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The Three Priority Rule

We are all busy. Too busy. And nothing suggests this is going to change. The question becomes: What can we do so that at the end of the day, we feel like we spent our time well?

In his article “The Great Busyness Delusion: Confusing Motion with Movement,” Brendan Keegan recounts a conversation with a friend. He’d asked her what she accomplished that day. After talking for fifteen minutes about the things she’d done, he asked again, “But what did you accomplish?” Like many of us, she’d confused being busy with being productive.

Keegan goes on to write: “Busy is sitting in meetings as the twelfth participant. Productive is structuring your day so you don’t need to. Busy is attending every meeting. Productive is questioning which meetings need to exist. Busy is multitasking. Productive is intentional tasking.”

How do we switch busy to productivity? Keegan proposes a “Three Priority Rule.” At the beginning of each day – or whenever you’re doing your planning – Keegan says, “identify the three most important things you need to accomplish. Everything else is secondary. If you can’t complete those three things because you’re too busy with other activities, you’re not busy — you’re distracted.”

So how do you reduce the list of tasks you have been doing so you can focus on your three priorities? Here are his recommendations along with my usual comments:

The Unnecessary Email Flow – Does your inbox gets filled right after you finish going through and deleting stuff? Guess what? You don’t have to open every email before deleting it. You also don’t need to go back several times a day to see what has come in. Instead, if it’s a priority, do email first thing when you get in, otherwise, save it for the end of the day. Where can you cut back on this repetitive and draining task.

The Multitasking Myth – Keegan says, “Studies show that multitasking can reduce productivity by up to 40%.” When it comes to your priorities, don’t work distracted. Keep your focus on what needs to be done now. This is also true for non-priorities. For example, don’t review your email while you are on a call. It lowers your effectiveness and adds to your stress. How can you eliminate distractions so you do one thing at a tme?

The Urgency Trap – We tend to act as though every task is equally urgent. They’re not. As Keegan notes, “Real productivity isn’t about doing more things; it’s about doing the right things well,” and “It’s not about being busy; it’s about being effective.” Working with students and teachers are high priority. Knowing and focusing on our Mission are high priorities. What are you doing that’s taking you away from that?

Breaking the Busyness Cycle – Keegan recommends asking yourself different questions to help you see how you are moving forward: “What did you accomplish?” and “What problems did you solve?” Either of these will help you see where you may have gotten off track and help you get back to focusing on your Mission and priorities. You probably won’t like your answers to these when you first start, but over time you’ll see a change in how you use your time and focus.

Before starting on this, think about when you like to plan. Do you prefer to determine your priorities at the start of the day, before you leave or maybe as you commute (in either direction). Make sure you write them down in a place you can find them. Then, before making the next set, ask yourself if you accomplished what you set out to do. If not, what distracted you? What could you do differently the next time?

One of my three priorities for today was doing this blog. And now I’ve accomplished that.. What’s on your list?

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The Journey to Wisdom

The Cambridge English Dictionary defines Wisdom as: the ability to use your knowledge and experience to make moral decisions and judgments.” The key here is that wisdom doesn’t come overnight. It is important for us to remember that and embrace the journey.

This message is embedded in our fairy and folk tales. As Jonny Thomson explains in “The 3 colors: What folktales teach about how to grow wise”, wisdom as the result of going through three phases. As school librarians we are familiar with the tales, but perhaps we didn’t see the importance of them. Thomson points out how well-known stories show a journey to wisdom through The Red, The Black, and The White. As always in sharing his perceptions, I will add my comments on how they pertain to our daily world.

The Red — Tomson says, “The Red is ambition. It’s life force, ego, desire, and the courage to go beyond the comfortable.” This is what powers us. We enter the profession full of energy, determined to put the library in a central position in the school community. To be successful, we read widely and enthusiastically bring new tech, the best books, and the best new ideas to our library. Because of our enthusiasm, we step out of our comfort zone to speaking up and out for the library. We include helpful information on our website with a section for parents. We are members of our state and national associations and maybe run for office and/or serve on committees. We are visible in the outside community. All are strong positives. It takes an enormous amount of time and effort, but we do it.

