The VICTORY Model for Successful Leadership

1. The VICTORY Model for Successful Leadership By Nancy Bolt, Nancy Bolt & Associates For Mortenson Center for International Library Programs October, 2005

2. What we will do today • What are the characteristics of Leadership? • How do these apply to national libraries and national library associations? • Leadership in these organizations

3. What is Leadership • POSITIONAL? • BORN or BRED? • INDIVIDUAL OR TEAM BASED?

4. LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS • VISION • INVESTIGATION • COMMUNICATION • TEAMWORK • DECISIVENESS • RESILIENT

5. VISION • What is the vision of success? • How is success defined? • For the organization • For the user • Use • Impact

6. INVESTIGATION • Getting input • From staff • From users • Listen • Find out what might go wrong • Data • Does vision need to be changed or just the methodology?

7. COMMUNICATE • “The essence of leadership is the communication of commitment.” Charlie Robinson, former director of the Baltimore County Public Library • Getting buy-in from staff so they accept the vision as their own and merge self-interest with organization and user interest • Trust -- Seek information and respond to it • Set the boundaries for action • Motivate and Influence

8. DECISIVENESS • Plan strategies • Make a decision • Courage (not absence of fear but willingness to go on in spite of fear) • Be willing to take calculated risks

9. TEAMWORK • Establish an atmosphere of teamwork • Develop teams and leadership • Build competence and confidence • Leaders must re-evaluate the practice of solving problems for others and be willing to learn with their staffs • Teach people to solve problems • Make decision process clear

10. RESILIENT • Evaluate actions toward vision • Rebound from failure “The adaptive leader must be able to model risking new behavior and learn alongside everyone who is involved in the change effort. This is a vulnerability many leaders resist.” Susan DeGenring • Support continuous growth even in the face of failure • Responsibility for what happens • Be flexible in considering new ideas

11. LEADERSHIP BY ORGANIZATIONS • Who are the leadership organizations in your country? • National Library? • National Library Association? • Large libraries?

12. Role of the National Library Association • Advocacy • For a role of libraries in a democracy • For equal right to information for all citizens • For literacy • For funding • Publicity • Campaigns such as @ your library • National Library Week • Summer Reading Programs • Training • Conferences • Workshops • Consulting

13. How do leadership skills apply to an organization? • Vision for the organization • The Board must establish a vision and goals for the organization? • What needs to be done to improve libraries in the country? • How might this be accomplished? • Discover member and user’s needs • Ask members • Ask community leaders • Ask national political leaders

14. Communicate the organization’s vision and goals and activities • To the members • To the public • To political leaders • Change the perception of the library • Teamwork, must rely on volunteers • Volunteer yourself • Permit staff to volunteer and give time • Support the association

15. Board must decisively plan and take action • What needs to be done? • Who’s in charge? • When is it due? • What resources are needed? • The Board must be resilient • Leadership changes regularly • New leaders must be developed • The Board must take risks • There is protection in numbers • Base decisions on data

16. What you can do • Volunteer to be a leader in your organization • You can volunteer • You can allow your staff to volunteer • Your organization can provide support • Help develop national library policy • Advocate for a new role of libraries • Ask the hard questions • You can make a difference

17. Contact Information Nancy Bolt Nancy Bolt & Associates 9018 Ute Drive Golden, CO 80403 USA 303 642 0338 (phone) 303 905 9347 (cell) 303 642 0932 (fax) nancybolt@earthlink.net www.NancyBoltAssociates.com