Library Bosses

I meet a lot of library ‘bosses’ who read this blog.  You might want to read this post from the HBR Blog:

Bosses: What Will You Do Differently Today?

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/10/bosses_what_will_you_do_differently.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+harvardbusiness+%28HBR.org%29

Snippets:

Alarming data:

• “Almost a third (31%) of employees polled feel uninspired and unappreciated by their bosses — and close to 15% feel downright miserable, bored, and lonely.
• Only 38% describe their boss as “great,” 42% say their bosses don’t work very hard, and close to 20% say their bosses have little or no integrity.
• Close to 70% say they’d be happier at work if they got along better with their bosses. That breaks down equally among men and women, but rises to an astonishing 80% among workers in their 20s and 30s.
• Close to 60% say they’d do a better job if they got along better with their bosses.
• When stress levels rise at work, a disturbing 47% say their bosses do not stay calm and in control (although, to be fair, 70% of the boomers say their bosses keep their cool when the heat is on).”
• “more than half (about 54%) of U.S. employees were not engaged in their organizations.”

“Six simple suggestions to make your employees feel more valued and engaged before you lose them:

1. Communicate
2. Be Positive
3. Be Honest
4. Set Goals
5. Show Support
6. Reward”

Read the article and consider what you can do:

Are you spending your professional development and conference budget where it’s needed?  Is it going fairly to those in need?

Are the inexpensive doughnut, coffee or pizza budget being used to reward employees and hear informal concerns and ideas?

When was the last time you had lunch or coffee with someone who doesn’t report to you?

Do you model respect for their work environment?  Which gets painted or renovated first – executive or public areas?  Do you pick up garbage as you walk by?

Do you acknowledge as many co-workers by name as possible?  I occasionally see directors walk through staff or public areas eyes down…

Are you dealing with the management gaps between you and front line staff?  Are they being open and treating staff as they’d like to be treated?

What is in your non-monetary reward kit bag?

Your value system is only as good as it appears in real life.  Some libraries excel at engaging staff and some don’t.  Be one of the good ones!

Smile a little too.  Management is more fun than we make it look (which might explain why it’s hard to recruit library leaders lately).

Stephen