Posted on by hildaweisburg

Silence is Golden

Librarians have been fighting the stereotype of the “shushing librarian” for years, but silence can be a powerful tool. As one who was called a “chatterbox” as a child and still talks a lot, this is still one I’m learning to use better and more often. Is it one you could use to better incorporate it into your leadership toolbox.

In his blog article, “The Power of Silence: How to Use Pauses Effectively When You Speak,” Gary Genard focuses on public speaking, however it’s more than that. You also want to remember this when leading students through a learning opportunity, when you have a meeting with the principal, or work with teachers as you collaboratively or corporately plan a research project.

When you are involved in any of those activities, you might discover you have a lot to say, but Genard cautions, “you need to provide audiences with an occasional oasis, i.e., a place of refreshment and recuperation. Without these stopping places, your narrative may begin to feel like a long trek across a featureless desert.” As a result, your audience stops listening in part because they don’t feel they have a part to play in the conversation. Genard offers these four reasons to employ the “power of the pause.”

  1. To separate the main segments. – Whatever you are trying to impart has sections that build on each other. Body language is always an important communicator. When you pause, you are saying, “I have completed the first part of what I want you to know. Here comes the next part.” You also invite comments on what you’ve said already.
  2. To let something sink in. – What you are saying is familiar to you, but new to your audience. They need time to absorb and consider it. Even if it’s something they have heard before, you want to be certain they understand how it fits in with what you will say next. This is true whether you are working with a students, teachers, or speaking to the principal. It gives them time to raise questions and make points of their own which lets you know if you’re being understood.
  3. As transitions. – Genard says, “while we know how the elements of our presentations fit together, the audience doesn’t.” In addition to giving your audience time to process what you just said, the pause is a reassurance that you will connect it to your purpose –and theirs.
  4. To help listeners stay tuned. – You don’t want to lose your audience. Every school librarian knows how quickly students can become disengaged. When you take too long, their attention wanders. Pauses bring them back to where you are leading them. You certainly don’t want the principal’s mind to think about non-library issues, nor do you want teachers to feel you aren’t listening to them. A moment of silence actually pulls them into the moment with you.

In his conclusion, Gerard adds Two More Ways Pauses Help You In a Speech – First, the pause turns your “speech” into a conversation. As noted, when talking to teachers and the principal, the pause shows them you seriously consider what they bring to the subject and discussion.  Second, the pause slows you down so you aren’t rushing through what you are saying. It shows your confidence in what you are communicating and makes them open to trusting you.

As a result of your pauses, Gerard says, “Your audience will gain sustenance not only from your content, but from your credibility, confidence, and as the icing on the cake, your leadership.” The word “leadership” is at the heart of this. In all our interactions, we need to be seen as strong leaders.  Our silence can speak to it.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Small Steps to Success

Have you been searching for a big breakthrough idea that will get your school community to recognize how essential you are? At the same time are you wondering where you would find the time to implement it? Big goals take a while before you reach success, and that can make them challenging to start. How do you get going and keep going?

Lisa Broderick in her Smart Brief’s article “Use ‘micro-measurements’ to achieve success” lists six questions you can ask yourself to help see the progress you’re making. Here they are along with my comments explaining how they slowly bring the success you crave and need.