And then comes…

The Black – The Black is failure. When our great ideas and plans crash and burn. Thomson says, “It’s when a relationship hits a wall, a career hollows you out, or a depression greys the hues of the world.” There are so many of us living in The Black, particularly with all the politics surrounding library programs. While we tell our students the acronym for FAIL is “First Attempt In Learning,” we can forget that this also pertains to us, particularly late in our career. Even folktales teach us to expect it. It is a life lesson we need to accept is as true for ourselves as it is for our students.

Because without The Black, we cannot get to…

The White – Congratulations! You have reached final stage, The White (and probably have the white hair to prove it.) Thomson quotes from a book by Martin Shaw (The Liturgies of the World) “The White is that precious ground of eldership, of carrying the ability to bless, to raise up others, to encourage.” (Think Gandalf, for my Lord of the Rings fans). You are mentoring new librarians. Some of you, like me, maybe teaching pre-service school librarians. You’re finding ways to give back and guarantee the future. When new initiatives comes down from on high, you don’t panic. You may think, “Here we go again,” but you know how to handle it. You have done it before.

Thinking of these stages, as yourself: Where are you on your journey? And what does this stage need? If you are in The Red many will be benefitting from your energy. If you are in The Black your PLN, Professional Learning Network is there to support you. And if you are in The White, we are so glad to have you. Always remember the resources and encouragement that is there for you wherever you might be.

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It Starts With You

I so happy to be back after being in rehab following a fall. I felt a short blog post would be a good way to get back up to speed. And this is a topic I strongly embrace.

Thriving in this challenging time for school librarians requires leadership skills. You are constantly leading from the middle as you build advocates for the library. Although there are numerous lists of leadership qualities, perhaps the most important one is the Greek maxim inscribed on the Temple of Apollo in Delphi: “Know thyself.” It’s not as simple as it sounds, but it can be the anchor that keeps you grounded as each day—and sometimes as often as each hour— requires pivoting to respond.

In his article, “Why ‘self-leadership’ will be key in the age of AI,” Andrew Bryant identifies three pillars: Self Awareness, Self Regulation, and Self Learning. Being aware of these interconnected pillars as they come into play will make your library program thrive and support you to be valued for what you bring.

These are Bryant’s explanations of the three pillars along with my comments on how they play out in our library world:

Self Awareness – To know yourself, start by questioning yourself. How do you see yourself? What are your core values? What are you trying to ultimately achieve (your Vision)? How do others see you? Think of an adjective that teachers would use to describe you. What would students say? Your principal and the administrators? What do you need to focus on to change or increase that perception? The clearer you are in your answers, the better you are able to make decisions, suggestions, and plans that align with who you are and what you want to accomplish.

Self Regulation – How are you responding to the daily demands? Review some of the ones that have been thrown at you recently. Was your response the best way to deal with them? In order to build your leadership and be valued, you can’t afford to react without taking the time to think. Those few moments can make a lasting difference. Be aware of your body language and your tone. If you are sending an email or text, re-read it and check the tone in your word choices before hitting send. Words have weight and even though you say something in the moment, they can have lasting impact.

Self Learning – This should be easy for us. Librarians are lifelong learners. But don’t just focus on learning a new tech skill or keeping up with AI. It’s about having a growth mindset so that you are willing to learn about what’s new, adapt to what’s changed, and even unlearn things that no longer serves you or your audience. When we do this, we set an example and inspire those around us—students, teachers, and administrators—to do the same and reinforce the value of the library.

This article strongly resonated with me as it affirms what I wrote in my new book, The Involved Librarian: How to Make an Impact and Thrive. The first of the three parts the book deals with being involved with yourself. Like Bryant, I’ve noticed how you can’t move outwards until you have a deeper understanding with yourself. If you want to grow as a leader, look inward and grow from the power and knowledge you already have.

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The Getting Is In The Giving

This is the season both for giving and receiving. When we stop to consider, there are so many ways to give, and each one brings a reward. Finding ways to give to those in your community brings returns many times over in the value placed on you and your library program. When you think about how you contribute, most of us focus on the roles the library offers to students and teachers. While that is vital, the underlying perspective others have about you and the library comes from the one-on-one ways in which you give.

