Chapter 14: Leadership

"Management is mechanical- it's about resource allocation, efficiency, optimization...and there are process you can follow up to help you manage effectively.  Leadership is different- it's about vision and fire and winning people's hearts as well as their minds" Alan Thompson

(Evans, 2004, pg 332).

Credit:www.customfitonline.com)

Manager	Leader
administers	innovates
imitates	originates
maintains	develops
accepts reality	investigates reality
focuses on systems and structures	focuses on people
relies on control	inspires trust
has a short-range view	has a long-range perspective
eyes the bottom line	eyes the horizon
accepts the status quo	challenges the status quo
is a classic good soldier	is his/her own person
does things right	does the right thing

Approaches to Leadership:

• Trait
• Behavioral
• Situational
• Transformational
• Transactional
• Servant-leadership
• Adaptive

Our list of necessary qualities in a leader includes:  planning, decision making, defining reality, establishing authority, creating interpersonal strength, creating a clear structure for employees, creating good dynamics in groups and one-on-one,  and serving as a motivator through the expression of a vision for the future.

How do you become a leader?

1. Consider you attributes and skills.  Review the list of function of a leader. Do you possess these attributes and skills? Get feedback.
2. Understand that their are a variety of leadership styles, and they often need to be adapted to fit the situation
3. Develop the leadership skills that you lack and improve the ones you already possess.

Drew Dudley, "Everyday Leadership"

Not everyone is born a leader, but everyone can learn the necessary skills and improve in a leadership position.  Some people choose to be leaders and some are "accidental" leaders, and knowing our own leadership style and strengths will help us put leadership within our reach and give us the abilities to change the people around us.

From Amy:

I found the distinction between managing and leading to be a new concept for me. When I think about the branch supervisor at my central public library, I think of a leader. She practiced all the leadership qualities mentioned in the book: 

• develops a vision
• scans the internal & external operating environment consistently and regularly
• works with the staff when planning
• shares knowledge willingly
• suggested in her words & actions that we were all in an equal relationship but had different roles in the organization
• serves as an example setter 

Two things that spring to mind when I think of her are her almost daily email updates and seeing her in jeans and ponytail putting together computer stations in the teen area. 

She sent out friendly, informative emails almost every morning. They contained casual information about various library topics as well as needed information about changes in procedure. They made everyone feel included and set a positive tone first thing in the morning...she never made requests or criticisms in these emails. 

I saw her hammer-in-hand upstairs one morning at 7:30 when I was pulling the holds. She told me that the maintenance staff was not responding to her requests to install the new equipment for the teen section and she decided to do it herself. I helped her hold up the pieces as she screwed them together for a few minutes and then she told me that she was having fun working with me but she knew I had to get the holds done by 9 am and thanked me for my help!