Sep 20, 2018
Welcome back to Linking Our Libraries! This week we are going to talk about Interpersonal Skills as a tool that leaders use to get things done.
Do you want to talk with us further about leadership skills? Do you need some training organized for your organization? We are here for you! Check out our website: cmle.org and let’s get this started!
And now, on with the show! Who is here this week? Joining us is Leah Larson, from the Minnesota State Library Services!
You know those other people in your workplace? It would be great to develop better interpersonal skills to be able to work most effectively with them, to provide great service, and to help everyone on your team to be as successful as possible. And what are those? We define this as effectively working together with others of different levels or different positions (staff and public); good social skills; and building rapport with others.
A startling number of people believe that working in a library or an archive means being able to sit in a basement, alone, and work individually. And too many library people are still stuck in the olden days of wanting to shush everyone, instead of looking for ways to say YES to good service. A lot of us are introverts, and may struggle with easy communication and socializing.
All of this is okay. (Well, not the shushing. That’s over.) This is an area where we can always improve, and it is always worth spending some time working on these skills. You do not need to become a social butterfly, or the life of every party. You just need to connect with others in a meaningful or useful way. Great leaders must be good at interpersonal skills; this applies no matter what your title is – you can lead from any position.