Competency M

Demonstrate professional leadership and communication skills.

Introduction

Two of the most essential skills for information professionals are leadership and communication. In order to inspire and empower their community, information professionals need to embody the characteristics of a good leader and know how to communicate with everyone they interact and work with effectively, whether it is within the organization itself with staff, colleagues, and customers or externally with members of the community or other stakeholders. Leadership and communication help information professionals and their organizations successfully operate, thrive, and effectively support their customers and their needs.

Explication

Leadership

Definition of Leadership

Leadership has been defined in various ways. It has been defined as “[t]he knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed to guide, motivate, and direct a team to help an organization achieve its business goals” (Project Management Institute, 2017, p. 56). It has also been defined as “the process of moving a group of followers in some direction through mostly non-coercive means and producing movement in the long-term best interests of the group” (Kumar,2009, para. 7). No matter what the definition, there are usually two properties that are included – process and influence. In leadership, there is a social process that influences or motivates followers toward specific goals (Romaniuk & Sheldon, 2018).

Leadership Principles & Strategies

Becoming a good leader and understanding what successful leadership requires information professionals to take leadership theories and apply them to actual practice. Romaniuk and Sheldon (2018) discuss the various principles of Sheldon’s leadership framework:

● Know yourself – Recognize your leadership strengths: one of the primary steps to becoming an intelligent and successful leader is understanding and focusing on one’s positive attributes.

○ Strengths can be determined through tools such as the Gallup CliftonStrengths Assessment, which provides a report on which of the 34 strength themes one possesses (Gallup, Inc., n.d.).

● Understand the differences between leadership and management: it is essential for information professionals to understand that leadership and management are not the same but are often complementary.

○ Management “involves the seamless and competent operation of an organization, while leadership requires an ability to articulate a vision, chart and communicate a direction, and identify priorities – all to produce useful change” (Romaniuk & Sheldon, 2018, p. 86).

● Prioritize priorities: it is recommended that information professionals focus on the most critical priorities but limit them to three or four priorities at any given time. More can be accomplished by directing all of one’s attention to just a few priorities instead of many.

● Develop your emotional intelligence: while cognitive abilities are important, emotionally intelligent people possess essential skills such as “relationship management; ability to attune to/or influence the emotions of another person; accurate self-assessment; adaptability; empathy; and communication” (Romaniuk & Sheldon, 2018, p. 99).

● Practice consistency: being consistent as a leader promotes trust and engagement among followers.

Leadership Competencies

In order to be effective and influential leaders, information professionals also need to possess various leadership competencies. “Leadership competencies refer to skills and behaviors that contribute to exceptional workplace performance” (Albright, 2022, p. 506). Below is a summary of the 14 competencies from the Library Leadership Administration and Management Association (LLAMA), as highlighted by Albright (2022)

● Communication skills: leaders communicate clearly and efficiently with staff, customers, and other stakeholders using various methods (verbal, non-verbal, written)

● Change management: leaders facilitate and manage change through the encouragement of innovation and collaboration

● Team building: leaders bring people together and motivate them to achieve shared goals successfully on the team and individual levels

● Collaboration and partnerships: leaders work with others – internally and externally – to strengthen the role of the institution in the community

● Emotional intelligence: leaders understand their emotions as well as the emotions of others and incorporate methods to manage their emotions in a positive manner (communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges)

● Problem-solving: leaders proactively prevent conflicts and address issues

● Evidence-based decision-making: leaders use research to determine the effectiveness of existing policies, practices, services, and programs

● Conflict resolution: leaders help resolve conflicts through communication, collaboration, and compromise

● Budget creation and presentation: leaders develop and manage budgets in order to support the institution with the resources available and communicate the value of the programs and services to stakeholders to justify the proposed budget

● Forward-thinking: leaders recognize that current and emerging trends can play a pivotal role in enhancing programs and services and take advantage of them as needed

● Critical thinking: leaders employ critical thinking skills to analyze and solve challenges

● Ethics: leaders participate in ethical decision-making and demonstrate trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, and fairness

● Project management: leaders participate in the process of managing teamwork and project to ensure that the goals are successfully met within the set restraints

● Marketing and advocacy: leaders work with their team to establish and communicate the goals and objectives of the institutions to internal and external stakeholders to encourage support and utilization of programs and services

Communication

As mentioned in the previous section, communication is one of the primary competencies of leadership. Good leaders are effective communicators. “Being an effective communicator entails an understanding of the factors that impact communication and possessing the strategies to deal effectively in many situations” (Alman, 2022, p. 375).

Effective Communication Techniques

Leaders can employ various techniques to become effective communicators, such as the following, as emphasized by Alman (2022)

● Effective speaking and writing: this skill can be improved through classes and workshops. Speaking and writing effectively is essential for communicating clearly and precisely. It ensures that customers and other stakeholders understand the messages being conveyed to them.

● Active listening: is making a conscious effort to hear and comprehend the message being conveyed. Active listening includes paying attention and responding when appropriate. This encourages personal engagement between the speaker and the listener, resulting in trust. It is also helpful in resolving issues or challenges.

