Competency M

Demonstrate professional leadership and communication skills.

Introduction

While both are essential to the success of any organization, leadership and management are very distinctive competencies. The two terms are often mistaken to mean the same thing and are often used interchangeably. Management is the coordination of resources and tasks to ensure an organization runs smoothly and reaches its goals (Indeed Editorial Team, 2023). Leadership describes a person's ability to influence and inspire others when dealing with change (Albright, 2022) (Indeed Editorial Team, 2022a). Peter Drucker, the father of management thinking, defines management vs. leadership well- “Management is doing things right, leadership is doing the right things.”

Difference between Leadership and Management

Table 1.0: How a Manager vs. Leader Approaches Tasks (Albright, 2022)

As Table 1.0 depicts, managers are focused on short-term operational goals. They rely mainly on control to keep an eye on the bottom line, aim to get things right and maintain the status quo. On the other hand, leaders have a long-range, horizon-focused perspective on the greater good. They are focused on investigation and innovation while inspiring trust in people. There are a few misconceptions about leaders and managers:

  • Leaders of often assumed to be at the top of the organizational hierarchy, whereas managers are interspersed in lower levels.

  • Leaders are charismatic individuals.

  • The two competencies are distinct, which is untrue- managers can be great leaders, and leaders can be great managers. It is all about achieving a balance.

Different Leadership Theories and Styles

There are two main schools of thought for leadership theories- the school of “born leaders” and the school of “leadership as a process.” These two main ways of thinking about leadership have created several leadership styles. Leadership styles are defined as the different characteristics, traits, and behaviours that leaders use to interact with their peers. The most successful style depends on the organization, the marketing, timing and current needs. Some of the most popular leadership styles (from most control to least) include autocratic, bureaucratic, charismatic, democratic, laissez-faire, transactional, and servant (Albright, 2022).

Leadership Competencies

The Library Leadership Administration and Management Association (LLAMA) has created a competency-based approach to leadership for information professionals. The list of competencies was created to support leadership and management development for individuals by standardizing and defining a baseline for development, providing a map for professional development, evaluation criteria and framework, and guiding principles for advocating for the importance of leadership (Library Leadership & Management Association, 2018).

The following are the 14 leadership competencies defined by LLAMA in Foundational Competencies for Library Leaders and Managers:

Image 1.0: LLAMA’s 14 Leadership Competencies (Library Leadership & Management Association, 2018)

Types of Communication

Understanding the different types of communication allows an individual to choose the most effective way to communicate in different situations. There are two main types of communication: two-way and one-way.

The following are different types of communication, classified by the medium of interaction versus one-way or two-way communication:

One of the most important skills a good leader in library organizations has is the ability to communicate verbally, through the written word, and even visually. This is because many of the roles within these organizations require interaction with various communities (Albright, 2022). These interactions can include:

  • guidance or instruction

  • marketing

  • public relations

  • outreach

Understanding Communication Soft Skills and Factors that Shape Communication

Several soft skills are essential to developing for a leader to communicate effectively. They include:

  • effective speaking and writing: preparing documents, instructing, marketing materials, interpersonal interactions

  • active listening: reducing distractions during the conversation, asking questions, and taking notes

  • interpreting non-verbal cues: reading facial expressions and body language, which have a significant impact on interpersonal communication, accounting for about 60% of the message that is transmitted (Alman, 2022)

  • working independently and in a team

In conjunction with developing these soft skills, understanding the different factors that shape how communications are given and received is also equally important. These factors give professional insight into what drives a person’s thoughts and actions. Factors that can impact communications include (Alman, 2022):

  • the practice of politeness, respect, and courtesy

  • conflicts and how they are dealt with

  • cultural diversity and differences

  • generational differences

  • group dynamics

  • the surrounding environment (i.e. noise)

  • disabilities

  • personalities

Evidence

Imaginary Library Strategic Plan
INFO 204 with Cheryl Dee
Group Members: Andrea Chavez, Samantha Hamilton, Audra Kackley, Michelle Li, and Sadie Wright

Description

Working as a group, we developed a strategic plan for an imaginary library throughout the semester. Each group member had to select a role in the project team, and I took on the role of project leader. As project leader, I recognized that we had to start the project off on the right foot, and that could be done by creating an organizational system that each team member could use throughout the project. I created a central Google Drive that contained a central document that all team members referred to for key project details such as:

  • A list of the different components of the project

  • A tentative completion schedule to keep us accountable throughout the semester.

  • Notes from each meeting so group members could refer to them to see what was discussed.

