Continuing with the theme of bringing your most confident and best self to work, in this post I’ll explore the concept of alter egos, and how by adopting one or more than one, it can provide an avenue for being different version of ourselves. I first learned about alter egos-in this context- from an interview […]
Thunder: Part I
As a 5’4 woman who assumed a senior leadership role in my mid-30s, and as a millenial in a profession that skews to the Baby Boomer and more recently Gen X generations, there are many times throughout the work week that I may not feel my most confident self. I’ve been referred to as “that […]
Taking a Lunch Break
One of my favorite series in Inside Higher Ed is from University of Venus, who write about issues that pertain especially to women working in higher education. In a recent post, titled: You Should Take a Lunch Break they asked several women working in different parts of academia to comment on how and if they […]
Core Values
I’ve been participating in a leadership training program offered by my university. During the session about building strong teams, our facilitator discussed the importance of identifying and articulating our core values. These values shape our leadership styles, how we approach building teams, address conflict, and develop a culture of accountability. I found this an incredibly […]
So You Want to Write a Book?
The Association of College and Research Libraries published my book: Developing the Next Generation of Library Leaders in 2020. It’s a wonderful experience to hold a book in your hands that has your name on the cover. I was inspired to write this book as I was finishing my dissertation for my Educational Leadership program […]
Changing How You Lead Group Discussions
Group think, the meeting after the meeting, and being either a Pollyanna or Debbie Downer negatively impact our ability to have productive and meaningful group discussions to move our organizations forward. Edward de Bono’s book Six Thinking Hats provides one tool to combat those forces. The core of his argument is to encourage people leading […]
Well You Asked
As someone who believes leaders aren’t born, they’re made, I highly value giving and receiving feedback about leadership and management skills. It’s been my experience that our profession shies away from giving useful feedback and constructive criticism because we want to be nice or liked. It’s all too tempting to say to the person sitting […]
The What and When of It All
How do we know what to do and when to do it? Those are questions that I continue to struggle with, and as a leader and manager must strive to figure out. Two books that have had a big impact on how I think about those questions are Daniel Pink’s book When: The Scientific Secrets […]