Leadership Skills: Do we need them? Can we gain them?France BouthillierDirector – Associate ProfessorGraduate School of Library and Information StudiesMcGill University

Who needs leadership skills?

Those involved in: Resources management Project management Advocacy Lobbying Change management

What about you?

What is leadership?

Many definitions Many theories Many leader traits and styles

Ability to influence others for getting the job done through commitment of people

Sources of power

organizational: legitimate power - granted by hierarchy reward power - to give or withhold reward coercive power - power to punish

personal referent power - identification, imitation expert power – knowledge, expertise

Managers and leaders: same skills? Managers are not necessarily

leaders Leaders are not necessarily

managers However, good managers and

leaders should have both management and leadership skills

Manager Vs. Leader

Managers Administer Maintain the status quo Use control Deal with details and

tactics Focus on systems and

rules Have limited view Do the thing right

Leaders Innovate Develop Inspire trust Deal with strategies Focus on people and

values Look at the big picture Do the right thing

Qualities of managers vs. leadersManagers Rule-oriented Communicative Create pressure Care about satisfaction Outcome-oriented Problem controller Respectful of traditions Reactive Responsible

Leaders Assertive Persuasive Able to work under

pressure Good motivator Visionary Problem solver Creative Proactive

Examples of leaders

Who is an inspiring leader? Have you encountered a good

leader? Do you have models of

leaders?

Emotional intelligence

Good leaders have also Self-awareness Self-confidence Self-control Commitment and integrity Ability to communicate,

influence, initiate change and accept change (Goleman, 1998)

Transformational leadership

argues for the importance of strong leaders with charismatic personalities who can

optimize the personal and professional development of others

Develop strong vision Act as teachers, facilitators, motivators Never put personal before group interests Make moral and ethical decisions

What makes a leader?

Guiding vision or sense of purpose

Passion and enthusiasm Integrity Self-knowledge Honesty Curiosity Risk taking

A typology of leaders

According to Pitcher (1999), leaders can be: Artists who are intuitive and have dreams Craftsmen who deal with day-to-day

operations Technocrats who are analytical, brilliant

but distant

Leadership and women

1929, women could earn a salary 1950, to work as teachers, women

had to be single or members of religious communities

1964, women have the right to make banking transactions on their own

1975, Charter on human rights 1996, legislation on equity

Leadership and women

For women, leadership skills and styles had to evolve differently than for men

In spite of barriers, at any time in history, we can find outstanding female leaders in various social areas

Leadership and librarians Are librarians motivated to become

leaders?

Do we have inspiring leaders in libraries?

Do we like leaders in libraries?

Do librarians have the skills to become leaders?

Leadership and change managementParadigm shifts: Resources Services Users

Implications on: Job design

Technology Human resources

Forces for change

external- new technologies- political, economic, financial conditions, world market- customer demands, changes in competition  internal- re-engineering, costs- revision of plan/objectives, communications- employee turnover, changes in work practices

Change requires leaders who can Create a realistic sense of urgency for

change Create a clear vision of the future Remove obstacles to change Anchor changes in the organization’s

culture Follow through with plans

But leading change also means

Machiavelli in The Prince (1514): “It must be realized that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more uncertain of success, or more dangerous to manage than the establishment of a new order of things…

Why change is difficult to implement? People don’t understand or don’t want to People aren’t informed People’s security is threatened People prefer the status quo People have vested interests Inertia and obsolescence

Challenges for leaders

Managing participation is a balancing act: between management control and team opportunity; between getting the work done quickly and giving people a chance to learn; between seeking volunteers and pushing people into it; between too little team spirit and too much. Kanter (1983).

How to gain leadership skills?

First, you need to explore your values

Second, who can serve as a model for you and why?

Third, what is your vision of your profession, service, organization?

How to gain leadership skills?

Develop emotional intelligence Including empathy And trustworthiness Need to decide whether you want

innovation, change and risk taking

You can develop skills…

Only if you are truly motivated to do so

However your style and ability will always be determined by your personality

Means for developing skills

Workshops Institutes Role playing Community involvement Personal experiences

Libraries need leaders more than ever because Change is permanent Need to develop strong vision of the role

of libraries and design of library services Need for partnerships, communication,

advocacy, lobbying

Are you ready for it?

If not, others professions and experts will take a leadership role ….

Thank you!

Comments are appreciated:France.bouthillier@mcgill.ca