PLA 2014: Simon Sinek on Leadership

I love going to conferences and as far as library conferences go, the Public Library Association's conference is one of my favorites because it's targeted to the environment I work in and the people I work with and because it provides just enough variety and choices for me to be learning all day long without suffering decision paralysis. If you're reading this and you've never attended a conference, I want my enthusiasm and excitement to come through the screen and encourage you to talk with your supervisor about attending at least one this coming year. It's great to hear from new people who work in either similar or different library systems; it's just so invigorating! 

Psst...the Maryland Library Association/Delaware Library Association's joint conference is coming up: May 7-9! 

In order to keep the length of my posts reasonable, my PLA reflections will span multiple postings.

Simon Sinek
Author of Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

Simon made a comment about how the point of leadership is to figure out how to create an environment in which people will do remarkable things. He talked about how work environments are very similar to tribes from long ago - in that, we need to feel as though we are part of a circle of safety (trust and cooperation) lead by someone who we can count on to have our backs (in the days of cavemen, this was a literal statement) when danger or disruption threatens our status quo. When there is a breach in the circle of safety then the environment shifts from being one of a united front facing outside danger to one of internal strife; we become each others' enemies instead of each others' friends and safety nets which leaves all of us vulnerable to the outside dangers. 

A question asked by an audience member during Q&A was, "How do we get our circle of safety back after it's been tarnished?" Sinek recommended reading the book, Turn the Ship Around, by David Marquet.

Some other soundbites that Simon shared were:

• The cost of good leadership is self-interest.
• Customers/patrons should not be #1. Employees should be #1. 
• Do not email emotional information; pick up the phone or say it face to face.
• Have goals? Make sure they're visible from where you spend most of your time.
• Human contact, as simple as a handshake, is the most important leadership tool. 
• Have a vision statement? Can you visualize it? If not then it needs to be rewritten.