"Instead of worrying about how things are Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous, we need to see opportunities as being Vibrant, Unreal, Crazy and Astounding. Notice that none of these words suggests anything close to ‘stability’ - and that’s just the way it is. The unexpected is part of life, but it makes a lot of people frantic. 
How often do you hear the phrase "This is the way we do it" in your organisation? And how often is that code for "Back off and do it my way!" How open are your staff to change and improvement, and how much passive resistance do you see to any proposed or implemented change? It might be worth coming back to Bill's blog to see what he has to say in the follow-up post. DW 
Suggestion that we should focus less on competing with more competent providers of eContent, and shift the focus to user service innovations.
What do you think? DW 
"Our experience has been that change comes from these key elements:Redesign spaces around collaborative teaching,Retrain teachers to work collaboratively andEmpower and resource teachers to be the agents of change in any context As a result the learning experience changes rapidly – leading to improved academic outcomes, greater alignment with the skills that will be valuable in post-school contexts and a far more obvious and positive culture of engaged learning will be evident. We have learnt that space is both a fixed and fluid notion. It has an enormous impact on how we feel and think – the very core of our experiences of life. The challenge for schools is to identify the different spaces it inhabits – virtual, pedagogic and real, and to draw these together in meaningful ways so that learning can focus forward, enabled through technology."
Many libraries are working hard to mandate change in practice of staff, and to adapt existing spaces for new uses - we can learn much from the experiences of educators engaging in the same conversation, if in a different context. Worth reading. DW 
This document is intended to inspire transformative thinking using insight into startup culture and innovation methodologies. Via Dr. Steve Matthews 
Are there really five innovation personalities? "Last week Forbes released an Insights study that documented five innovation types ... Biggest problem for me? It overlooks one vitally important personality, the one you must have on board, the one for whom you would jettison all the other five.
I’m going to call this type: The “Reframer”, someone who has the capability to reframe a problem, reframe an explanation, reframe a theory or proof...
Really interesting examination of the personality types within an organisation, and how their characteristics can help (or hinder) change processes. Recommended read. DW Via Katherine Stevens 
"In the future, talent leaders will find themselves managing fewer standardized assumptions and practices that can be benchmarked, as more emergent and fluid models force them to constantly adapt. The traditional, smooth intersecting processes of recruiting, on-boarding, developing and retirement that make up the hire-to-retire cycle will be supplemented by additional entry and exit points. During the next decade, we may find the hire-to-retire cycle itself should be retired, as new models of work and work relationships outpace traditional employment. Here are 10 concepts that will shape tomorrow’s organizations. Includes out-tasking (because outsourcing is passe!)DW 
"When I visit companies, it's one of the most frequent complaints I hear: "I'm working on a project with people I've never met." Or: "This virtual team I'm on is a disaster — nobody really knows what the other is doing." Many of us have found..." Understanding the dynamics of virtual teams, why they can be very effective, and ways in which it is essential to manage them... implications for librarians working in a digital world. As we all begin to weave the nets of shared service, have we talked about sharing of digital personnel? What might that look like? DW 
"I am very happy to have a new article co-written with Warren Cheetham in Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, an online peer-reviewed journal." Download the PDF here: http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/11728/13253 
Creativity, Innovation, Team Building, Leadership, Brainstorming, Idea Champions...
50 fantastic ways to climb out of the box. You know, the box you don't know you're in. DW Via Stephanie Sandifer 
"My mother always scared me with stories of rip tides or undercurrents taking people out to sea. I believe her purpose was to keep me safe but it was also to show me the power of something that you cannot see."
Situational awareness is a key skill of leadership, as is knowing when to swim (lead) with the riptide! Good advice, simply put. DW 
"If used properly, these three psychological triggers can compel your reader to give you their whole attention and follow your call to action."
Some valuable hints here for those of us writing blogs, web content, marketing materials that aim to drive traffic to our online or physical locations. Worth reading. DW 
"Impatience can often undermine the change process. Learn how to prepare for change thoroughly, and implement change powerfully and successfully."
