On Mon, 6 Jan 2003 10:23:05 +0000 Emilce Rees <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> What do people make of the articles accompanying the job supplement ? Does
> anyone else think along the lines that:
I like these articles. They get me thinking, and are nice and quick to read
which is always a bonus ;-)
> a. The push towards leadership doesn't match the jobs presented (try and be
> a "leader" or show any initiative in a conservative environment and then
> see what happens)
Through striving to express my "leadership" qualities I have gone from being in
charge of 14 staff to 46 in my current job. I was also invited to join the
library's Senior Management Team. All but one of the other members of the SMT
have worked at the library for pretty much their whole professional career. All
are somewhat older than me, and all are male. Admitedly it could well be more
difficult in some situations than in others, but can be done. I'm reminded of
the recent discoveries about "lucky" people which is effect found that they made
their own luck, through aspects of their personalities. i.e. in some ways I
think that "leadership will out" and if you have it in you it will express
itself (I have 2 younger sisters and used to draw up a rota for which soft toys
we'd take to bed when I was little. Obviously destined to be a circulation
librarian drawing up endless desk rotas:-). I'm not saying however that being a
leader is "best", or that everyone necessarily should strive to be a "leader" if
it's just not them. If everyone was a leader there'd be nobody to lead, and a
team made up of leaders is a *NIGHTMARE* as I found during a team exercise on a
management course last year. A variety of people are needed for a successful team
(and a happy world!)
> b. How do you intertwine another rallying cry heard until recently, that of
> being a "team player" with "being a leader" ?
Teams need different sorts of people in them to be effective. I count myself as
a full member of the large team I lead. I care about my team, and (hopefully)
they know it. I take their successes and failures personally, in that I CARE
whether things go wrong or right. I represent my team to the SMT, and the SMT to
my team.
> Reminds me of Bananas, when Woody Allen's girlfriend says she is leaving
> him cos he is not "leader enough" - to which he says "what does she want,
> Hitler" ?
Well, when it comes to defending my team (either individually when faced with
badly behaving customers, or as a group when given extra workloads etc) I'm
vociferous and determined. I've been called a rottweiler and a dobermann ;-D. So
I do try to be careful not to cross the line from being assertive to being
aggressive. Some people obviously DO want rottweiler tendencies in a girlfriend
(though he perhaps wishes I had a muzzle at times e.g. when I moan at dodgy
people pushing into mightclub queues...). Again, it's good that different people
like different types of people. Gives everyone a chance....
> Onwards with the thinking anti-hero !!!
Onwards and downwards, presumably, beeing the anti-hero? ;-)
Lesha
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Lesha Fossey
Assistant Librarian, Circulation Services
University of Exeter
Stocker Road TEL: 01392 263878
Exeter FAX: 01392 263871
EX4 4PT E-MAIL: [log in to unmask]
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