In his article for Rolling Stones, The Courage to Give in a Take-First Economy, Chris Schembra observes that our fast-paced, reactionary world has caused leaders to become short-term thinkers rather than long term visionaries. This does not serve us in building the connections and relationships we need to demonstrate how much we are worth to teachers, students, and administrators. To reverse the trend of fast responses, Schembra proposes five steps for those in the business world which apply to us in education as well. Here they are with my usual additions to make it more relevant to how we interact with our community.

  1. Pause – One of the bracelets I wear on my wrist and see frequently, reminds me to breathe. We move so frequently on auto-pilot, we don’t take time to think. As Schembra says, “This is why the pause is no longer a luxury; it’s a discipline.” He refers to it as “micro-courage” (and courage is on another bracelet I wear). We need the time to consider what the individual we are responding to needs, how fast, and what is the best way to give it to them. We also need to pause to better form our response rather than reacting quickly.
  2. Ask Better Questions – Be sure you and they know what is really being asked and required. A teacher or student may ask for something they think will answer their need. If you listen for the purpose of the request, you can ascertain whether something else will provide a better solution. When you do this, you are tuning into them, seeing them as an individual, not a problem to solve. Scherma says, “…extraordinary leaders aren’t interesting. They’re interested.”
  3. Collective Momentum – This is a reminder that we all do better when we do it together. We are not in competition. When we strive for connection and collaboration, we discover the truth of Mudita, “a Buddhist principle, means taking genuine joy in the success of others.” When you help someone, it brings an inner smile to you both and joy in seeing how happy the other person is. A specific complement can also do the same.
  4. Generosity in Action – We don’t admire the takers. We admire the givers. When your report to your principal promotes a teacher’s learning project with students, the principal becomes aware of the connections you create. They are also likely to let the teacher know about it which supports the possibility of future collaborations. Generosity can also be as small as having coffee and snacks available in your office for teachers when they need a break. And if they come to you for that break, don’t ask questions until they are willing to share. Sometimes they desperately need that quiet moment, a pause in the pressures of the day.
  5. Appreciation – Scherma notes, and it has been my experience as well, that, “A sincere, specific thank you, in my experience, increases engagement.” Taking time in a world that rushes from one thing to the next to stop and offer a meaningful acknowledgement goes a long way. And, if you’re so inclined, consider dropping off a handwritten thank you note to a teacher or principal. You can even do thank you notes to students for how well they helped someone or contributed to a lesson. It feels so good to receive one and it is long remembered.

In his Final Thoughts – Scherma concludes, “Givers build deeper customer loyalty.” When we build customer loyalty in our world, we build trust and ever-increasing connections and relationships with our students, teachers, principals, and even parents. As a result, the library thrives and is regarded as invaluable. Giving (along with last week’s gratitude) is a vaulable feel-good tool in our leadership arsenal.

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Gratitude is a Leadership Skill

This is the season for gratitude, making it the perfect time to incorporate it into your leadership toolbox. We may not have a lot of ways to reward people for a job well done, but expressing gratitude is easy once you get started doing it, and it leads to huge returns.

There are lots of ways to notice what you have to be grateful for and, from that, what you can acknowledge others for. I live this by keeping a gratitude journal. I record three things for which I am grateful every day. Some are small – such as the manager at the place where I go to fax who gave me a discount – and others are large – like my health. After my list of three, I add one way I give back such as contributing to the community food bank. Some of my give-backs are smaller, such as curating and sharing articles of interest to school librarians or offering a meaningful compliment.

It turns out that expressing gratitude is more than a good way to get along with people. It is biologically beneficial, as Scott Hutcheson explains in his article, The Most Overlooked Performance Hack? Gratitude. His post describes the physical benefits as well as why it is so often neglected. Here are the facts that support his claim:

The biology of gratitude – Hutcheson says, “by retraining the brain to focus on what’s working rather than what’s missing. The effects ripple through mood, motivation, and even physiology.” I have long believed and seen that the world is like a mirror. When you smile at it, it smiles back. Apparently, it also triggers the production of the powerful neurochemicals, dopamine and oxytocin, resulting in motivation and trust. Both are vital in our dealings with students, teachers, administrators and any with whom we interact. The result is the recipient enjoys working with you, leading to increased opportunities to build on. Studies show that meaningful gratitude makes people feel fulfilled. Gratitude calms stress and increases our empathy and willingness to work with others. In other words, recipients feel positive which increases their satisfaction with life. I personally find that by taking the time to appreciate all I have going for me, the problems I face feel less heavy, and I can honestly face the world with a smile.

