In 1941, the “middle manager” was born. Well, at the very least, there was a defining name for the challenging work of being in the middle, between administration, policy makers, and a team of staff who do the frontline work in the Library. Merriam-Webster defines middle management as: management personnel intermediate between operational supervisors and policymaking administrators.
Attending Leading from the Middle: Building Consensus Through Influence, Not Authority, by Kristin Williamson and Emily Williams, resulted in three personal reactions:
- Affirmation of what I observe and experience,
- Confirmation that middle management is not about me, it’s about uplifting the talent I’m surrounded by, and
- A reminder that a middle manager’s roles at the Library are multi-faceted and include (for me) being a part of a larger network as a cheerleader, supporter, supervisor of none, one who listens to all and provides feedback and guidance, when necessary.
With entertaining gifs portraying middle management (similar to but more awesome than these gifs), Williamson and Williams challenged future middle managers, current middle managers, and soon-to-be-retired middle managers in the room to make five commitments. I invite you to be my accountability partner in building positive relations at the Library by:
- Improving your relationships with others. Identify one person you’ll reach out to this week (or the week you return from ALSC Institute),
- Building your team’s connections by identifying one structure or ritual to create or change,
- Navigating change by identifying one early adopter to involve in a next initiative,
- Influencing others through an ‘issue’ at the Library, rather than leaning into authority, and
- Using my (perceived) power for good by amplifying a voice that is not often heard.
Not a middle manager? Never fear! You too can have a positive impact on your workplace community and be known as a leader. How? Follow Williamson and Williams’ guidance on building a healthy culture at the Library:
- Make mistakes! Declare them okay. Fix them, as needed.
- Take risks. Live to talk about it.
- Model the behavior you want to see.
- Own your mistakes. They don’t feel good. But they happen and sometimes with regularity.
- Give credit where credit is due. Don’t let your ego bogart the positive feels from the Library community.
- Build resilience with your team and across departments.
- Don’t try to be perfect. Don’t expect perfection. Don’t encourage use of the ‘P’ word. Just don’t.
- Maintain a work-life balance. And tell me when you find it. I’m still looking for it.
Best wishes on your middle manager journeys!
(Feature image at top of page is courtesy of Zacqueline Baldwin on Unsplash)
Today’s Conference Blogger is Jen Woo (she/her/hers). Jen is the Family Engagement Coordinator at San Francisco Public Library (the unceded Ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples). With ten years of youth services librarianship, she is most looking forward to the Bill Morris Seminar, meeting folks, sharing ideas and later – making ideas happen at the Library. As a child, she wanted to be a veterinarian and a fire fighter. Alas, she is neither but does own a cat named Bird and is an avid birdwatcher. You can find her drinking coffee, tea and trying to stay warm and cozy at the Institute.
Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.
If you are interested in submitting a guest post, please read and fill out our Guest Blogging Interest Form. We would love to hear from you!
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