“Have mercy now, save poor Bob, if you please.” – Robert Johnson, Cross Road Blues, 1936

I am at a crossroads. If I decide to stay in academic libraries, I am well-positioned at this moment to either (1) move into a more administrative/leadership role or (2) move into a more creative, content development role. I have enough experience and have built enough skills in both areas to pursue one or the other more deeply and each offers a path to greater satisfaction at work. Regarding the former, I enjoy managing large, complex projects and supporting a team of skilled employees. Regarding the latter, I also enjoy delving into creating something that is fundamentally unique to my talents. 

In my current position, it seems unlikely that I would have the space or resources to pursue both paths simultaneously. Still, I’ve been thinking about what it takes to be successful in either role: a good manager and a good content creator. What follows is a short list of attributes/habits that I find useful. Perhaps I’ll be utilizing one of these sets more fully in the near future. Or perhaps I’ll continue to cultivate both to the best of my ability.

Tips for being a good manager

• Your employees don’t support you; you support them. Start every day by asking your team “what do you need?” 
• Start from a place of curiosity, not criticism. When your team comes to you with an idea, begin by framing it this way: “this could be successful if…”
• Make your team part of the story. Regularly tell your team how their work fits into the bigger narrative. 
• And then, give them the space to write it their own way.
• If you have to say no, try to think of at least one thing that would “get you to yes.” That might not change your answer, but it could change how you both approach the issue.
• Always assume your employees want to be as successful as you do.
• Staying informed is a two-way conversation. You shouldn’t rely entirely on your team to keep you in the loop. At the same time, they shouldn’t rely entirely on you to follow up on things. It’s a relationship and it takes both parties to do the work.

Tips for being a good content creator

• Constantly be learning new skills and closely examine what the best in the field are doing.
• Block out your schedule so you can have longer periods of uninterrupted work.
• Keep the number of projects on your plate as small as possible. Three is good rule of thumb.
• Focus on quality even if it takes more time. This is what will set your work apart from others’… not how “responsive” you are to emails. 
• Have a standard workflow but be willing to abandon it if you have the option for uninterrupted focus time.
• Never skip the pre-production stage. Plan, plan, plan.
• Whatever step in the creative process you’re avoiding, that’s where you’ll find joy. 
• Take a break if it’s no longer fun. There’s no problem a good walk can’t resolve.

What I’m reading 

Why Personal Websites Matter More Than Ever by Joan Westenberg. “Personal websites matter – now, more than ever – because we can see, clearly, with our own eyes, what happens when a handful of companies control and own the medium and the message. It gets silenced, suppressed, and subtly reshaped without us.”

The Authoritarian Endgame on Higher Education by NYTimes. “For people in higher education, this is a moment both to be bolder about trumpeting its strengths and to be more reflective about addressing its weaknesses. […] University presidents seem to be hoping that if they keep their heads down, the threat will pass — or at least pass by their campus. They are unlikely to be so fortunate.”

Links to the past 

• 1 year ago: I was singing the praises of using email marketing for outreach to college students. Some folks interpreted this as “libraries don’t need social” but that’s not what I said. Social media, as I’ve shown in recent posts, has a significant impact on how students view the library’s role on campus and how they feel about it. Feelings matter. Even if they can’t be quantified. 
• 5 years ago: Nothing. It was March 2020. I wasn’t focused on blogging at the time, though in hindsight I wish I had been.
• 10 years ago: I was doing the “Day in the Life of a Librarian” post. We should all do that again.

Overheard online 

This historian gives you explicit permission to delete and destroy each and every bit of data (pun intended) that can put you or others in danger. Lives Saved >>> Historical Record Preserved – @lavaeolus on Mastodon

banner photo: Meet Poppy, the newest member of the family.