Why gratitude disappears at work – We live in a world that evaluates rather than appreciates. Our feedback comes from observations, and there is little or no appreciation unless we achieve some type of reward. As Hutcheson says, “gratitude functions like exercise. It only works if it’s consistent.” Probably the best principal I ever worked for would send a “kudos” email to the whole staff to acknowledge a teacher for doing something great or getting a grant or award. It felt so good to be noticed and appreciated for one’s work. Additionally, it built staff connection and support. We would invariably compliment the teacher who earned the “kudo” knowing that we too might be similarly acknowledged at work. This appreciation and its benefits outside of evaluations.

With my additions, here are the three types of gratitude Hutcheson:

  1. Relational gratitude: This is direct-to-one thanks. Make it specific. Hutcheson says it builds trust, and as I often state, trust is the foundation of relationships.
  2. Reflective gratitude: Build in time at the end of a cooperative or collaborative project to reflect on what worked and what can be improved. Acknowledge how the other person, usually the teacher, helped you do your job and contributed to success.
  3. Restorative gratitude: There is a place for gratitude when the project didn’t succeed as well as planned. Our colleagues are under as much stress as we are. It matters when we let them know we recognize their challenges. Point to what was learned in the process. If appropriate, suggest where you can do more of the heavy lifting next time, but only if you think that won’t stress you out.

The leadership advantage – Your “goal is to make gratitude habitual rather than performative.”  Try keeping a gratitude journal to exercise that “muscle.” Practicing gratitude does not require extra work, and the benefits it brings to your leadership is immense. People like being and working with a person who is grateful and acknowledges it.

When you practice gratitude, you benefit as well. It gives you a more positive mindset in the midst of the challenges and stresses you face. I’ll end this blog by saying thank you to you, my reader. I appreciate your recognizing my passion to help make school librarians be viewed as an invaluable element in the success of students and teachers.

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I Believe In…

How did you fill in the next word? There are many good answers to that question. But you are likely not to have thought of the one you should. The sentence that will serve you best as a leader is, “I believe in Me.”

In my soon to be published book, I identify nine attributes we need to have and employ in our three communities to thrive in these (and even simpler times). The first of the three communities is ourselves. We live in our heads. What we think shows up in how we interact with others.

The very first of the attributes is Confidence which gives us the self-trust necessary to do everything else. In her Middle Web article (a website all about Middle Grades!), Self Trust: A Leader’s  Most Valuable Tool, Jen Schwanke, Ed.D. concurs with my thinking and explains why this is so important. In her book Trusted she writes about how leaders need to be trustworthy and trust willing. “But the final chapter in the book deals with one relationship many leaders often neglect: the trust we have with ourselves…. Cultivating self-trust isn’t just a nice idea — it’s essential for our well-being.” She offers four ways to build it. Here they are with my usual tweaks:

  1. Lead with a mix of confidence and humility – Take an honest look at your knowledge of what your job entails. You know how to do it. Draw on that knowledge to build your confidence. Your students and colleagues recognize your ability and count on it. At the same time, self-confidence doesn’t mean you know it all. You can learn almost as much from your students and their projects as they do. Teachers will give you insight into their subject areas. Your principals, good and bad, can teach you much about leadership. When you recognize this, people are more comfortable working with you.
  2. Manage our emotions and don’t rush to react – Responding fast to a new issue doesn’t mean it’s the best approach or plan. The fires we are rushing to put out are not physical fires. We don’t need to save lives. Think first. Check with your PLN or mentors for more ideas. And as Schwanke points out, each time we successfully manage a crisis, we build our confidence and self-trust.
  3. Consider all perspectives when making decisions – Our world isn’t neat and tidy. Changing one thing will affect something or someone else. Schwanke cautions us to recognize, “we may not know the full story.” She further adds that remembering this “prevents impulsive judgment and allows us to gather more information. It builds trust with others because it sends the message that we won’t be impulsive, that we won’t always take one particular side, and that we care about all perspectives.” Notice your biases and be willing to learn.
  4. Give credit away – I deeply believe in this. When you give credit away, you get it back many times over. Remember, the job of a leader is to build more leaders. A teacher who now feels confident and comfortable with you will seek you out in the future and recommend you to other teachers. A principal who recognizes how you have strengthened their reputation with their bosses is more likely to listen to your requests for funding. As students see their own successes, they feel more confident in tackling more challenging explorations.

