Manager Resource Evaluation Project

Manager Resource Evaluation Project

The Short Version

We’re evaluating management and leadership books by reading and reviewing their usefulness and beneficial aspects (or not).  Pick a book from the list, read it, submit an evaluation, and you’ll help create an annotated resource list for all interested staff members. 

 There are over 25 books on the current reading list, and more waiting to be added. Here are a few from the list:

 

8 paradoxes of leadership agility : how to lead and inspire in the real world by Chuen Yeo

Arrive and thrive : 7 impactful practices for women navigating leadership by Susan Brady, Janet Foutty, and Lynn Perry Wooten 

First Time Manager by Loren Belkner, Tim McCormick, and Gary Topchik

Twice as good : leadership and power for women of color by Mary J Wardell

The antiracist business book : an equity-centered approach to work, wealth, and leadership by Trudi Lebron

Building trust : exceptional leadership in an uncertain world by Darryl Stickel

The Culture Question – How to Create a Workplace Where People Like to Work by Randy Grieser et.al.

How to Be an Inclusive Leader by Jennifer Brown 

 

 You can view the full list on the shared drive 

or stop by the office to see what grabs your attention. 

 

If you have a suggestion that isn’t on the list we can discuss adding it to the project.

This project will run to the end of the year, and can be extended as needed.

Leading a team - suggestions from author Nataly Kogan

 As a leader, you’re not managing people. You’re managing energy, emotions, and attention.

And you can help your team focus their energy and attention in ways that fuel their thriving (and reduce struggle).

These 3 questions are a great place to begin:

1. What would it take to make today great vs just OK?

2. What is draining your energy and how could you do it less (and how could I help?)

3. How does the work you are doing help others?

Commitment to others makes the team work

 A short video with an interesting approach to who "makes it" on a team.  Leadership, service to others on the team, and commitment.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/yBgGG2G9Zyk

Library Leadership Podcast

The Library Leadership Podcast features real library leaders discussing the most important issues in libraries today. They hope it becomes a resource for everyone navigating the fast-paced world of information service provision. https://libraryleadershippodcast.com/ Recent posts include trauma-informed service, low morale in libraries, fighting for library funding, and library ethics.

eBook on Empathy in the Workplace – Free to Download

 Elliott has given us permission to share this resource, which is directed toward learning and development, but also has articles on more general topics.

Download our free, 66-page Empathy eBook! We are honored to bring you the perspectives of learning and business colleagues around the world, as they share perspectives on Empathy in the Workplace & Workforce: Download or View: https://www.masie.com/empathyebook Empathy is critical in these challenging and changing times! We have curated and published this free eBook as a “right now”, real-time resource for the learning and human resources field. “Never has the skill of empathy been more critical in learning. As we pivot to new learning approaches to address new learning needs, intentionally designing for empathy becomes the foundation on which the future of learning must be built,” from Richard Culatta, our Learning Dean. The Learning COLLABORATIVE is releasing this eBook without charge. Content includes written contributions from 18 learning colleagues, 80+ quotes from the field, and special interviews with learning and business leaders, including: Elliott Masie, Chair of The Learning COLLABORATIVE Telly Leung, Broadway Actor, Producer, & Empathy Concert Co-Host Abigail Baugus, Walmart, Inc. – Sam’s Club Katie Hines, Land O’Lakes Mark Wagner, The Hartford Roger Addison, Addison Consulting In the days ahead, tens of thousands of learning and business colleagues from around the world will be accessing this first digital publication of the Elliott Masie Learning COLLABORATIVE. Kindly share this link with your colleagues and associates: Download or View the Empathy eBook: https://www.masie.com/empathyebook Yours in Learning, Elliott Masie Chair, Learning COLLABORATIVE

Learning 2018 - Conference Review

In November I attended the Learning 2018 conference in Orlando.  This was the 28th year of this conference, which brings learning and development professionals together from around the world.  This year there were 1873 attendees from 27 different countries were represented, who are responsible for learning and development for over 30 million employees worldwide.

The theme of the conference this year was "Learning Changes."  Learners are changing, technology is changing, as are expectations and the economy.  The other main theme of the conference this year was the need for diversity, what it really means, and that cultivating diversity isn't just culturally positive, but can bring about economic improvements as well.  Other themes running through the conference included leadership development and designing effective onboarding for new staff. 