  • “Did I listen today?” – Active listening requires you to focus on what the speaker is saying whether it’s a teacher, a student, or the principal. When you actively listen, you are able to hear undercurrents. You might notice the speaker is confused, stressed, or imparting important information. As a result, you are able to reply to the underlying message as well as its content. When the person feels heard, they are more likely to accept your answer. In the process you build trust and improve your relationship. You may also have a chance to hear how what is happening in your library is making a positive impact.
  • “Did I make eye contact during meetings?” – Not just at department meetings or post-observation meetings. In all your meetings whether in the hall or a question from a student, you move closer to success when you make eye contact. It shows your interest in the speaker as a person. In a world that lives on text messages and email, eye contact stands out as a human-to-human contact.  As with listening, it builds the trust that leads to future connections which can lead to feedback that helps you move forward.
  • “Did I appreciate someone?”  – Sending a “good job” message is nice, but it’s not really appreciating someone. Be specific.  What did they do that made a contribution? The more specific you are, the more the person will value and appreciate what you said. If you have the time, a handwritten note is even better.  They are so rare, their impact is enlarged. We tend to like and want to be with people who like us. Again, this will start a relationship which is key to your success as a librarian.
  • “Did I take care of myself?” – Why is this here? Because in order to do any one of these questions (or take the ongoing time needed to achieve big goals) you need to be in a good place mentally. When you are overworked, overwhelmed, and stressed out, you are not likely to do any of this. What do you do to relax? (Do you remember how to do it?) Some of you are crafters. Make time to do some work on that unfinished project. I have friends who love to cook. If you are like me, you need to take a walk. These activities are not time wasters. They are success builders. Think of how you feel after you have spent time doing things you love.  Note: taking a nap can be taking care of yourself.
  • “Did I reach out to a former colleague?” – Doing so build success in several ways. Renewing good memories is soothing (and is taking care of yourself). It’s also helpful because the former colleague can be just the person to give you deeper insight and encouragement on that great idea you have been looking for and how to manage it.  Your PLN is a powerful source of information, inspiration, and connection to others.
  • “Did I take a small step toward my next big opportunity?” – Success frequently comes by your willingness to step out of your comfort zone. I left a job and tenure to take on a new position almost an hour away from my home. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. That new big goal – what’s one step you can take today? These will add up. You can also consider volunteering in your state school library association. It will expand your knowledge and your PLN. Submit a proposal to lead a presentation at your next library conference.  Even if it’s turned down, you will have learned from the experience and will do better next time.

Brodericks’s closing suggestion is to “try it for one week. Pick one question. Write it down. Score yourself 1–10 each night.”  Hopefully you’ll start to see the incremental changes. Small steps that lead to big changes and results.

Look at all you have learned and accomplished since you became a librarian. Add a small step. This is how you get closer to your Vision.  You don’t have to get there today or even tomorrow. Just keep moving in the right direction.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

They Goofed – Now What?

The fifth-grade class you are teaching begins working on the project and a student knocks over the display you had set up. The sound seems deafening. Was it an accident or intentional? What do you say? What do you do?

Can you put yourself in the student’s shoes? Think of how you respond when you make a foolish error. First, your brain begins its usual negative self-talk. Then you might try to cover it up or explain it away. The same thing is happening for the student. Your objective is to avoid losing the focus of the other students while getting the kid who acted out back on track and holding them responsible for their action.

Oh, and you only have a minute or two to respond.

Billy Dunn in his blog post, “The Day My 8-Year-Old Made Me a Better Leader,” offers a script to help you through moments like these. He recounts a time when his daughter played badly in her soccer game. How he handled it can guide you as you deal when students (and others) make mistakes. Here are his five steps along with my usual comments:

  1. A high form of leadership is restraint – His brain is telling him he is in big trouble and he’s wondering things like whether you will be informing his parents. Instead of launching a tirade into his behavior and extending the show for the rest of the class, keep your tone light-hearted. Say something like, “Well, that was loud. Now let’s get it fixed.” Remind the rest of the class to get back to work and have the student who knocked the display down help as you restore it. Dunn notes, “Correction delivered at the wrong time creates distance instead of trust.” You don’t want to escalate his actions. Working on putting the display back in order can calm him down and provide the quiet space for the others to resume what they were doing.
  2. Psychological safety precedes improvement – The student is anticipating your angry response, triggering the well-known freeze-flight-fight reaction. Dunn says, “Psychological safety…fuels innovation, trust, and growth.” It’s imperative that students feel safe in the library. You certainly don’t want them planning to “get even” for a punishment reaction from you or creating a situation that leads to more shame and guilt from his peers or teachers.
  3. Don’t be content with making a point. Make a difference – Dunn cautions not to “apply the right principles at the wrong moment.” By not lashing out at the student and creating a safe space as you put the display back together, you have an opportunity to talk the incident through. Can you learn what motivated the student? Gently ask if he has been having a bad day. Get the student to open up and recognize how he let an earlier situation cause him to act badly.
  4. The relationship is the gateway to greater performance – You now have begun the framework for building a relationship with this student, and building relationships is one of our primary focuses. Trust grows and develops over time. Because of how you handled the situation, the student’s behavior is likely to be different next time. Even better, instead of disastrous class period, you are creating a future library user. And you might have even watered some seeds of trusts with the students who witnessed how you handled the situation.
  5. Invest in your Emotional Intelligence – This situation affected not only the student involved but how the rest of the class saw you and the library. It required you to employ a high level of emotional intelligence. Dunn reminds us that emotional intelligence is not simply about recognizing emotions in others, it’s about our response to them. He concludes, “emotional intelligence is the discipline of putting relationship before reaction and people before impulse so that growth can follow.”