Confidence and self-trust are at the root of your ability to grow and thrive. You have what it takes. Believe in yourself and watch as others do, too!

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Walk Away and Get More Done

School librarianship has always been a demanding job. We work with the entire school community, keep current on the latest technology and its potential impact on our teaching, and manage the library environment. The last alone can be daunting with people dropping in while you are leading a class, creating bulletin boards and displays, getting books back on the shelves, sending notices to students, and writing reports to the principal. Just reading this list is exhausting, and it doesn’t include the pressure from book banners and the negative political climate.

You need to be the Energizer Bunny to get it all done. And therein lies the problem. How many of you don’t take a break? How can you when it feels like there is no time? You probably even eat lunch at your desk, if you do eat lunch, and jump up whenever someone needs you. You come in early. Stay late.

But an exhausted leader doesn’t plan well and is not truly efficient. As Larry Robertson says in his SmartBrief article, Want to be a better leader? Walk away, you need to take a break. Easy to say, but how do you do it and get everything done? Here are his thoughts along with my usual additions.

The power of walking away – According to Robertson, and my own experience, walking away allows you to see more. When you are so focused on doing what’s next, you lose that broader perspective. It’s the reason I always recommend making a point of entering your library (and the building) one day a week as though it were the first time you walked in. How does it look? When you are concentrating only what you have to do first or on the library, you can miss what is happening in your school. Stepping back allows you to see the bigger picture.

Misunderstanding what walking away means – It doesn’t mean abandoning what you are working on, it means clearing your brain. You are planning to create a new genre category and are frustrated by the logistics of it. You are getting up to speed with a new technology and are stuck. Do something else. The break clears your brain and gives you new impetus to get the task done. Walking away can also be more literally true. Sometimes your job, and particularly the administration can be draining the life from your passion. When I had a superintendent announce her retirement, I knew that my difficult principal was going to become a bigger problem. I defined what I would need in a new place, travel, library environment, school culture, and successfully job hunted. The move opened new opportunities that more than made up for my loss of tenure.

The simple practice any leader can develop – Robertson says go to lunch. As I mentioned, many of you are eating at your desk. You aren’t proving anything by being chained to your desk – or library. He also recommends going for a walk. That’s a practice that keeps me energized. My eyes stretch when I am not so narrowly focused on a screen. I get to breathe fresh air. I speak to different people along the way, and. I return with more energy and a better frame of mind.

Working without a break doesn’t work. Finding ways to stretch your body and mind by stepping back from what you’re doing both during the day and when you’re away from work. This gives you an opportunity to recenter and bring your positive mindset back with you. Then your whole body becomes more welcoming to others and better able to plot any new directions. You have become a better leader by simply walking away.

And now, I am going for a walk.

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SOAR When Speaking to Your Principal

You need to have a relationship with your principal in order for your library to thrive. So how is that relationship going? Do you have a strong, positive one where your principal supports everything you do? Or do you have one who claims to believe in libraries but is not fully aware of how they have changed. Maybe your principal feel you are not very valuable and a drag on the school budget. If you and your principal share common values about what the school library is and needs to be, you don’t have a problem. But if your relationship falls into the second or third category, how do you change it to be more like the first one?

