M. Demonstrate professional leadership and communication skills
INTRODUCTION
Throughout my professional career, I have had the opportunity to work under many different managers, each with their own unique leadership styles. Some have been admirable, while others have been reprehensible. The first public library director I had the pleasure of working with was the embodiment of what it means to be a true leader—she was intelligent, kind, compassionate, and dedicated to both the staff and the library as a whole. She was someone you could communicate with openly and honestly, and feel heard and supported. Sadly, she lost her battle with cancer in 2008, leaving behind a legacy of service and commitment to the library community that is truly commendable. The woman who next held the position as library director was of the reprehensible variety. She did not care for her staff, nor did it seem very much for the library. She was intent on advancing her own career, with little regard for who she stepped on in the process. Often, the overall attitude of an organization reflects leadership, as happened in this case—a library that had once been a joy to work in, became a place of dread for the majority of the staff. She particularly had no use for anyone who did not hold an MLIS, no matter their background or contributions to the library. That being said, leadership is a “complex phenomenon characterized by many kinds and levels of interactions between the leader and the whole of the people who comprise the social or organizational communities” (Romaniuk & Sheldon, 2018, p. 86), and I feel I am better for having experience working under such different leadership styles. Both directors helped form my career path, the first as someone to emulate, the latter as a cautionary tale. Her demeaning attitude did, however, help prompt my decision to go back to school, finish my BA, and then go on to earn my MLIS.
I have also had the opportunity to serve as a leader in a variety of opportunities, both professional and personal. I ran a book group for the public library I worked in for over 15 years, where I facilitated the monthly discussions, keeping the conversation flowing; tactfully making sure members did not stray too far off topic, or monopolize the discussion. Another chance I got to hone my leadership skills was on the library’s union negotiation committee, where I represented the circulation department for over five years, a position I was voted into by my colleagues. Holding these positions of leadership helped me recognize the importance of interpersonal communication skills, particularly “soft” skills, such as active, empathetic listening and being mindful of my body language “soft skills are critical to forming interpersonal relations, and information professionals need to communicate effectively using many different techniques depending on the message and the intended audience” (Alman, 2018, p. 333). Furthermore “the most important skills for leadership are the ‘softer’ skills, centering on interpersonal relationships” (Albright, 2018, p. 474).
In my personal life, I started and ran a food allergy support group for several years in my community, to help parents/guardians of children with food allergies deal with this life-altering diagnosis. I also coached one of my son’s soccer teams for a season, which called for a different style of leadership. My involvement in both my professional and personal leadership endeavors helped me develop strategies to become a more effective leader, by gaining an understanding of what it means to have people look to you for direction and guidance. It also helped me realize how crucial it is for a leader to set an example, be empathetic, understanding, and inspiring.
Managers are not necessarily leaders, and leaders are not always managers. One way to differentiate between the two is to remember this idea made popular by leadership pioneers Bennis and Nanus “managers are people who do things right, and leaders are people who do the right thing” (Romaniuk & Sheldon, 2018, p. 86). Leadership is not a particular role in an organization, it is the different qualities and skills a person possesses that enables a person to become a leader. These skills include being able to communicate effectively, inspiring people to listen and follow, as well as an “ability to draw people together to set and accomplish goals that are intentionally directed toward positive outcomes” (Albright, 2018, p. 467). Leadership and excellent interpersonal communication skills are two crucial qualities an effective school librarian should acquire, both of which I will discuss in this document.
LEADERSHIP
There is no one accepted definition of leadership “no single definition, within and beyond library and information science, dominates. A preferred definition might depend on a person’s position within an organization” (Hernon, 2017, p. 1). There have been many theories and ideals developed around the idea of leadership, various leadership styles, and what distinguishes a leader from the pack, such as: Trait Theory, Path-Goal Theory, Transformational or Transactional Leadership Theory, Emotional Intelligence Theory, and Foundational Competencies for Library Leaders and Managers “leaders use the theories to form their leadership approach or style. Theory explains concepts and advances one's own understanding. A style, on the other hand, is based on a combination of one’s beliefs, values, comfort level, personality, and preferences” (Hernon, 2017, p.1). Regardless of which style or theory a leader may adopt, ideally, leaders should have the following characteristics: trustworthiness, reliability, integrity, authenticity, and self-confidence.
Trait Theory suggests that leaders exhibit certain traits or attributes that signify different styles of leadership which can be broken down into five separate categories “cognitive abilities, personality, motivation, social appraisal, and interpersonal skills'' (Romaniuk & Sheldon, 2018, p. 88). Some of the traits associated with this theory are “drive for responsibility, task completion, willingness to accept consequences of decision and action, ability to influence other’s behavior, and willingness to tolerate frustration and delay” (Romaniuk & Sheldon, 2018, p. 88).
