My vision of and for leadership has its foundation in leading by example. As a leader, my desire and goal is to empower those around me. I do this by getting to know my coworkers, their skills, and preferences; with that information, I am able to help find projects, programs, or activities that fit their abilities and personalities. For example, on January 2, 2020, all of the branches within the Pioneer Library System (PLS) were closed for staff to begin doing an inventory of all of the collections. This was the first time that PLS had instituted a system-wide inventory. Luckily, the staff of the Noble Public Library had performed an inventory of the branch’s collection in 2019. I had taken point in our first inventory and worked out a bunch of the kinks. On the day of our second inventory, I took the lead of the project, assigning specific duties to each staff member based on their experience and skill set. We completed the inventory in three days, the first to be done in the system. Since then, inventory has become an activity that I plan, organize, and execute on a yearly basis.
While I am not someone who has their eyes on management, I do not shy away from leadership roles in projects or in my day-to-day job as a Library Associate. I also look for opportunities to grow my experience and career whether it is through continuing education, leadership programs, or other projects. Ultimately, my thoughts on leadership were summed up perfectly by Captain Christopher Pike when he said, “You believe in service, sacrifice, compassion… and love” (Kim et al., 2019).
Kim, B. Y. (Writer), Lippoldt, E. (Writer), & Aarniokoski, D. (Director). (2019). Through the valley of shadows [Television series episode]. In A. Kurtzman (Executive Producer), Star trek: Discovery. Toronto, Canada: CBS Studios.