Posted on by hildaweisburg

Stories Carry Your Message

We are constantly being told that data is important. It is.

We are told that decisions are made on data. They are. And they aren’t.

Studies have shown that we make 80% of our decisions using our emotions. We then use the remaining 20% to justify our decisions with logic. Businesses who want us to purchase their products know this and use it in commercials. You may buy a car because of its safety features, but no matter what you tell yourself, the reason you chose that brand has more to do with how you respond to it emotionally.

For years, we have had high-quality data showing the importance of school librarians to student learning. I applaud the researchers, many of whom are my friends. But districts are still not hiring librarians and claim it’s because we have been replaced by technology and are not necessary. Why is our message not getting through?

Perhaps it’s because we have too much data and not enough emotion. We have loads of stories about our students – and teachers – who have found success, learned, and grew because of the library. We need to tell our stories and tell them often.

Even if you are doing annual or and quarterly reports, start telling “snippets.” When a student has a great experience or breakthrough, send a quick email to your principal. One or more may strike a chord in your administrator. They might even include it in one of their reports to their superior. Make the story emotional – not only what was learned, but what was experienced.

Scott Van Voorhis says if you are Looking to Leave a Mark? Memorable Leaders Don’t Just Spout Statistics, They Tell Stories. He quotes research (Look! More data!) by Thomas Graeber that showed stories stick to our minds better than anything. Humans have always been telling stories. Our cave-dwelling ancestors told stories then illustrated them on the cave wall. Stories are how we communicate as human beings.

We have a lot of stories. Stories of triumphs and failures. Which should you tell and when? According to Graeber, if you want people to remember something for more than a day, “building a unique story around it is essential.”

Consider first the message you want to send. It’s best if it connects to your Mission. What happened in your library with a student that best illustrates the idea? Tell the story and then incorporate relevant data. Later, use the story as part of the requests you make.

For example, if you want to include more diversity in your collection, talk about how excited a student was to see themselves in a book. Perhaps one that was written by someone from his culture. Then point to the diversity audit you have conducted showing how few books represent all your students. You can then refer back to this story when you request funds for or order more diverse books.

While “eye-catching statistics” may work in business and help them move to immediate action, this is rarely an option in education. Statistics mixed with story can give you the longer lasting impact you want. For example, statistics on the difference between the performance of college freshmen who had a high school librarian and those who didn’t is powerful but coupled with stories from your school’s alumni—it’s lasting and shows the long-term benefit of the work you do.

I always use stories in my presentations and in my books (and frequently here in this blog). They strike emotional chords that readers and participants respond to. They form a connection between you and them. Data gets forgotten; stories get remembered. As librarians, we are not only good at telling stories, we understand the impact they make. Add this to your Leadership qualities and start telling them.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Holding On To Summer Joy

With August around the corner, summer is, I’m sorry to say, fading fast. Some of you are going back in only a few weeks. Some of you will be in your library weeks before it is necessary, so you feel more prepared. Did you have fun during your vacation? Take time to read something wonderful or go to some place special? How many books did you take off your TBR pile? What if you could carry some of that summer joy and relaxation into the school year or rekindle it when you need it?

Ken Blanchard, bestselling author of leadership books including The One Minute Manager, has some ideas you can use in his blog post Have a Summer Attitude at Work and at Home. If you can start putting his recommendations in place now, you will build the habit before your work schedule tries to pull you off track.

Blanchard says to Take Time to Recharge Yourself and gives these ways to do it and plan for it:

  • Get up a little earlier – You don’t want to start your day in a rush. You don’t do that in summer. Whether you exercise, journal, or meditate, this is how you bring a calm mindset to begin the day. A few extra minutes in the morning can have a lasting impact.
  • Make plans to take a break from the ordinary – What small pleasurable thing can you do that’s different from your routine? Whether you set up a date with your spouse or a friend to have dinner out or make fun plans for the weekend, having something you enjoy waiting in your immediate future to adds a lift to your day. Think of how fun it will be to put in your calendar and see the day get closer.
  • Use your vacation or PTO days– This suggestion of Blanchard’s works if you can plan ahead for when we do have off, whether that’s long weekends or winter/spring breaks. You may also be able to get time off to attend a conference during the school year. That’s another way to recharge after school has started again.

