My Personal Leadership Philosophy

1. MyPersonal Leadership Philosophy Laura Alger LIBS 6031: Assignment 2 February 6, 2012

2. “The very exercise of leadership fosters capacity for it.” -Cyril Falls, 1888-1971What is leadership? • Definition of Leadership: “1. the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group. 2. ability to lead. 3. an act or instance of leading; guidance; direction” (Dictionary.com, 2012). • “Leadership is organizing a group of people to achieve a common goal. The leader may or may not have any formal authority” (Wikipedia.com, 2012). • “leadership as a process of innovation and leadership as the recurrent interplay between private personality and public performance” (Prentice, 2005, p. 106).

3. What has shaped my leadership philosophy? • Reflecting on my work history, I evaluated previous supervisors and work colleagues. In addition, I contemplated the skills of people in my daily life that I would consider leaders, and those having leadership potential. I was then able to slowly develop my own leadership philosophy as it relates to my future profession as a librarian. • My leadership philosophy encompasses what I believe was responsible for me ‘buying into’ a bosses ideas, being motivated to perform at my highest ability level, wanting to achieve higher goals, desiring to take on more responsibilities, accepting challenges and additional work roles, and beyond.

4. Core values, beliefs & character traits central to my Personal Leadership Philosophy • 1. Authenticity • 2. Integrity • 3. Teamwork • 4. Knowledge

5. Explanation of my core values and characteristics:1. Authenticity“the quality of being authentic; genuineness” (Dictionary.com). • I find that being true to myselfresults in me being “comfortable in my own skin,” allowing for me to have a constant personality and mannerism. • As a result of having self-speculated through the years I have obtained knowledge of myself and chosen to live authentically. Consequentially, my decisions are true to me, my ideals, and personal beliefs (and in the future this will relate to being a professional media coordinator/teacher-librarian). Therefore, decisions are ones that I am confident and proudof, along with they are decisions I can “live with.” • I feel that being an authentic leader results in a believable model and level of guidance that is genuine. • Furthermore, being authentic results in ‘approachability;’ meaning staff, students, colleagues fell comfortable approaching me to begin a dialogue as I have a consistent mannerism and calm, relaxed disposition.

6. 2. Integrity“adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty” (Dictionary.com). • My leadership philosophy is based on the principle of “The Golden Rule.” The Golden Rule states, “One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself” (Wikipedia.com). • Therefore, Ipractice being truthful, honest, fair, respectful, and trustworthy. As a librarian I will carry these moral and ethical characteristics over to serving a school and it’s student population. • Having integrity results in a librarian-teacher that has the ethics to provide excellent, professional service to all students, teachers, and staff.

7. 3. Teamwork“cooperative or coordinated effort on the part of a group of persons acting together as a team or in the interests of a common cause” (Dictionary.com.) • I believe that collaboration and participation by all members of the group (while in an inclusive and cooperative environment) results in teamwork, a sense of belonging, and a feeling of pride in what is accomplished. • Encouraging one another is an essential element of teamwork. Overall, I feel that being friendly and demonstrating concern about the lives of other team members (e.g., a school’s students ,teachers, and staff) results in a sense of team, family, and belonging., • Within the teamwork setting I like to use and modela democratic system with all members having an equal say and equal opportunities to havetheir voice heard. • My experience has shown that when ‘teamwork’ is utilized, trust develops between members; resulting with increases in work productivity. It appears as though most individuals want to perform well so as to improve their teams status and productivity.

8. 4. Knowledge“1. acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition. 2.familiarity or conversance, as with a particular subject or branch of learning” (Dictionary.com) • To be a leader in ones field usually necessitates obtaining the required entry-level degree; in the case of librarianship, a Masters of Library Science (MLS) degree is needed. Many positions further require the MLS to be obtained from an ALA-accredited university program. • Moreover, to be a leader in the field of librarianship the librarian should be a member of professional associations (e.g., American Library Association) and be involved/on committees, present at conventions, etc. • Lifelong learning and staying up to date with technology is essential in today’s information age and the ever changing field of librarianship. • I feel it is also necessary to encourage others (e.g., students, teachers, administration) to continue learning and provide in-services and workshops as needed (e.g., technology workshops).

9. Personal Leadership Philosophy statement: • I strive to lead by exhibiting the myriad traits of an exemplary Librarian-Teacher. I aim to demonstrate a genuine concern for my students and colleagues, to encourage all team members to collaborate and to develop and maintain a team and ”school-family” environment. I further strive to be a lifelong learner and to use and share my knowledge and skills as it relates to librarianship and being a leader. I seek to maintain a consistent, moral, ethical and professional mannerism while fulfilling duties as a Librarian-Teacher.

10. Putting it into practice:My leadership goals and priorities as a “rookie” Librarian-Teacher • Gain experience, knowledge, and confidence in the field of librarianship by volunteering at a variety of libraries and media centers; affording me opportunities to learn more about the role of a Librarian and practice the many facets of this role. • Obtain a masters of library science degree and become an informed leader within the field and within the school community. Join professional associations and continue to learn by attending workshops and conventions conducted by these associations (e.g., ALA). Present educational workshops and in-services to school employees as needed. • Become involved in the school and system wide district by participating on committees, teams and boards. This affords opportunities to network with teachers, colleague-librarians, and administrators, allowing for time to testify and establish the worth of the media program, resulting in gained support and understanding of the school media center and it’s overall vision (Anderson, 2006).

11. In conclusion A list of competencies and standards, as explained by Ammons-Stephens, et al. (2009) would be extremely helpful to an aspiring leader in the field of librarianship to hone one’s professional and leadership skills in the areas of managerial attributes, personal characteristics, and knowledge. Throughout my career as a Librarian-Teacher I will reassess my current beliefs and traits, re-evaluate priorities and goals, compare how these both relate to the field of Librarianship and whether my personal leadership plan is meeting the needs of the school community I serve, and update and modify as required. • “Leadership cannot really be taught. It can only be learned.” –HarroldGeneen, 1910-1997.

12. Works Consulted • Anderson, M.A. (2006). Leadership: what makes us tick? Library Media Connection24(6), 14-19. • Ammons-Stephens,S., Cole, H.J., Jenkins-Gibbs, K., Riehle, C.F., and Weare Jr., W. H. (2009). Developing core leadership competencies for the library profession. Library Leadership Manage23(2), 63-74. • Dictionary.com(2012). Retrieved on February 3, 2012. • Prentice, A. (2005). Managing in the information age. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. • Frank, L.R. (Ed.). (2001). Quotationary New York: Random House. • Wikipedia.org(2012). Retrieved on January 31, 2012 from wikipedia.org.