Here’s two postings that might serve to support and inspire leadership in libraries:

From the HBR Blog:

Five Resolutions for Aspiring Leaders

Friday December 30, 2011 by John Coleman and Bill George

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/12/five_resolutions_for_aspiring.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+harvardbusiness+%28HBR.org%29

1. Find a trustworthy mentor

2. Form a leadership development group

3. Volunteer in a civic or service organization

4. Work in or travel to one new country

5. Finally, ask more questions than you answer (this might be hard for some librarians!)

“Young leaders will soon be asked to take on major leadership responsibilities in their organizations and their communities. We believe it is essential that they take steps like these in order to be prepared for the difficult leadership challenges they will face. There’s no better time to get started than the coming year.”

And where do we find the new leaders? Check out:

Identify Future Leaders

http://blogs.hbr.org/video/2011/12/identify-future-leaders.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+harvardbusiness+%28HBR.org%29

Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, senior adviser, Egon Zehnder International, explains how to spot top talent.

Click through for the video.

And my wish for 2012?  I hope we move beyond crisis thinking in libraries and start to endorse and promote a positive view of the future and our role in it.  Engaging people in a positive vision is far more powerful than dwelling in the problems engendered in crises.  We need to lead  our libraries, our communities, our institutions, and our nations.

Stephen