Because of the experience that inspired it, the five steps Dunn shares are focused on children, but the same is true for adults. Teachers can and will goof too. You may have set up a lesson for a class but the teacher never came. It would be easy to point out to the teacher how much time and effort you invested, but that will get you the opposite results of what you want. Instead, recognize it was not likely the teacher’s intention to forget to bring their class. Something must have happened to cause it. Don’t just accept the teacher’s apology, use these steps: Restraint. Make Psychologically Safe to go beyond the apology. Make a Difference with how you connect and remember the importance of relationships to create Greater Performance and Emotional Intelligence so you can discover what really happened and grow for the future.

Building relationships is not only about what you do. It’s often about how and when you do it. In the midst of a mistake, it can be extremely powerful.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Spreading Joy

It’s National Library Week and the theme is FIND YOUR JOY embodied so wonderfully by “The Internet Librarian” and children’s book author Mychal Threets (and expressed in his book I’m So Happy You’re Here – A Celebration of Library Joy.). In recognition of his joyful advocacy and dedication to library life, Mychal has been honored with numerous awards: the 2024 I Love My Librarian Award from the American Library Association, inclusion in School Library Journal’s 2024 Movers and Shakers, TIME Magazine’s 2024 Next Generation Leaders, a 2024 Webby Award for Social Impact, and a spot on TIME’s inaugural 2025 list of 100 Creators.

Joy isn’t a topic we hear about much these days. But it should be and it can be, no matter how challenging it feels for us and the people we serve. Can you think of at least a few of those moments now?  A student getting excited about a book you showed them or finding just what they needed for a research project. A teacher realizing that your collaboration lead to a greater success than they anticipated. Maybe your principal being grateful for information you gave them that they were able to use at a school committee meeting.

Unfortunately, most days joy is far from what you are feeling and hard to connect to. But joy can be a powerful tool and finding ways to tap into it can turn difficult situations around. In her SmartBrief article “The joy gap: What’s missing in the modern workplace, Amy Leneker takes up the challenge of changing our environment. She offers these insights on joy.

The Myth that Widens the Joy Gap – Leneker begins with myth that, “Stress is the price we pay for success.” Even before politics became a more common part of our library lives, we experienced stressed. We serve students, teachers, and the administration. Ours is a high pressure career, but if we lose our joy in what we do, we lose our “Why” for becoming a librarian, and are less successful in what we do. Leneker points to neuroscience studies showing that when the brain is stressed it has “less capacity for creativity, learning, connection and strategic thinking.” Each of these abilities is critical to being successful and serving your library community. Its time find our way back to looking forward to coming to work each day, or as many days as possible.

Where Joy Actually Comes From – Quoting Catherine Price, author of The Power of Fun, Leneker share that fun comes from a connection between playfulness, connection and flow. It is a“lighthearted attitude, creating a special, shared experience with others and committing to being active, engaged and present.” This is something that is very inline with creating a space that is welcoming to all. Bright colors, relevant topics, ways to have fun with what students are there to learn brings joy into the library and people’s days. We can share our successes and wins and encourage others to share theirs. And, instead of watching body language to recognize when someone is depressed or worried look for signs of happiness and joy in others then ask them what has put that smile on their face. Joy reigns when it is shared.

Science-backed practice – New and Good – It’s not surprising that sharing good news “triggers dopamine…improving mood and openness. Hearing others’ good news has a similar effect.” Yet most us of start conversations with what’s going wrong. Leneker suggests setting the tone of a situation by starting with some positivity. Asking, “What’s good today?” Or asking about a hobby, movie or favorite thing of the person you’re talking to will immediately bring more joy to your relationships and connections.