In their article Dealing With a Difficult Boss for Psychology Today, Wes Adams and Tamara Myles write about the importance of “managing up,” ways to deal with managers who are challenging and/or unproductive. Many of us have experienced difficulties in getting through to principals who hold to preconceived ideas and attitudes about libraries. Adams and Myles recommend a SOAR approach to open communication. This may help to build that important relationship. Here’s their explanation of putting SOAR to work along with my usual tweaks to align it more in our education world:

S-Shared Goals – Start by drawing on what you have in common. Students are at the core of what you both care about and support. But there are other common areas you might address, such as keeping parents included in their child’s education or supporting the mandates of the Superintendent of Schools who is concerned about test results.

O-Opportunities – Point to what can be used to reach those common goals. You both want the school budget to pass. Look for ways to show the value the library brings. Your library can be a perfect location to welcome the business community. They can be invited to share the skills of their trade with students in a related class, such as a business class or a course on future careers. They might also be willing to sponsor an author visit which in turn would bring the local newspaper to cover it, giving the business publicity and the school some vital community visibilily.

A-Alignment – Turn these opportunities into a true conversation by drawing you principal into the discussion. What do they like about what you have presented? What questions do they have? Do they have recommendations for improvement or modifications? Don’t become argumentative with any of their proposals. This is a time to see how to incorporate their suggestions, deepening your professional relationship.

R-Results – Share your goal for the outcome of whatever you have proposed. Let the principal know you will be keeping them posted on how things are going. Make sure they know both the progress and final results. You can do it in meetings or via email. Be open to their responses. If you don’t hear from them after emailing them, schedule a brief meeting.

Adams and Myles further recommend that “when the project is complete, remember to tie the results back to those same priorities and goals to build credibility and gain influence. Doing so consistently reminds your [principal]that you are delivering, which earns trust.” And as I keep saying, trust is the foundation of relationships.

Your relationship with your principal is vital to your long-term success, maybe even your job security. The more your principal sees you as making them look good, the faster and more willing they will approve your next proposal. You will be seen as a valuable leader and the library will thrive.

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Your Inner Voice Is Speaking Out Loud

Do you talk to yourself? Probably. Most people do whether we realize it or not. While these silent talks are about a lot of things, much of our inner conversations are about ourselves. So, here’s the important question: Do you speak kindly or harshly?

The truth is we are far more insulting of ourselves than we ever would be with anyone else. This would be bad enough if our internal diatribe remained silent, but we are unknowingly broadcasting these thoughts in our interactions with others. And the messages we are sending out keep us from reaching our full potential as leaders.

Suzy Burke, Ryan Berman, and Rhett Power deal with this common syndrome in their article, 5 Proven Self-Talk Strategies to Strengthen Leadership. In their opening, the authors state: “Leading others starts with self-leadership.” It always starts with you. You are the face of the library. Others take in the messages you send and, from there, they decide if you are sure of your goals and know how to get there. Yu are telling them, intentionally or not, whether they should trust you.  And trust is the foundation of relationship, which in turn leads to the cooperation/collaboration and advocacy you need.

Here are their five strategies along with my tweaks which makes their business focus more appropriate for us:

  1. Self-talk is the hidden saboteur of leadership. In the authors terms, we are involved in worry-wars on many levels and almost constantly. The current Worry War is, for most of us, the societal/political one which has turned the librarians and libraries into prime targets. Additional wars involve budget and staff cuts along with personal ones including financial stresses, family relationships, responsibilities, and whatever else is going on in your life. When any one of these areas show up, your self-critic starts talking and the negative talk adds to the worry.
  2. Every leader has a monster. Many of us, me included, see how talented, skilled, and resourceful other librarians are. We compare and see ourselves as falling short of them. But that comparison is a monster lying in wait. The authors say, “That voice doesn’t just shape your day, it shapes everything.” It shows up in how you hear, what you believe of yourself and how you respond. You do not want to leave this “monster” in charge of your work.
  3. Your mindset isn’t fixed. As lifelong learners, we understand this. Many of us have successfully changed a negative mindset into a positive one. The authors acknowledge that since you will never keep the negative mindset away forever, they offer a three step approach to make the need shift: Catch – Identify when a monster is taking over. Your anxiety is one way to recognize its presence; Confront – Challenge you mindset with facts. For me, it’s when the word “never” is in my thoughts:, Change – Now reframe the thought with a more positive, truthful one.
  4. There is more than one type of monster. – Just what you needed to hear.  According to the authors we must deal with these five monsters:
    • Catastrophizer -This is going to be a disaster.
    • Always Righter – This needs to be perfect, and I’m never going to get it right.
    • Mind Reader –  I know how you are going to react to this situation.
    • Over-generalizer  – This didn’t work, and it’s all downhill from there.
    • Should-er – I should have known better. And now of course, it’s too late.

