Posts Tagged ‘ management ’

Want Innovation? Get Out of the Way

February 10, 2010
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Want Innovation? Get Out of the Way

We hear a lot about innovation and change these days. Everyone is talking about it, every is doing it, or at least trying to. There’s a problem though, change and innovation require more than lip service. Declaring that you are innovative does not make it so. You know what I’m talking about, someone reads an article, attends a presentation, has a conversation over coffee and comes back to work and says – we’re going to be innovative! Maybe there are even a few committees put together. But then what? Nothing. The committees quit meeting and things go back to the way they were. Maybe one or two people are still trying, but no one is listening. You know why? Because innovation doesn’t happen by committee or decree. Organizations do not innovate. People innovate. Inspired people. Fascinated people. Creative people. Committed people. That’s where innovation begins. On the inside. The organization’s role — just like the individual manager’s role — is to get out of the way. And while this “getting out of the way” will undoubtedly include the effort to formulate supportive systems, processes, and protocols, it is important to remember that systems, processes, and protocols are never the answer. - Mitch

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Managers – The Message You’re Sending About Time is Affecting Customer Service

October 19, 2009
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Managers – The Message You’re Sending About Time is Affecting Customer Service

The choice you need to make is will it affect it in a good way or a bad way? We are all busy. My to-do list is so long at this point I keep a master running list and a small list just for today, because looking at the long list inspires panic. As individuals, managers and organizations it can be easy to keep adding responsibilities, expectations and tasks to our list and to the lists of others. Especially at a time like this, when you may be short staffed, or just busier than normal (library usage goes up during a recession) or both. Unfortunately this attitude towards time can really hurt you in customer service. How staff feel about their time and the expectation from management affects how they interact with patrons. It’s the difference between handing someone a call number and vaguely gesturing towards the stacks and leaving the desk and walking the patron to the book. It’s the difference between hand the book over and walking away or asking if you can help them find anything else. It shows up in the type of greeting patrons receive in that minutes of extra chit-chat so many love, in

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Want to Innovate? Stop Working So Hard

October 14, 2009
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Putting in all those extra hours, either from the office or home, isn’t helping you. At least not with creativity, innovation or those ah-ha! moments. Some of our greatest moments of insight happen where we least expect them to. From the Wallstreet Journal: It happened to Archimedes in the bath. To Descartes it took place in bed while watching flies on his ceiling. And to Newton it occurred in an orchard, when he saw an apple fall. From the same article but even more interesting: Left to its own devices, our brain activates several areas associated with complex problem solving, which researchers had previously assumed were dormant during daydreams. Moreover, it appears to be the only time these areas work in unison. Of course it’s not as simple as just lounging about in your robe & fuzzy slippers.  You have to prepare in order to enable those insights to happen. From Fast Company: The researchers found support for the idea that blinding insights favor a prepared mind–that is, you’ve got to really internalize the problem at hand if you’re to find any sort of solution. But to actually bring those insights to life, you’ve got to step back. More Readings A Wandering

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It’s not about the money

September 22, 2009
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It’s not about the money

I’ve been reading, watching and listening to a lot about motivation lately.  Not intentionally but once you start thinking about what motivates people to create, to participate, to get involved it starts to show up in places you don’t expect it. Sometimes I got looking for it too. Over and over I notice the same theme, it’s not about the money.  Sure money is important up to a certain point, but after that you need something else. In times like these when we are asked to do more with less this is something managers should keep in mind. One of the videos I watched is this TED talk by Dan Pink on the surprising science of motivation. He talks about the mismatch of what science knows about motivation and what business does.  Essentially as long as you’re paying people adequately and fairly, money is no longer the most powerful motivation. Watch the video and maybe buy the book when it comes out. You can also read the entire transcript on TED. There are a lot of interesting points, here is one of my favorites: “Results Only Work Environment. The ROWE. Created by two American consultants, in place in place at

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Stress Management in the Library Workplace

February 13, 2009
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Stress Management in the Library Workplace

Yesterday I attended a MaintainIT webinar – Using MaintainIT Resources for Technology Training, where they shared some useful information and links.  One of the sites was Infopeople, a nonprofit that archives their presentations and handouts and makes them available under a Creative Commons license! As I was exploring I came across materials for a previous workshop - Stress Management in the Library Workplace.  There are a lot of workshops listed but since my post – Library usage will go up during a recession – management are you really prepared? is still getting a lot of hits, I thought I’d share this one specifically. You can download the PowerPoint presentation, some exercise and these handouts: The “Bakers Dozen” – How to Reduce Stress Relieving Stress through Exercise Stress Relief through Nutrition Stress Relief and Sleeping Habits – 10 Tips for Better Sleep Symptoms of Stress and Causes of Stress Seven Quick Tips for Time Management Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Share on FriendFeed Share on netvibes share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tumblr it Buzz it up Subscribe to the comments on this post Print for later Tell a friend

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photo by Beth Tribe

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