The Path-Goal Theory, different from the trait theory, is a situational theory of motivation, which operates under the premise that a leader is able to adjust their style based on specific goals and the individual situation “the leader can be directive (when the leader knows more about the task than the staff member does); participative, that is, having staff totally involved in the decision making; or achievement-oriented, that is, challenging staff to perform at the highest possible level” (Romaniuk & Sheldon, 2018, p. 88).
Transformational/Transactional Leadership Theory is a theory that suggests leaders are either transformational or transactional. The transactional theory is a reward-based theory, where members of an organization are motivated by rewards, offered as a way to reinforce positive performance. Rewards are then held back when there is insufficient performance. Transformational, on the other hand, proposes “leaders who inspire and stimulate followers, rather than ‘bribe’ or encourage them with rewards, will not only attain exceptional outcomes but also will improve their own leadership capacity” (Romaniuk & Sheldon, 2018, p. 88).
Emotional Intelligence (EI) Theory is a particular “mindset” that calls for leaders to be able to relate emotionally to people within the organization, as well as stakeholders. According to Hernon (2017), EI is made up of four different dimensions:
Self-awareness: Knowing personal strengths, preferences, and personality helps leaders “recognize and understand their own needs, emotions, and drives as well as the effect they have on others” (Hernon, 2017, p. 2).
Social awareness: leaders are able to discern social norms, have the capacity to understand and empathize with other perspectives, as well as “feel comfortable socially, and recognize the power dynamics in a group or organization” (Hernon, 2017, p. 2).
Self-management: Leaders should be reliable, with the ability to “control impulsive feelings and behaviors, take initiative, follow through on commitments, and adapt to changing circumstances” (Hernon, 2017, p. 2).
Relationship management: all relationships matter in an organization, and should be cultivated and maintained. Leaders should also “communicate clearly, inspire and influence others, work well in a team, and manage conflict” (Hernon, 2017, p. 2).
Foundational Competencies for Library Leaders and Managers - The Library Leadership Administration and Management Association (LLAMA) has put together their own list of leadership qualities they feel an information professional should hold. They are “communication skills, change management, team building, collaboration and partnerships, emotional intelligence, problem solving, evidence-based decision making, conflict resolution (personnel), budget creation and presentation, forward thinking, critical thinking, ethics, project management, marketing and advocacy” (Albright, 2018, p. 470-1). These competencies were developed in an attempt to give librarians a universal standard of leadership which information professionals can turn to for guidance.
Self-Confidence - An individual may have the skills and capabilities to become a leader, but without a certain level of confidence or self-efficacy, a person is unlikely to step up and take a leadership role. The difference between self-efficacy and self-confidence is that confidence is a generic term that does not describe what an individual is capable of, whereas self-efficacy is “domain-specific” (Romaniuk & Sheldon, 2018, p. 90). According to Romaniuk & Sheldon (2018), self-efficacy is “essential to leadership emergence” (p.90). In other words, self-efficacy is self-confidence in one’s leadership abilities, an integral component of an individual becoming a leader.
Trust - Leadership also requires the capacity to build trust within the organization. Trust is vital to the success of an organization, and the ability to motivate and inspire members of an organization. Bennis found that there are four distinct characteristics that inspire trust:
“Unquestionable integrity demonstrated in ethics, values, and observable actions
Unconditional empathy for all those in the organization
Behaviors that are consistent with values and commitments
Inspirational but attainable visions” (Romaniuk & Sheldon, 2018, p. 93-4).
Members of an organization are not going to follow a leader they do not have faith in. Trust is the basis for any relationship, and crucial to the success of a leader “trust is built and maintained when a leader has integrity...a leader with integrity builds bonds with the group and is actively engaged” (Romaniuk & Sheldon, 2018, p. 93-4).
COMMUNICATION
Communication and leadership are inextricably intertwined. Without communication, there is no leadership. There are several techniques required for effective communication, and there are many factors that can affect communication. Specifically, communication may be impacted by language—accents, the use of jargon or slang, generation, preferences, culture, personality, tone, body language, emotion, status/relationship, physical barriers, and simple misunderstanding. Communicating effectively includes having strong interpersonal skills, soft skills, problem solving skills, collaborative, and managerial skills such as: knowing your personality type, communication preferences, building trust, and the ability to actively and empathetically listen. According to Alman (2018) “some people seem to have natural interpersonal skills and are considered effective communicators while others struggle to be understood and to understand the intended message” (p. 332). Developing effective communication strategies is integral in the ability to “effectively transmit and receive messages” (Alman, 2018, p. 332).
