. For those of you wanted to take the plunge into professional development, these can be great chances for uplift and networking that lead to Jobs, Friendships, and extended learning. I hope you feel informed by what you have read and I will see you soon.

Best,