Blanchard’s next big idea is to Have More Fun at Work and at Home by:

  • Setting the tone – You are a leader, and the library is where it shows up for all to see.  In making it a safe, welcoming space for all, also make it a safe, welcoming space for you.  How does your office help or hinder your mental attitude? What do you enjoy seeing each time you come into the library?
  • Keep your own sense of humor at the ready – I’m dating myself with this one, but I always think of the TV program M.A.S.H. Despite all the horrors around them, they always found something to laugh at and knew to take time to each other’s company. Where can you bring or find laughter?
  • Celebrate everything – Don’t rush past or overlook any achievement or special day whether that’s yours, or that of others. I keep a daily success journal daily to remind myself about what I did rather than focus on what I didn’t do. Even some of the fun non-holidays can be a fun reason to celebrate (National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day anyone? It’s August 4th. And Book Lovers Day is August 9th😉)
  • Reframe Your Attitude – This one we’ve heard in many guises. Look for ways to change your mindset. There’s always another way to look at things. Choose a positive one, even if it’s “Welcome to our zoo.” (Maybe make a display of zoo books or books with a “hey, we’re gonna get through this” theme).

You love being a librarian. You love working with students and teachers, and you’re excited to see what this year will bring to them all. You are a leader and have a lot to give. Look for ways to bring some of the joy of summer into your library and your life and look forward to the sunny days ahead.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Your Body Is Communicating

We are constantly communicating. Often, we are having multiple conversations at the same time (ever have two messaging apps open?). Even when we are alone, we have conversations in our head. Sometimes innocuous (what to make for meals for the week), other times critical (reviewing our goals and what steps to take next). And then there are the conversations we have that support or contradict what we are saying – even as we say it.

Body language is one of our most basic and effective communication tools. Animals use it to communicate fear, aggression, and attraction. They bristle, they intimidate, they puff up, they nuzzle, they cower in submission. And in many ways, we do the same. When you come in contact with someone, you immediately identify whether or not you know the person. Whether your connection is positive or negative, you read their body language and make some assessment of what is coming. You respond with your own body language. Not a word is spoken, but communication has occurred. And all of it happened below your conscious recognition. What is said next may reflect an accurate reading of the other person—or not.

And if your body is saying something you don’t want or mean to communicate, problems may result. As a leader, it’s important to be aware of the message your body is sending how almost all of your body is used in this conversation: your face (lips, eyes), arms (shoulders, fingers), posture, and, if you are seated, your legs.

Your body is doing a lot of communicating. In How Your Body Language May Be Causing Your Team to Disconnect, Stephanie Vozza reviews different ways you may be unknowingly communicating, and how to avoid sending the wrong message. Which of these might you be doing?

  • Leaning in or leaning back – When we are seated and lean in to speak or listen, we show interest. If we lean back, it conveys dislike. Vozza says this behavior can reveal your unconscious biases. Take note of where your body is.
  • Turning away – When you are standing and slightly angle your body away, you are sending the same message as leaning back. It can also suggests you want to leave the conversation. The reminder from Vozza is “respect is shown belly-to-belly” meaning front of the body facing the front of their body. Eye contact matters as well.
  • Allowing interruptions – We often do this inadvertently with students. When an adult comes into the library needing something, do you turn from the student to deal with it? By asking the student to wait, even if it is to tell the adult you will be with them in a moment, suggests to the student that they are not as important. If the adult needs appear to be urgent, let the student know you will be back as soon as possible. Ask them to wait. Then, come back as quickly as possible. And apologize for the interruption.
  • Doing the opposite of your words – When you are saying one thing and your body is saying something else, the mixed message will affect how others see you. For example, you can lose someone’s trust if you are saying you’re willing while your arms are crossed in front of you. Losing trust affects the relationship, and we always want to keep our relationships strong.
  • The only way to control your body language – It’s all in your mind. Vozza says you can’t fake it till you make it. Change your mindset – and mean it. Forcing yourself to hold a positive thought won’t do it. You have to believe it. Focus on something about the person or issue you can believe. It will take practice, but the effort is worth it.

You have countless dealings with others in the course of your day. Each interaction is an opportunity to show you are a leader, and one important quality of leadership is Integrity. Keep your words and your body language in agreement. The stronger and clearer your communication, the more you will build trust and relationships.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Librarians Lead and Manage

I’ll never stop saying this – You must be a leader. It’s the first of your five roles as a librarian according to the AASL National Standards for School Librarians.But you also have four other roles: Instructional Partner, Information Specialist, Teacher, and Program Administrator. How do those fit into your work? When you think about these other roles, are you a manager or a leader?

For many of us, it depends on the situation. To get clear, look at your Mission and Vision statements. Your Mission is your Perspiration (the work you do). Your Vision is your Aspiration (what you’re working toward). Each of these roles supports both.

As an Instructional Partner, you may have initiated the connection as part of attaining your Vision. While you are engaged in the partnership, you are mostly managing it, although there may be times you are leading such as when you guide the teacher in developing what you will be doing together.

In your role as Information Specialist, you lead the way when introducing new resources into the curriculum. You help teachers master them, either by giving them one-on-one help, sending an email about it, or doing a grade/subject level meeting professional development workshop.