      The more practice we have spotting each of these monsters within ourselves, the better we get at not letting them be the ones to lead.
  5. Self-talk can be your leadership plutonium. – When you know how to reverse (or lower the decibel level) of negative self-talk, you power up your leadership. While we are talking to ourselves, our bodies are sending out the message of our thoughts. Our face, arms, and tone of voice combine to tell the world what we are thinking—and what monster is in charge. This is why that earlier quote, “Leading others starts with self-leadership” is so important to remember.

Leaders keep growing and learning new skills. Have you seen yourself here? If so, this can be an important lesson for you to incorporate into your leadership. Your interactions students, teachers, administrators, and others you interact with will be more productive as a result. And you might just find yourself feeling better overall!

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Lead Like a Politician

Did the title make you pause? Did you want to reject it? These days, most people have a negative view of politicians, but like them or not, they do lead. And they are able to get people to vote for them.

As school librarians we need to get out the “vote” for us. Whether it’s our students, teachers, administrators, or parents, we need their support and recognition of our value to them. In Jed Brewer’s article, “You Are a Politician: Four Lessons From Local Politics That Make for Better Organizational Leaders,” his lessons for business leaders apply equally well to our ability to be leaders in our educational setting. Here are the four for you with my tweaks.

  1. It’s About the Problem — Always – To be heard, you need to speak to the listener’s wants and needs. With students it’s usually about the grade or the inability to see the value in what they are doing. Hopefully, you are creating engaging lessons, giving learners agency in working on the assignment or project. Teachers want students to learn and do well on high stakes tests. Focus on what you can bring that will advance their goals when you suggest they do a cooperative or collaborative project with you. Your principal worries about the superintendent and the Board of Education and especially the budget. Keep them informed about student successes, sending them things they can use in their reports, such as pictures/videos of student creations tying them to state standards. Parents are always concerned about their children and how they are doing. Make sure they know how your LibGuide and website keep them informed and allow opportunities for them to access you. In dealing with all these different wants and needs, Brewer recommends you find opportunities to connect with each group to be sure you know what they see as their problems and concerns.
  2. Nothing Beats the Personal Touch — Ever – Getting to know students individually is a challenge for us, but it is important to keep working at it. Offering coffee and snacks for teachers is a tried and true way to bring them in and get an opportunity to talk one-on-one. While sending regular reports to principals is necessary, also invite them in when kids are working on projects so they can see the work in action. Also, make sure to have some face-to-face time with your principal. Ask them for their opinion on where they want to see the library go. Be prepared to respond positively but provide data where necessary to correct any negative ideas.
  3. No One Succeeds Alone — Really – Draw on your PLN, your Professional Learning Network. Between the national and state library associations as well as the social network and people you follow, you have ample “partners” in creative ways to address your own wants and needs. Build your own support team so that when things become challenging, you have resources and places to go.
  4. Compromise Is Success — Truly – Important goals aren’t achieved quickly. Trust and relationships need time to build. Even if you have done all the proper preparation, you won’t likely get a complete acceptance of anything you propose. That’s where negation comes in. If you get a partial buy-in, it means they see things they like in what you are saying. Modify, tweak, or do whatever is appropriate for achieving your goal, and then come back. I had a superintendent who once told me her first answer was always, “No.” If someone came back, she could be sure they were serious. Keep looking for new avenues – break a project down into a several year plan, show short and long term benefits, offer ideas for modifications.

Brewer concludes by telling business people they are politicians. This is true for you, too. You have to meet the needs and wants of diverse groups. By using the skills of a politician, you and the library will grow and thrive.