Start with Simple, Low-effort Wins – Small moments the bring joy can have long lasting results. Smiles, appreciation, meaningful compliments even when you are just passing someone in the hall has an impact. Start meetings discussing achievements, congratulate students and teachers at the beginning of a lesson. Leneker says to consider looking at where success and joy might have a place in your Mission Statement of Vision. “Our library is a place of joy where…”

Closing the Joy Gap Is a Leadership Choice – Leneker says, “The joy gap isn’t inevitable. It’s the result of cultural choices.” Instead of trying to work harder, focus on the joy of learning, growing, and living. Spread the message as you go through the day. We tend to avoid people who are stressed and always busy. That won’t strengthen and build our relationship with teachers. How many students have avoided asking you questions because you seemed too busy or serious? Start with joy and see where it takes you.

My tip? Create a Joy Journal. Note when you have a “win.” Keep track when something or someone makes you laugh. Take time to notice something that brought lightness to your day. There is truth in the saying “laughter is the best medicine.” Look for ways to bring and encourage joy and watch what blooms.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Curiosity Grows Minds

For a lot of people, if they curious about something, they google it. End of curiosity. It’s easy. But there are deeper questions that Google can’t answer. Those are the questions that fuel and grow minds.

Searching for answers to these deeper questions are at the core of the Shared Foundations in AASL’s National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries, Second Edition. As the Framework for Learners states in Inquire. Learners “Build new knowledge by inquiring, thinking critically, identifying problems, and developing strategies for solving problem.”

In other words, the Learners are growing their minds.

How do you Inspire (the second of the Shared Foundations) students to generate the questions that lead to growing their minds? Tisa Montgomery, in her ASCD/ISTE blog Start with Wonder, provides a route to this deeper thinking.

An experience as a young student inspired Montgomery’s approach. Her seventh grade science teacher held up two freshly fallen green leaves and asked, “What would you want to know if you found these in a forest?” It was wonder rather than content that fueled the lesson. As the article continues, Montgomery quotes a study showing that curiosity is the force that “drives deep learning and meaning-making.” Most importantly it connects to the real world, making the lesson more meaningful and lasting.

Leveraging Curiosity‑Driven Questions – Two examples Montgomery offers are showing an elementary class on the water cycle the condensation forming on a cold soda can and asking, “Where do you think that water came from?” Based on her suggestion, you might ask students to consider how a recent book they read would be different if another character had written it. She points out: “The goal isn’t accuracy; it’s engagement… curiosity reshapes attention and energy in the room.” You also create a situation where there is no wrong answer – only deeper understanding.

Nurturing Student‑Generated Inquiry – The library is the perfect space for some of Montgomery’s suggestions such as posting a Wonder Wall to track evolving questions. Students from different classes can contribute to it making the process collaborative. Another example is to “Classify questions as factual, analytical, or generative.” This will also develop their ability to choose the best AI tool for research. Incorporate reflection, allowing students to refine their original answers as their inquiry grows. An example for middle and high school could be, “What defines a revolution?” Initially, they listed events and leaders. But as their inquiry deepened, they began to ask, “Can revolutions happen without violence?” and “What role does curiosity play in change?” (The last question has me thinking.)

What Leaders Can Do – As leaders we must be models of lifelong learning. Share your curiosity with students, teachers, and administrators. Ask students to identify one way you could have made a lesson more meaningful. Ask teachers where they feel they could use more help. Ask principals how you can give them data in a more meaningful way so they can use clearly and powerfully with their superintendent and Board of Education.

Curiosity didn’t kill the cat. It inspired them to choose an alternate approach. Look for where and how you can inspire it and spark the thinking, leading to a deeper understanding and appreciation of what you contribute to the success of the school community. And look for the places where your curiosity is sparked.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Six Steps to Improve Your Active Listening

Can you hear me now? A familiar question when one is presenting and you’re worried if there’s a problem with the equipment. But the question is even more important when we are communicating with others. Active listening builds trust, and, as you know, trust is the foundation of relationships which we need with students, teachers, administrators and more.

Communication consists of three parts: the sender, the message, and the receiver. Once the message reaches the receiver, the process is reversed. The receiver becomes the sender, a new message is sent, and the former sender is now the receiver. When this works perfectly, the parties involved get and give the necessary information. However, all too often, there is static on the line affecting one or more of the three parts. By learning to be an active listener you eliminate or at least minimize this static.

