Managing Yourself and Others

by Sara Hansen and Jennifer Doderer, Ocean County Library

Sara will cover: Managing others while keeping your sanity

Jenn will cover: Human Resources 101

Management and Leadership

Managing the daily operations of your organization.

Leading the library toward the future.

Self Assessment:

Who are you? What kind of a leader are you?Where do you excel?Where do you need help? Who do you ask for help?

Two types of New Directors:

Old relationship – came up through the ranks and was “one of the gang” in the past

New relationship – Director hired from the outside and not privy to all the problems, staff interactions, and enabling that has gone on in the past

What makes the Director seat different

• You need thick skin – you will be accused of having favorites

• Confidentiality is a heavy burden

• Open Door policy is OK for most, as it indicates you are open to new ideas and changes

in the organization, but beware of martyrs and narcissists – they feed on the attention

In What Direction are We Going?

Cultivate your team

Be honest

Address the issues

What you need to be successful:

Personnel Manual Up-To-Date Policies Job Descriptions for everyone List of Front Desk skills all need to learn Super Library Supervisor training

New Hires:

• Job application AND a resume from each candidate

• 90 days probation in Personnel manual; can extend it

only if State Library

• Sort applications into two piles: NO and Interview

• NO – red flags: comments, sloppy, misspellings, breaks

• Phone Interview: weed out ones that look good on paper

• Interviews: only need to actually interview 5-6 at most

High expectations of good employees should be spelled out:

• Detailed job description

• Goals for coming year

• Regular / Virtual staff meetings

• Coaching sessions

• Daily E-mail / BLOGS

High expectations of good directors:• Be a role model – “walk the walk”

• No favorites – treat all the same

• Be consistent

• Be aware of cultural differences

• Reasonable accommodation of a disability

Things to check:

Did you provide an orientation for them? Do they know what their job entails, i.e. do they have

a job description, list of duties? Do they need training / retraining (see Free or

Inexpensive Training) Document retraining! Do they have the tools they need, i.e. space, supplies,

computers, time, quiet environment?

IF YOU’RE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH AN EMPLOYEE:

Costs to keep them: (Cavaiola, p.12)

• Higher rates of absenteeism

• Undermining loyal employees’ commitment to the organization

• Creating a sense of malaise / depression

• High turnover / retraining costs

• Higher levels of stress with related accidents

• Resistance to new management directives – they will undermine you with a passive/aggressive campaign

• Legal fees, litigation, including high settlement fees

TOOLS TO MODIFY BEHAVIOR INCLUDE:

• The Personnel Manual

• Coaching / Counseling sessions

• Evaluations

annual and interim (quarterly, weekly), if needed

• Progressive Discipline

• Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) with consequences (demotion or termination)

Strategies:

• Use a progressive discipline plan

• Document, document, document – and do it to everyone that is misbehaving

• Treat everyone the same

• Cross-train, reschedule everyone. It will get them out of their comfort zone and away from their enablers. Also it will add depth to your organization.

• Keep ’em busy and out of trouble!!

EvaluationsAdaptability

Communications

Conflict Resolution

Customer Service

Dependability

Job Knowledge

Judgment

Problem Solving

Quality

Team Work

Supervisors - add:

Cost Conscious/ Budgeting

Delegation

Leadership

Managing People

Planning and Organization

Dealing with FMLA, NJFLA

Stay within the law, use your HR person Use a labor attorney if things get rough Document everything, all the time Have the right forms & require them to be filled

out correctly and completely Excessive absences vs. Sick leave abuse Have the right leave policies – require earned

leave the be used up before going to unpaid Prevent "Stacking" of Leave

Free or Inexpensive Training: LibraryLinkNJ www.librarylinknj.org

The NJ State Library www.njstatelib.org

The New Jersey Library Association www.njla.org

Web Junction - Learning Center http://www.webjunction.org

click on the Find Training tab

Statewide Super Supervisor classes, levels I, II, and III

http://librarylinknj.org/content/super-library-supervisor-workshop-

series-2013

Resources: Bramson, Robert. Coping with difficult people. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press,

1981. Cavaiola, Alan A., and Lavender, Neil J. Toxic coworkers: how to deal with

dysfunctional people on the job. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc., 2000.

Dobson, Michael, and Dobson, Deborah Singer. Coping with supervisory nightmares: 12 common nightmares of leadership and what you can do about them. Mission, KS: SkillPath Publications, 1997.

Documentation and discipline handouts, shared courtesy of Kathleen Carr, Human Resources, Ocean County Library from Super Supervisor Course

Software from KnowledgePoint: Performance Now, and Descriptions Now, available from www.cdwg.com. They take purchase orders

Google “sample library job descriptions.” Maine St. Lib. has some good ones:

http://www.maine.gov/msl/mrls/resources/jobdesc.shtml http://www.ogletreedeakins.com/publications/2008-06-03/new-jersey-paid-family-le

ave-law-fact-sheet http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/pensions/epbam/additional/fmla-overview.htm Marian R. Bauman 732-775-8241 x 1-301 mbauman@neptunepubliclibrary.org