Sandra Nelson’s no-bullshit approach is so refreshing. She is opinionated and is not shy about sharing. Whether I agree with everything she says or not, I dig the fact that someone in libraries is not afraid to say “this is the way it is” without an “if that’s okay with you” type of caveat.

When Sandra and June do this process as consultants, they do staff orientation before the process starts so that they can clearly communicate to staff that this process is about change, that when we’re done, your job will be different. You can choose to participate throughout the process or not, but your job will still be different when we’re done. If you participate, you will have a much better experience and some degree of input toward the change that is guaranteed to happen. In some libraries, staff morale is horrible and you can hardly make it worse. Regardless of your staff morale, if you worry more about the staff than the public, you have already failed.

Sandra was full of useful tips and pithy statements today:

• Your plan should sit in front of you every day and every decision you make, every thing you do, should be tied to the plan. It is the blueprint that drives what you’re doing. This isn’t that easy to achieve!
• To increase circulation, buy more of what people want and get rid of the crap!
• Efficiency is doing the thing right, effectiveness is doing the right thing. Effectiveness is more important.
• Building accountability into the organizational culture is essential. People can be held accountable in ANY environment. It may take work, sometimes a lot of it, but it is doable. If we can’t hold our staff accountable, we may as well just go shopping.
• Wherever you are in the organization/process, move the discussion from us to them (from the library to those we serve).
  
• Many of the organizational competencies apply to departments as well as the library as a whole and can be useful in departmental planning.
• We don’t get to do what we want to do, that’s why they call it work! This is not a choose your own adventure profession.
• It is our job as library staff to present a positive face to the public. If someone does not, they need to be written up and called on it every time you see the unacceptable behavior. Be unhappy on your own time – on the library’s time, we all smile.