  • Separate documents for each project component

  • Separate documents for each project component so that group members could focus on one part at a time instead of being overwhelmed by the entire project.


Justification

I chose this project to support my fulfilment of Competency M because I felt I could exemplify the skills and characteristics of a transformational/ bureaucratic leader. To ensure that the progress to project completion went smoothly, considering the number of group members, I felt I could communicate the goals throughout each project phase. I was also able to foster a sense of camaraderie and inspire my group member’s engagement and motivation. Based on feedback from group members, I successfully ensured each member felt valued and that their strengths were recognized and used to enhance project outcomes.

INFO 202 Projects #1-3
INFO 202 Information Retrieval System Design with Virginia Tucker
Group Members: Lisa Danes, Brayden Kelley, Lydia Lopez, Sabrina Weegar & Bailey Wells

Description

My group members and I were matched to complete three projects for the semester. The first project was a gummy candy database, the second was a vocabulary design exercise, and the third was an analysis of a library’s webpage. Like the Imaginary Library Strategic Plan project from INFO 204, each member played different roles within the project team. My role, again, was the project leader and the techie. As the leader, I was responsible for organizing meetings, keeping our group accountable to our set completion schedule, and editing and submitting the final project materials. I also took on the techie role and created the database according to the group’s design notes because I was the most comfortable using the WebDataPro application.

Justification

I chose this assignment for Competency M because I felt that my performance as project leader for all three projects showed my understanding of what it means to coordinate the efforts of a group of people while keeping them motivated to move from task to task, project to project. I also picked this project because I showed my commitment to establishing open and transparent communication through the well-organized notes I kept for each meeting.

COVID-19 Pandemic Response of a Small Business
Action Potential Lab (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

Description

The educational space I worked for, Action Potential Lab, was forced to shut down all operations at the beginning of the COVID19 Pandemic. This left our business with no new revenue coming in.

When we had our first strategy meeting over Zoom, we decided to explore different avenues of making revenue, including developing our STEAM activity kits, offering activity sheets for parents to do STEAM explorations with their kids at home, and online workshops. During this significant change and stress period, each small team member took a significant role in the strategizing/planning and implementation phase that aligned with our strengths. We kept motivating each other to work through the constant change while also acknowledging the feelings of overwhelm and sadness that came with the uncertainty. My role included spearheading the STEAM activity kits, designing the activity sheets, and creating a COVID-19 response plan for reopening.


Justification

In the face of significant change and uncertainty, each small team member, including myself, could use our strengths and problem-solving skills to persevere through the tough times while maintaining a high emotional intelligence level. This is why I chose this experience to demonstrate leadership and communication. As an individual, I also demonstrated my ability to strategize and plan for the future.

Conclusion

Increased awareness of what makes a good leader and communicator enables everyone to meet workplace challenges. This is especially true for information professionals, constantly called upon to interact directly and indirectly with diverse community members. Developing these skills is a never-ending pursuit that includes taking on self-study and professional development opportunities.

As someone who has just started working in the public library field, I have seen firsthand how vital gaining and maintaining these skills are. I plan to continue to build on the leadership and communication skills I have gained from this MLIS program.

References

Albright, K. (2021). Leadership Skills for Today’s Global Information Landscape [Print]. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information Services Today (3rd ed., pp. 465–476). Rowman & Littlefield.

Alman, S. W. (2021). Communication, Marketing, and Outreach Strategies [Print]. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information Services Today (3rd ed., pp. 374–387). Rowman & Littlefield.

Collins, J. (2020, November 11). Take a Look at Your MLIS Skills at Work - SJSU | School of Information. SJSU School of Information. https://ischool.sjsu.edu/career-blog/take-look-your-mlis-skills-work

Indeed Editorial Team. (2022a, December 23). Leadership Skills: Definitions and Examples. Indeed Career Guide. https://ca.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/leadership-skills

Indeed Editorial Team. (2022b, December 24). 7 Essential Leadership Traits of an Effective Leader. Indeed Career Guide. https://ca.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/leadership-traits

Indeed Editorial Team. (2023, January 19). What Is Management? The Definition, Functions and Levels. Indeed Career Guide. https://ca.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/what-is-management#:~:text=Management%20is%20a%20collective%20of,the%20use%20of%20available%20resources

Library Leadership & Management Association. (2018, September 11). Leadership and Management Competencies. Library Leadership & Management Association (LLAMA). https://www.ala.org/llama/leadership-and-management-competencies

Schooley, S. (2023, February 21). What Kind of Leader Are You? 9 Leadership Types and Their Strengths. Business News Daily. https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/9789-leadership-types.html