One idea that regularly was mentioned was the idea of fear and how it prevents us from achievement.  Keynote speaker Leslie Odom Jr. said that he recognized that all the things he wants in life are "on the other side of my fear," and session leader Deepak Sethi suggested that the way to overcome fear is to do more of the thing that you fear.  I even experienced a tiny bit of fear myself when trying to drive a bulldozer in the construction simulation machine, where the danger isn't real but is noticable and can affect performance.

I also learned some interesting but random things, like the fact that there are conferences for people who design and run haunted houses, that walking in a small group in a natural setting is the best stress reliever, and that  Plants vs. Zombies is a good learning game because you have to plan ahead and adapt.  I also learned that when NASCAR pit crews change tires they leave the lug nuts on the ground and they are routinely hit by these and other debris as the car returns to the track, and that in Fortune 1000 companies there are more CEOs named David than there are women, and only 3 are African-American.

Lisa R. Kenyon
Staff Development and Training

How do your direct reports see you as a manager?

If you are a managers, would your employees agree with these?

My manager:

• knows how to do my job and what is required on a day-to-day basis.
• is present, engaged, and accessible.
• helps me to see how my job and duties support the library's mission.
• supports my growth and development as an employee.
• helps me understand which parts of my job are the most important.
• understands the challenges of my job.
• offers opportunities for me to expand my duties and try new things.
• provides positive and negative feedback on an ongoing basis to help improve my job performance.

 If not, what do you need to do to fix this problem?

Leadership is a habit

 "Leadership is a habit and people have to change their habits, 

good leadership needs repletion and practice"

Nigel Paine

Authentic Leadership

"Authentic leadership doesn't shy away from tough discussions."

Andrea Jung

Are you a horrible supervisor? Take the quiz and find out.

Horrible Supervisor Quiz

How many of these describe you?  Be honest, it's just between us.

1.  I need to have control over everything.  I must know every detail of what my employees are doing.

2.  I am indecisive.  Wait, no I'm not,  Maybe I am.

3.  I don't need to know how to do the jobs that are done by my staff, I'm the supervisor.

4.  I don't need to make any changes in my behavior or my policies.  Any problems that come up must be the fault of my employees.

5. As long as my employees are afraid of me they will do what I want them to do.

6.  I don't need a work plan for my staff, we'll just handle things as they come along.

7.  Of course I have favorite staff members, they motivate the others to work harder.

8.  I don't need to watch my anger around my staff, they should know it's not directed at them.

9.  I should get credit for the hard work of my staff, after all I'm their boss.

10.  Team-building?  That's for superisors who can't control their staff.

11.  Recognition?  If I haven't told them otherwise they should know they are doing a good job.

12.  The most important thing is for my staff to like me.

13.  Transparency?  The staff only needs to know what I decide to tell them.  They should trust that I'm taking care of everything.

14.  Providing training and advancement opportunities will only encourage my staff to leave for other departments.

15.  If I make a mistake there is no need to explain or apologize.  Let's move on.

16.  My staff know not to cross me, or I'll make their jobs unbearable in the future.

17.  If my employees are unhappy they can just quit.

18,  I make a lot of empty promises and never follow through.

19.  Autonomy?  I can't trust my staff do do things on their own.

20.  I don't need any development or training,  I know everything I need to know.

How did you do?  None of these on their own necessarily makes you a bad manager, but if any of these sound familiar then you probably need some improvement.

Consider taking a class/webinar, reading a professional journal, looking online for resources, or borrowing materials from SD&T to help improve your skills.

A helpful blog for leadership skill development

I found this site, which has a lot of useful information, particularly about leadership skills.  It is very "business"oriented, but the leadership section has a lot of useful informaiton.

https://thoughtleadershipzen.blogspot.com/search/label/Leadership

Here is their description from the "about us" page:

Welcome to The Thought Leadership Zen blog, it is a FREE comprehensive site dedicated to help you keep you updated with the current trends in Management and excel in business and life. On this site we are going to share with you some tips, ideas, strategies and suggestions on how to get the best out of business, Work and personal life. We will also aim to keep you'll updated about the best practices in the world of management and self development around the world.

Do you have "engaged" employees?

Engaged Employees:

take initiative -- advocate for the organization -- interacts with other staff -- motivates others -- concentrates on their tasks -- produces a high quality of work -- loves what they do -- collaborates

Disengaged Employees:

does bare minimum of work -- wouldn't recommend the company to others -- avoids other staff -- complains a lot -- loses focus easily (or doesn't have it in the first place) -- is fine with "good enough" level of work -- always looking for another job -- avoids team participation

70% of U.S. employees are disengaged - are your staff members among them?