● Understanding nonverbal cues: nonverbal cues contribute a lot to understanding the message the sender transmits. Examples include body posture and movement, eye contact, vocal characteristics, physical appearance, facial expressions, and so on.

● Ability to work independently and in groups: having the skills to work alone and in groups is essential to accomplish organizational goals and needs. In addition, interpersonal communication skills improve how one expresses or conveys thoughts and enhance relationships within an environment.

Impact Factors on Communication

Impact factors are “individual perspectives that have been developed through experiences, beliefs, teachings, and preferences, which can influence the interpretation of the message” (Alman, 2022, 379). Information professionals should be knowledgeable about various impact factors that can affect communication, including

● Civility: one of many tasks of information professionals is encouraging the act of interacting with others courteously, respectfully, or politely. Civility improves satisfaction and engagement among customers and staff and promotes the organization’s overall success.

● Conflicts: occur when there is a clash of opposing beliefs, values, or opinions. To facilitate conflict resolution, information professionals need to employ effective communication techniques.

● Cultural diversity: cultural differences can affect how people communicate. To avoid misunderstandings, it is essential to be mindful and culturally competent when communicating with people of different cultural backgrounds.

● Generational differences: environments can consist of people from various generations, affecting how people think, speak, and act. It is essential to encourage respect and collaboration to generate diverse ideas.

● Group dynamics: refers to how people interact with each other in a group. How a group communicates profoundly impacts a project’s results and the overall environment.

● Noise: can be any factor that prevents the message from being understood the way the sender intended. Noise can be

○ Environmental – audible noise

○ Physiological – inability to hear

○ Semantic – interpretations of words, messages

○ Syntactical – grammar mistakes

○ Organizational – confusing instructions

○ Cultural – different interpretations due to different values, nonverbal cues

○ Psychological – distractions, preconceived ideas of the message or sender

● Disabilities: can impede communication. It is encouraged to speak directly, respectfully, and carefully pay attention to identify needs.

● Personality type: different people have different preferences in communication. Understanding these preferences help information professionals modify their communication behaviors to develop more effective communication exchanges.

Evidence

INFO 282 - Project Management: Leadership Final Paper

For my final paper in INFO 282, I wrote about leadership. I distinguished the difference between leaders and managers, highlighted the various leadership competencies and skills, and discussed the significance of emotional intelligence and the relationships between leaders and their team members. Whether managing projects within the library or the library as a whole organization, leadership skills play a critical role in the organization’s success. Effective leadership aids in executing the organization’s mission and accomplishing its goals, making improvements and refinements when and where needed.

Public Library Volunteer Experience: Tech Mentor

Early in 2022, I started volunteering as a Tech Mentor to better understand the type of programs and services current libraries provide to their customers. To summarize my role, I help library customers improve their digital literacy skills by teaching them how to use the library’s computers and equipment, troubleshooting their personal computers or mobile devices, and showing them available online resources. This role requires good communication skills and an understanding of how different each person’s cognitive abilities are. How I teach will vary depending on whom I’m working with.

Pacific Library Partnership: Future of Libraries Conference

In October 2021, I attended a two-day web conference hosted by the Pacific Library Partnership. Over the two days, various speakers discussed the Future of Libraries. Different topics were covered. Day 1 covered “Care and Engagement,” which included mindfulness, empathy, and asset-based community development presentations. Day 2 covered “Equity and Care”, which included presentations on understanding racial equity, dismantling everyday racism in libraries, and how to use the power of radical imagination to enhance library programs and services. In order to be an effective leader in a community, one must look forward to the future and anticipate emerging trends and challenges and act accordingly in order to better serve their members.

INFO 281 - Intercultural Communication: Group 3 Jamboard

This piece of evidence falls under this competency’s “Collaborative ways of creating, inventing, and sharing ideas” rubric. In INFO 281, one of our group exercises was to find different articles and resources about intercultural communication and share them on the group’s Jamboard (Google’s digital and interactive whiteboard that’s part of Google Workspace and is often used for online collaboration). We were able to read and respond to the different posts each group member submitted. Users can write on it, draw, insert text, and post pictures and websites. Other items that can be integrated are Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

Conclusion

Being a good leader involves good leadership skills and effective communication. In information institutions, the environment and communities are diverse, making these skills essential for information professionals. By developing and honing these critical skills, they can improve their institution’s efficiency and achieve desired goals to address the various needs of their customers and strengthen their communities.

References

Albright, K. (2022). Leadership skills for today’s global information landscape. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services

today: An introduction (3rd ed., pp. 501–512). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Alman, S. (2022). Communication, marketing, and outreach strategies. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An

introduction (3rd ed., pp. 374–387). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Gallup, Inc. (n.d.). What are the 34 CliftonStrengths themes? Retrieved October 24, 2022, from

https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/253715/34-cliftonstrengths-themes.aspx

Kumar, V. S. (2009). Essential leadership skills for project managers. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2009—

North America, Orlando, FL. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

Project Management Institute. (2017). A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK guide) (6th ed.).

Project Management Institute.

Romaniuk, M., & Sheldon, B. (2018). A conversation on leadership: Taking another look. In K. Haycock & M. Romaniuk

(Eds.), The portable MLIS (2nd ed., pp. 85–102). Libraries Unlimited.