M - Communication

Demonstrate professional leadership and communication skills.

Introduction and Explication

“Great leaders approach their work as a contribution, as a service, without any sense of entitlement whatsoever” (Dhiman & Roberts, 2023, p. xv). Effective information leaders of the Digital Age approach our responsibilities from an emotionally intelligent, socially democratic perspective (Ozoh, 2021). We lead by example, empower our team members, and consistently maintain professionalism (Gwyer, 2018; Marcum, 2016). We proactively and creatively communicate with our teams and constituent communities, and implement programming and services that are responsive to their feedback and professional and socio-educational needs. Further, we maintain a holistic view of the services and processes of our departmental units with the central aim of developing, empowering, and guiding our team members to achieve and exceed their professional goals, the mission of the organization, and the values and goals of the LIS domain as a whole (Albright, 2018).

Leadership in the Digital Information Age 

Successful Digital Information Age organizations require inspiring, ethical, collaborative, and forward-thinking leaders who proactively advocate for their institution’s missions and goal (Albright, 2018). Such leaders are emotionally intelligent, technologically savvy, and team-oriented (Albright, 2018). We embrace change, role-model professionalism, act collaboratively, and use our position in the organization to positively influence team members to work together to “set and accomplish goals that are intentionally directed toward positive outcomes” (R. Ozoh, personal communication [lecture video], 14 Feb 2022; Albright, 2018). Effective information center leaders are trustworthy, credible, optimistic, and personable (Albright, 2018). We listen actively and do not use our power and authority to maintain the status quo; instead, we challenge traditional management practices by relying instead on our strong interpersonal communication skills and internalized commitment to the greater good (Albright, 2018). Importantly, we motivate our team members to embrace change, encourage them to develop professionally, and celebrate their wins (MacAyeal, 2017; McManus, 2017; Albright, 2018). 

Communicating for Holistic Success

Digital Information Age leaders strive to expand and deepen communication and collaboration with stakeholders through innovative marketing, outreach, and engagement strategies, and we assess outcomes and adapt services as necessary (Marcum, 2016; Albright, 2018). We are visionaries who recognize the impact of technology on all stakeholders and advocate for equitable access to resources (Albright, 2018). As forward-thinking role models, we strive to develop, implement, and market innovative programs and services that are responsive to the diverse needs of our constituent communities through the application of strategic visioning, evidence-based decision making, creative problem-solving, and supportive conflict management (Albright, 2018; Gwyer, 2018). Additionally, we use social media tools to interact with users in an ongoing manner, thus garnering crucial input about the usefulness and usability of existing services and to understand and address service gaps. Recognizing that all modern information centers are digital, successful leaders embrace emerging technologies (Marcum, 2016). We prioritize broad and equitable digital access to resources, strive to reduce the Digital Divide by offering patrons technology access, training and support, maintaining robust digital resource collections, utilizing the cloud and open-access resources to facilitate opportunities for collaboration between geographically disparate institutions, and engaging in resource sharing endeavors with technology-challenged institutions toward building organizational and community-wide technological capacity, innovation, and sustainability (RAILS, n.d.; United Nations, n.d.).

Evidence

Evidence 1: Personal Skills Assignment: Teamwork Ground Rules & Reflection Links to an external site.

This assignment from Online Learning (INFO 203, F22) summarizes my comprehension, organization, and communication of the ground rules drafted by a team of LIS graduate students at the initial phase of a group project in which each team member assumed a leadership position in a specific project area with the goal of accomplishing our assignment respectfully, interdependently, and efficiently. It outlines key areas of effective team communication such as defining project management structure and strategies; behavioral expectations; schedules and work-sharing responsibilities and tools; conflict management workflows; and netiquette. 

As evidence of Competency M, this assignment represents leadership and communication values, style, actions, and transactions within the context of the preparatory phase of a collaborative group project. It elucidates my ability to professionally,  respectfully, and comprehensively articulate and record the foundational elements, tools, and strategies necessary to build an effective and balanced team. Further, it reflects my service-oriented leadership and communication approach which is underpinned by my professional mandate to support democratic knowledge creation & sharing in a team environment. 

Evidence 2: A Science Librarian in Africa: Charleston 2022 conference video presentation Links to an external site.

A recorded conference presentation, A Science Librarian in Africa represents a work product I co-crafted in an independent research project (INFO 298, F23) in which I participated remotely as the team’s project manager. The Fulbright-funded project’s goal was to develop a detailed strategic plan for the emerging science library at the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund’s (DFGF) Rwanda-based campus. As the team's project manager, my responsibilities involved coordinating team communications; managing collaboration platforms; establishing and ensuring timely compliance with project timeline; managing access to and preservation of reliable project records and documentation; facilitating qualitative data collection coding and analysis; co-crafting, organizing, and uploading the pre-recorded video presentation to the conference website; and ensuring effective collaboration among team members toward a comprehensive, evidence-based stakeholder report, conference video presentation, and manuscript for publication. Of note, the project management section of the conference presentation received numerous queries from program participants who stated their interest and need for LIS-related project management insight and instruction.  