When Teaching, you’ll probably find yourself managing the class. However, you also will have an Essential Question which will lead students to think outside the box. As a leader, you are also thinking of ways to publicize student learning to show the value of the library program to people in and outside the school

Administering the library program requires developing a budget and planning for the future. This part of the task requires leadership and looking into the future for what your program needs. In maintaining the budget and curating sources you will use, you are managing.

When you’re having trouble seeing yourself as a leader, reflect on what you do to make the library indispensable to the educational community. Your leadership is there. You exhibit many of the endless lists of leadership qualities described in numerous business articles.

If you’re having trouble seeing some of your skills, Bart Finelli’s came up with Five Qualities That Set Leaders Apart from Managers. These three are in a librarians’ toolbox:

  • Leaders are coachable themselves – Even as we bring those new resources in our role as Information Specialist, we are always on the lookout for what the next one will be. In our search, we go to conferences, attend webinars, and belong to Professional Learning Networks. We know changes come fast and in order to bring it to our schools and districts we must be role models for lifelong learning.
  • A leader’s actions match their words – Almost all lists of leadership qualities include integrity. That is taken to mean you can be counted on to do what you said. You keep confidences, and people trust you. But this statement goes beyond that. You say the library is a safe, welcoming space for all. You speak of the importance of Intellectual Freedom. But are you living those statements? These are challenging times, and you may have to make difficult choices. Are you living your code of values? It’s tough but be honest with yourself.
  • Leaders are entrepreneurs – This is your Vision at work – and also your role as Program Administrator. You want to grow your library program, but money is scarce or non-existent. What do you do? Many of you have become expert at finding grants or using DonorsChoose.org. You find local businesses who contribute their knowledge/talent or sometimes materials for your Makerspaces. You not only think outside the box, you no longer have a box.

It’s summer vacation, and I know you are using the time to learn and grow even as you take the needed to time to rejuvenate. As you relax, reflect on your accomplishments, notice your moments of leading and managing and what that’s brought your students and your school. What you do is important, and despite the many challenges you keep going. You are a Manager. You are a Leader. You are a Rock Star.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Leaders Are Always Learning

I spent last weekend at the ALA Conference in Chicago. While the weather made the trip home interminable, the conference was well worth it. Spending days learning and being in the presence of leaders is always rejuvenating and inspiring, and it reminded me that opportunities to learn are everywhere.

When it comes to professional development, much is discussed about the benefits of mentors, but don’t estimate the power of role models. At a conference you can hear leaders you admire speak at various presentations. What may be surprising to many conference newbies is that you can approach and talk to them, and, if they have time, they will take the time to respond to questions. And as you watch them, you can take note of how they present themselves. Their body language and how they speak gives you a window into how leaders are. Remember, they weren’t always leaders. They followed a path, and if you are willing to leave your comfort zone, you can do so as well.

You may not be able to attend a national conference (and for my foreign readers these may not even be available for librarians), but you can seek out your local or state/territory leaders as role models – and perhaps have them become mentors. What is important is that you start thinking about what you want the course of your career to be, find the people who are already there, then look for ways to learn from them.

And it doesn’t only have to be library leaders – you can learn from anyone who is in a leadership role, regardless of the field and whether or not you believe they are a good leader.  CEO Nadine Young offers these lessons for future leaders:

  1. Leadership has nothing to do with your job title – Leadership is about behaviors not about titles. We have all had administrators who weren’t leaders. Sometimes it was their secretary who was the true leader – and they obviously didn’t have a title. When you propose a new program or seek to make changes in how the school library looks or functions, you are being a leader. When you pitch in to help with an administration initiative or a teacher project, you are being a leader. Leaders are visible.
  • Harness Your Inner Teen – This is very original and worth considering. It doesn’t mean the rebellious teen who argues with everything, but rather the passionate adolescent. Like Young, I can remember saying, “when I am older, I will ….” Mostly, it was never to forget what it was like being a teen. It was also about keeping my word, as some adults didn’t – especially something they promised to a teen. As Young suggests, recall what behaviors of others crushed you. What and who inspired you? What was it that had you say, “I can’t wait until I am old enough to …?”
  • To Lead, You Need to Follow – Leaders who think they can do it all themselves are destined to fail. Listen to your colleagues. Listen to what students are saying and be conscious of their feelings. I am a strong believer of the adage, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”  You also are following by leading from the middle. When you are doing that, you should be observing the formal leader as a role model. Even one who does not lead well can be a role model for what you never want to do.

Make the most of however much downtime you get over the summer. Use these days and weeks to be with family and friends. Be kind to yourself – and the family who supported you through it. And as you look to the future, look for the current leaders who will guide you. If you are fortunate, one whom you admire might be willing to be more than a role model and become a mentor.