In his blog article Why Active Listening May Be the Most Underrated Leadership Skill, John Mattoneprovides six steps to ensure you are really listening. Here are his recommendations, along with my comments on how it plays out in our library world:

  1. Listening Fully – This seems obvious, but Mattone explains this means, “giving your complete attention, reducing personal bias, and processing what the speaker intends to communicate.” You probably are seeing the problem already. In your overly busy day, you have multiple demands coming at you almost simultaneously. Also consider Mattone’s reference to reducing personal bias. Is the student always a pest, nitpicking details to delay getting to work? Is the teacher one who invariably rejects all your help? (Maybe that’s because you aren’t listening fully?) No matter the sender or the method, it is vital that you fully listen to the message you are being given. While it is most apparent in your verbal communication, your emails and texts also need your attention.
  2. Observing Nonverbal Cues – We communicate on the subconscious level in our nonverbal cues. Our body language conveys an enormous amount of information. Starting with our lips, eyes, and brows, moving down to our shoulders, and our posture in general, we are sending information. In your next conversation, notice the ones you are being sent. Does the sender seem nervous or self-assured? When you’re having a meeting with your principal, do they seem engaged, rushed, or concerned? By noticing these cues, you can give better responses. Need practice? The next time you’re in the supermarket or other public places observe the people you pass and see if you can determine what messages they are sending.
  3. Staying Present and Attentive – Mattone says, “Leaders must quiet internal noise, avoid mental drift, and stay centered so the person speaking feels valued.” While the student or teacher is talking, is your mind wandering? We have so much to do, we often are multi-tasking even in the middle of a conversation. Stay present as much as possible. Keep this in mind when during casual interactions. Watch and listen when you sign in or out. Observe and interact with students as they come in for a class. You can anticipate how a student or the class will respond to the learning experience and make adjustments when needed.
  4. Summarizing Key Points – When you do this after the other person finishes speaking, you demonstrate you have been listening. It is also an opportunity to identify what you might have misunderstood. As Mattone points out, “When leaders reflect back what they heard, they confirm accuracy and demonstrate respect for the speaker.” The summary allows both the receiver and you a chance to expand or focus on the essentials of the communication. (For those comfortable with AI – Gmail and other email services frequently include summary points of what was included in the exchange. It’s a helpful addition.)
  5. Asking Open-Ended Questions – Open-ended questions stimulate deeper thought into the desired outcomes along with the possibility of revising some of what a teacher wants or helping a student see what they need to do to pursue their investigation. In a conversation with your principal, it alerts you to their goals giving you the ability to tie your plan to their needs. Mattone says these questions, “uncover insights that support better coaching and developmental outcomes.”
  6. Maintaining Eye Contact – While only possible during face-to-face communication, this is a core component of Active Listening. It shows you are solely focused on the speaker. In Matton’s words, “It signals attentiveness, interest, and credibility.” He continues, “When leaders maintain appropriate eye contact, they communicate respect and commitment, reinforcing trust in the relationship and helping the other person feel fully heard.”

Active Listening isn’t an easy skill to master, but it is one you need in your leadership toolkit. You won’t always do it, but the more you are aware of it, the better you’ll get. Do you hear me?

Posted on by hildaweisburg

The 5th Law of Library Science

In 1969, Laurence J. Peter proposed what has become known as “The Peter Principle.” It basically states that in the work world people rise to their level of incompetence. They get to the highest position possible and from there, don’t have the skills to advance further. By contrast, in his SmartBriefs article Avoiding the Peter Principle, Paul Thornton says, “Effective leaders do the opposite; they continue to learn and adapt.”  The key, he writes, is adaptability and growth mindset.

To do this, he has several recommendations and I’ve added my usual comments aligning them with working in a school library. I’m saving the connection to the title until the end of this blog. Many of you will have figured it out.

Keep learning – Most of you do this every day as you discover new tools and sources. Thornton points to the value of learning from experience. He says, leaders “see mistakes, feedback and unexpected outcomes as data and ask, “What can I learn?”’ As we tell our students, FAIL can be thought of as an acronym for “First Attempt In Learning.” One more way to keep learning is to be open to learning from your students. They live at technology’s edge. When I was working as a high school librarian, my library council was a font of information. And they loved that they were teaching me. Consider keeping track of what you learn each day. Much is added to our store of knowledge that we don’t realize has occurred. By recording it, you see where and how you acquired the information. The log will also help when you do your regular report to your principal.

