Today's TomorrowShared Vision and Collaboration

Anthony Chow, Ph.D.Assistant Professor

The University of North Carolina at GreensboroAugust 7, 2012

Dreaming of a better place

• My mother and father were born during WWII• My grandfather was only one of 500 Chinese

allowed in the US• My father-in-law was a Marine in both Korea

and Vietnam• All dreamt and fought for and an envisioned a

better future

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My leadership perspective• Quarterback of my high school football team• Marine Corps Officer Candidate• Youngest candidate for SF School Board• Government Training Manager• Internet Training Manager• Director of Online Learning• Director of Information Technology• Coach• Taught Leadership at both the graduate and undergraduate level

for the past 12 years• Most importantly – husband of my high school sweet of 26 years

with three great (sometimes difficult) kids!3 of 26

What will the libraries of tomorrow look like?

UC San Diego’s Geisel Library

Seattle Public LibraryBoston Public Library

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How do we know how to prepare for the future?

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• The needs of users are growing quickly – CPCC goals– Staff needs– Student/Faculty needs– CPCC libraries must align with your changing environment

• National trends (IL, Databases, Instruction, Marketing)• A strategic plan• Needs assessment• Constant staff/patron feedback• Refine as needed (the conversation is half the battle)

Handling rapid change

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People Meeting the Needs of Other People

Orange County Libraries

Orange County Goals

City Goals

Community Goals

Library Administration

and Staff

Educational Goals

•Interviews •Strategic plans•Data

•Interviews•Surveys•Focus Groups•Data

What are the libraries of the future?

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• 3+12+4– Three secrets of exemplary customer service• Decide what you want (establish a vision of ideal

customer service)• Discover what customers want (this is an individual

relationship – different folks, different needs)• Deliver +1 (consistency, flexibility, personalized service

(get to know them as people)(Blanchard & Bowles, 1993)

Happy employees, happy customers

Ken Blanchard

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• 3+12+4– Groundbreaking research by Gallup• 80,000 managers worldwide• World class managers focus on their employees• Happy employees, happy customers• Focus on strengths not weaknesses• You can’t change people but you can change the job• Align strengths with day-to-day tasks and job• Focus on ends not means• Inside Out approach

Happy employees, happy customers

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• 1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?• 2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?• 3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?• 4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?• 5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?• 6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?• 7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?• 8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important?• 9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?• 10. Do I have a best friend at work?• 11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?• 12. This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

From First, Break All the Rules, What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman, Simon & Schuster, 1999.

The 12 Questions

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3+12+4:1. Select for talent (not experience)2. Define the right outcomes (not process)3. Focus on strengths (not weaknesses)4. Find the Right Fit (not the “perfect”

employee)

4 Master Keys

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Communication and working well as a team

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• Central tenets1. Different perspectives help “complete” the whole

picture2. Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing3. What works for you will not work for everyone else4. Seeing “eye-to-eye” means respecting individual

differences emphasizing outcomes and not the pathways of getting there

5. Continuous improvement – you can learn new “tricks” no matter how old of a dog you are!

Communication and working well as a team

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• Do not take “it” personal• Do not talk bad about others – talk differences in

ideas and personalities and not people• Identify the right outcomes and measure it• Establish “norms” that reflect individuality not “cookie

cutter” robots• Accept each other for who they are and not what you

want them to be• Get to know each other (personally and

professionally)

Things YOU can do

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• Embrace “problems” and “frustrations” as learning and growing opportunities.

• Differences reflect diversity which is very healthy

• Respect others’ perspectives on things – you don’t have to do it “their” way and they don’t have to do it “your” way.

The cup is always half-full

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• Align ends, means, and processes through a strategic plan• Have fun and socialize a lot with one another (you spend most

of your waking hours at work!)• Allow similarities and common vision and goals to define you –

not your differences (norm them)• Individualize your services at the point-of-contact – listening and

talking to them about who they are and not what they are there for

• Focus on people and not transactions and getting things done• Continuously discuss, process, and grow• “Inspect what you expect.”• You can’t change people, you can change yourself

Things you can do as a team

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The role of conflict resolution in predicting group outcomes

(Behfar & Peterson, 2008)

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What do library administrators have to say about library leadership and management?

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Interviews with NC library administrators

41%

21%

14%

14%

5%5%

Library Administrator Ideal Qualities (n=109)

EmpathyVisionCommunicationFlexibilityDelegationIntegrity

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Empathy is #1

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academic public school media special0

5

10

15

20

25

Administrator Primary Tasks by Library

Building

Human Resources

Service to users/Programming

Setting Vision/Goals

Budget/Financial

Collection Management

Represent Library

Meetings

Supervise Staff

Business Operations

Assessment

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What does it all mean?

• 3 + 12 + 4• Know what you

want• Discover what

your patrons want• Deliver

consistently

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Organizational Management

• Needs Assessment• Strategic Planning• Analytics and Informatics• Invest in staff with clear goals and resources,

continuously improve with internal/external customer feedback.

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A Strategic Future

• Contributing to the future success of people and our nation

• Your success is paramount - You succeed, they succeed

• 3+12+4• What is my life’s motto? “Make your own luck – envision the future you want and don’t quit until you get it….”

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Questions?

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