Tough Talks Book Series

Motivating Employees: Ideas for Librarians

Tough Talks for Librarians is the topic for a conference presentation I’m delivering today at the Michigan Library Association Annual Conference. The subtitle: What Librarians Need to Know to Communicate Change, Motivate Employees & Stay Sane.

This morning, Lee Van Orsdel, of Grand Valley State University said, “When you presume that your employees and staff want the same thing that you do, you establish common ground and eliminate a lot of conflict.”  And this requires communication–the main tenant of a good leader.  Lee leads a staff of highly committed employees. Her leadership mindset is that she and the staff have the same goal–to serve patrons. Although change can be intimidating for many people, she sees them all come together with little friction. And it’s all because of her leadership style and communication of the mission.

What do you do to motivate your staff? Please share your ideas freely. I look forward to meeting many of you in person.

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