Keep adapting – Paraphrasing Darwin, “it’s not the fittest who survive—it’s the most adaptable.” When things go wrong with technology and it’s crunch time, you adapt. When your principal makes a change in your schedule, you adapt. Thornton identifies these traits in leaders who cannot adapt:

  • They dismiss evidence, trends or feedback that suggest a different approach is needed.
  • They become defensive when challenged.
  • They hide behind rules and policies instead of exercising judgment.
  • They discourage experimentation and punish mistakes. 

Unfortunately, if it’s the administration that has those traits, we must adapt by developing strategic plans to move them off their negative mindset.

The payoff – As Thornton rightly says about those who keep learning and adapting, “They spot opportunities more quickly, respond faster to changing circumstances and make smarter decisions.” Equally important for us, he says, “In addition, people are more willing to follow leaders who demonstrate a commitment to learning and the courage to keep evolving.”

And now to turn back to the title of this blog. If you have a degree in Library and Information Science, you learned about S. J. Ranganathan who in 1931 published The 5 Laws of Library Science which are:

1. Books Are For Use
2. Every Reader His/Her Book
3. Every Book Its Reader
4. Save The Time Of The Reader
5. The Library Is A Growing Organism

All are still valid, but in this case, it’s the fifth law we must remember. An organism that isn’t growing is dying. We need to use every tool and skill we have to keep growing, adapting, and learning. When we do this, we continue to rise and live into our Vision.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Three Steps to Handle Pressure

Leaders are always dealing with pressure. It goes hand in hand with working toward a powerful Vision. But the short-term pressures can be unendingly draining. Every day as you walk into your school, you wonder what new situation is going to hit the fan. The anxiety often pervades your time with family and friends. If you live where you work, even shopping can be a challenge.

It’s unhealthy to live that way, and it keeps you from being your best, not only with students and teachers but outside of school. You need a way to deal with pressure that will help you thrive rather than feeling as though you’re clinging to each day with your finger tips.

We can’t control what happens. We can only control how we deal with it. Our focus must be on our Mission (purpose) and Vision (ultimate goal). In her article Under Pressure As A Leader: Three Tips On How to Succeed, LaRae Quy (who I’ve referenced before)offers these tips to achieve that:

  1. Plan for the worst – This doesn’t mean preparing for doom. It is anticipating what might happen and how you will respond. Quy suggests you ask yourself, “How would I respond if…” [then} Work through potential work scenarios using visualization.” For example, what would you do if you’re greeted by a parent as you enter the school, brandishing a book from your library and calling it filth. Your first step is acknowledging their concern then lowering their tone. Say something like, “I understand you are concerned about your child. Let’s go into the library and work on fixing this.” You can be prepared by having the Action Toolkit from Unite Against Book Bans and other additional resources from AASL and your state school library association.
  2. Follow all leads – Then we’re in a challenging place or faced with a difficult situation, we tend to do what is most familiar. But is that the best choice? Is there something new you could try. Back to the original example, you have a method of handling that potential book banner. Has anything changed since you made that plan? Are there people who can help you come up with other methods? Start with your Personal Learning Network (PLN). Ask what they have done to deal with confrontations or any other issues putting pressure on you. What helped them build support with parents. If the book banner plans on attending a Board meeting, will any of your potential advocates be there to speak up for the library.
  3. Think of the long term – This is why having Mission and Vision is key. It can help you remember what you’re striving for when the moment is challenging. Focusing on what’s immediately in front of us can cause narrow thinking which leads to mistakes that affect the future. Don’t do something today that is against your values, even if it alleviates the immediate pressure. It will come back to bite you. As Quy says, “Focusing on the long term helps us develop better coping and decision-making skills, as we rely more on cognitive strategies, such as self-control and problem-solving, rather than impulsive emotional reactions.”

To add to Quy’s tips, I want you to remember the lesson of the redwood trees. They have shallow roots yet manage to stand tall in the heavy winds. They do it by intertwining their roots with other redwoods. Don’t go it alone. We are stronger together and when there are people around you who understand the pressure you’re under, it’s not quite as bad.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

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?

Posted on by hildaweisburg

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.