Interesting reading outlines 8 constructive steps you can take in leading into, and managing change processes. Links to other readings on same site. DW |
We believe that School Librarians are uniquely qualified to teach to and assist in the implementation of the new standards; they are 21st Century skills experts. Via Karen Bonanno, Judy O'Connell 
Kevin Roberts' latest post is about mentoring and motivating people, written in the context of rugby at the top level. Some excellent pointers about getting inside your team members' heads, finding out what motivates and drives them, and working with them to use that to fine-tune performance. Quick read. DW
As a business owner, you start to see that the reality of building a business doesn't always match the pretty pictures painted in productivity manuals.
This is insanely good stuff, and if you want to be truly productive, creative, successful and an excellent leader, you would do well to take a moment to read this post. How many of the bad habits do you admit to owning? I have to say I either own them all, or aspire to them - but I now know how much work I need to do to further develop them. There is reassurance and a good, healthy dose of the cattle prod in this post. Thanks to Sonia Simone. DW ![Conceptual conversations [vs brainstorming] | Libraries - widening the perspective | Scoop.it](http://img.scoop.it/qYKc8oCv3rchlPSMsmcC5jl72eJkfbmt4t8yenImKBVaiQDB_Rd1H6kmuBWtceBJ)
"When we in the business world are looking for creative ideas, there is a tendency to brainstorm or use another form of structured idea generation which aims to do precisely that: generate ideas. Moreover, thanks to the popularity of idea management and crowdsourcing software applications and the web, that can make those applications available just about everywhere, brainstorms need no longer be limited to a handful of people. Some crowdsourcing initiatives boast many 10,000s of users. Sometimes, a simple conversation to thrash out ideas and develop solutions into concepts can be a far more effective approach to creativity and kicking off innovation." The Talk: Marketing by Sharing Jason Fried is the co-founder and President of 37signals, a privately-held Chicago-based company committed to building the bes...
Jason uses the metaphor of cooking shows, and chefs who share their skills, freely and without trying to 'sell' anything... and extends the idea to the products that people associate with these chefs, and the way that they sell through an almost subliminal association. He then asks why businesses (read libraries) don't share their skills by teaching and training, as a way of building an audience, and ultimately building a customer base.
19 mins running time. Articulate and worth listening to. DW
"A great organization is dependent on great people. Yet, even someone who is ‘great’ may not necessarily be right for your organization. Jim Collins reminds us the right people: ***fit in with the company’s core values ***don’t need to be tightly managed ***understand that they do not have ‘jobs’, they have responsibilities ***fulfill their commitments ***are passionate about the company and its work ***display “window and mirror” maturity (e.g. they shine a light on others while taking little credit themselves)"
"Of all the management writers I’ve read, Peter Drucker probably generates more interesting quotes per page than anyone."
An audio file in which Steven J Bell is interviewed about his views on the future of academic libraries. Widely applicable. Cross reference with this blog post on the future of higher education, and the thinking of these educators - http://bostinno.com/2012/03/23/education-2-0-isnt-coming-its-here-and-the-way-youre-educated-will-be-changed-forever/ Common threads? DW 
Building Stronger Customer Relationships: Making Your Brand More Personal With Social Media lays out 30 steps you can take over a month (or longer) to make your social media community fall in love with your brand...
Free eBook - from Radian6 website. With chapter headings like "Find and listen to your community" it may be worth a (free) look. DW
The Power of Professionalism - a blog authored by Bill Wiersma—chronicles the insights, unique experiences, and personal victories people have realized in their quest to become an even better professional.
"Recognizing and understanding the status quo is important. Departments have them, job classifications have them, individuals have them. Naturally, the enterprise has them. The status quo is the condition that is produced when processes, policies, procedures, and cultural norms are all amalgamated. The status quo is ultimately a reflection of the level (and depth) of thinking within the organization. While understanding the status quo is initially helpful for the newbie, it can be death for the veteran and the greater organization of which they are a part."
I have recently been thinking a great deal about change, how to enable it, and passive resistance. Now I'm also thinking about the status quo, and how to move beyond it, both in thought, and in action. DW 
In my recent posts, I've been underscoring the point that making progress on your adaptive challenges is about developing adaptive habits of mind.
The second post in a series, talks about taking multiple perspectives - not always easy to do! DW Via Susan Bainbridge 
Transformational leadership is a type of leadership style that leads to positive changes in those who follow. Transformational leaders are generally energetic, enthusiastic and passionate.
In these times of rapid change in libraries, this is the kind of leadership we need, IMHO. DW Via Susan Bainbridge |
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