This presentation justify my knowledge and skills with Competency M by providing evidence of my service-oriented leadership and communication style. As project manager for a team of disparately-located researchers – operating within a complex system of project contexts, scopes,and time frames – I professionally and successfully led the team to achieve its project goals in a timely and effective manner. Further, they highlight my ability to explain the project and team processes to an audience of information professionals in multiple formats, and create and use a multimedia presentation as a vehicle to inform and educate my stakeholders. Critically, the role expanded my capacity to collaborate and communicate with culturally diverse stakeholders, and allowed me to function as an information professional outside of a Western-centric point of view. 

Evidence 3: Developing a Green Team Industry Webinar Presentation Links to an external site. (start at 37:02)

As the Sustainable Business Coordinator for Portland Pet Food Company, I was invited by the Pet Sustainability Coalition to co-present an industry-wide webinar addressing the design and implementation of a grassroots-level sustainability team (“green team”) within an existing business. In the presentation, I illustrate and articulate to the audience those iterative steps and processes necessary to lay the groundwork for a sustainable and actionable green team within the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (https://sdgs.un.org/goals Links to an external site.) and the principles of the Circular Economy as defined by the Ellen McArthur Foundation (https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org Links to an external site./). 

As evidence of my professional leadership and communications competencies, I created and presented to a broad audience the best practices involved in building a cross-department team, conveyed the essential nature of leadership buy-in, and the process of crafting the team’s mission, values, guiding principles and strategic goals. Further, I emphasize effective internal and public messaging about the team’s actions within the context of the company’s overarching mission with the aim of providing evidence of the organization’s authentic commitment to sustainable business practices. Other key points include developing a resource library and training materials for team members; maintaining reliable records for the project’s long-term continuity; and collecting and analyzing relevant data to ensure organizational transparency and accountability in team training, reporting, and messaging. 

Conclusion

Digital Information Age Information leaders are committed to providing all people with transparent, accountable, and equitable access to information and knowledge. To accomplish this, we uphold a user-centered, community-led vision for our organizations, lead with authenticity, transparency, fiscal integrity, and a sense of civic duty. We embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion; strategically craft policies, procedures, and best practices that actively support democratic knowledge creation and sharing; and employ ethics-centered leadership and communications strategies to ensure stakeholder needs are met. I agree with Albright (2018, p. 467), who states that effective leaders possess “the ability to draw people together to set and accomplish goals that are intentionally directed toward positive outcomes”. From this perspective, I will continue to embrace the tenets of service-oriented leadership and frame my professional communications in a trustworthy manner that proactively advocates for my organization, and meets and exceeds the needs and rights of all stakeholders. 

References

Albright, K. (2018). Leadership skills for today’s global information landscape. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (Second, pp. 465–476). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Dhiman, S. K., & Roberts, G. E. (2023). Prolegomenon. In S. K. Dhiman & G. E. Roberts (Eds.), Palgrave handbook of servant leadership (p. p. xv-xviii). Palgrave Macmillan (Springer Nature Switzerland AG). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-01323-2 Links to an external site.

Gwyer, R. (2018). “This is an opportunity for librarians to reinvent themselves, but it is about moving out of their areas”: New roles for library leaders? New Review of Academic Librarianship, 24(3–4), 428–441. https://doi.org/10.1080/13614533.2018.1473258 Links to an external site.

MacAyeal, G. (2017). Management: Surviving and thriving in an acting leadership position. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 56(4), 228–231. https://doi.org/10.5860/rusq.56.4.228 Links to an external site.

Marcum, D. B. (2016). Library leadership for the digital age. Information Services & Use, 36(1–2), 105–111. https://doi.org/10.3233/isu-160796 Links to an external site.

McManus, A. (2017). Management: Serving to lead. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 57(2), 86–88. https://doi.org/10.5860/rusq.57.2.6522 Links to an external site.

Ozoh, R., [Dr. Ozoh]. (2021, January 27). Leadership 1 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuQ4kfGlkEE&feature=youtu.be Links to an external site.

RAILS. (n.d.). What is RAILS?. RAILS: Reaching Across Illinois Library System. Retrieved February 15, 2022, from https://www.railslibraries.info/about/rails Links to an external site.

United Nations. (n.d.). Closing the Technology Gap in Least Developed Countries. Retrieved February 15, 2022, from https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/closing-technology- gap-least-developed-countries Links to an external site.