Personality Type - In order to communicate effectively, it is important to understand your personality type, as it has a major impact on behaviors related to communication “each person’s communication style is unique, and personality type is another factor that impacts understanding the intended message” (Alman, 2018, p. 338). Taking a personality test, such as the Myers Briggs helps individuals understand how their communication preferences affect others, which is vital to clear communication. According to Myers Briggs, there are sixteen different personality types made up of eight preferences that contribute to how we communicate, as a “result from the interactions among the preferences” (Hirsh, 2018, p. 3). Particularly, how open an individual is to experiences, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability, all of which factor into effective communication, particularly the ability to understand and be understood.
Active Empathetic Listening is also an integral component of the ability to communicate effectively. The art of active, empathetic listening, does not simply mean not talking, it means “listening to understand so that the other person feels truly heard. Active listening involves not merely listening with our ears but also listening with our eyes and our mind so that we understand the way the speaker feels” (Colwell, 2013, p. 63). It is also important to “distinguish between hearing and listening. While one may hear the words spoken, that person might be mentally multitasking causing him or her to miss key points in the message” (Alman, 2018, p. 334). Active empathetic listening, therefore, involves giving your complete, undivided attention to the speaker, letting them know through body language you are invested in truly listening and understanding the message they are trying to convey.
Collaboration - The ability to collaborate successfully in a group setting is another vital characteristic of effective communicators (as well as leaders) “managers value employees who have the skills and flexibility to work alone on projects and also to be effective team players depending on the situation and the organization’s needs” (Alman, 2018, p. 334). Using an acronym such as TEAM - Together Everyone Achieves More, can help individuals understand that it is important to work together collectively and compassionately. This ability helps to strengthen the entire organization both internally and externally.
EVIDENCE
Info 286 - Interpersonal Communication Skills - Personal Reflective Paper
This assignment was a reflection on the overall course, what we learned, including how effectively we were able to communicate for our group project. I believe that this assignment shows not only that I understand the nuances of interpersonal communication, but also that I expressed leadership traits through my ability to self-reflect and admit where I had not communicated in a mindful way, which affected the quality of my relationships.
Info 286 - Interpersonal Communication Skills - Flashes of Insight
Throughout the semester we were required to record any “flashes of insight” or the things that really stuck with us. At the end of the semester, we were to look over all of the flashes of insight we had amassed, and choose our top five. This assignment helped me understand how integral effective communication is, and to form strategies for communicating. As I noted earlier, one of the most important aspects of leadership is effective communication. Therefore, I feel this assignment shows that I have the ability to communicate effectively and professionally in a leadership capacity.
Info 286 - Interpersonal Communication Skills - Exploratory Essay
For this assignment, we were asked to choose a factor that affects an individual’s communication style, as well as ways to improve communication. I chose to discuss active empathetic listening during the reference interview, and how integral that is to successful communication in the library. Although I concentrated on the reference interview, the art of being an active, empathetic listener translates to all areas of life, both professionally and personally. This assignment shows I have a clear understanding of how important it is to be mindful, aware, and empathetic during any and all library transactions.
CONCLUSION
Leadership and interpersonal communication skills go hand in hand, and are vital for the school librarian to have in their repertoire. “Leaders cannot lead without followers, and since the purpose of leadership is to engage and influence colleagues, staff and superiors, that means listening and hearing their viewpoint” (Colwell, 2013, p. 63), not simply imposing your own. I am confident that as a library teacher I will be able to apply the leadership and interpersonal communication skills I have learned in all aspects of my job. I will also continue to engage in professional development in order to continue to develop, refine, and enhance my leadership and interpersonal communication skills.
References
Albright, K. (2018). Leadership skills for today's global information landscape. In S. K. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (pp. 465-476). Rowman and Littlefield.
Alman, S. W. (2018). Communication, marketing, and outreach strategies. In S. K. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (pp. 331-342). Rowman and Littlefield.
Colwell, G. (2013). An underrated leadership skill. Nursing Standard, 27(47), 63. https://doi.org/10.7748/ns2013.07.27.47.63.s56
Hernon, P. (2017). Reflections on library leadership: An examination of four leadership theories. Library Leadership & Management, 31(4), 1-12.
Hirsh, S. (Ed.). (2018). Information services today: An introduction. Part IV – Managing Information Organizations: Management Skills for the Information Professional [Suppl.], 1-26. https://rowman.com/WebDocs/Online_Supplement_Information_Services_Today_Part_IV.pdf
Romaniuk, M.-J., & Sheldon, B. E. (2018). A conversation on leadership: Taking another look. In K. Haycock & M.-J. Romaniuk (Eds.), The portable MLIS: Insights from the experts (2nd ed., pp. 85-102). Libraries Unlimited, an imprint of ABC-CLIO.