It's always the quiet ones

Analyzing Effective Leaders: Why Extraverts Are Not Always the Most Successful Bosses summarizes some of the research by Wharton professor Adam Grant which asks, which type of person is the most effective leader, an introvert or an extravert?

According to the article, it depends on the group the person is leading: introverts do better with a proactive team that needs someone to listen and act on their ideas, whereas as extraverts do better with a less proactive team, firing them up and motivating them.

What I also found interesting was the bias against introverted people as leaders:

Given these conclusions, why does the popular view persist that extraverts are better leaders across the board? The authors point to several possible reasons: One is that extraverts are often perceived as more effective because of a "halo effect." "This may occur because extraverted leaders match the prototypes of charismatic leaders that dominate both [Western and Eastern cultures] and are especially prevalent in business," they write. One online survey of 1,500 senior leaders earning at least six-figure salaries found that 65% actually saw introversion as a negative quality in terms of leadership.

It is also possible that an introverted person could believe that they would not make a great leader because they believe the bias and may not actively seek out opportunities for advancement. If you are an introvert with this belief, reading this article and some of the associated research may help to conquer your self-defeating beliefs.

Tribes by Seth Godin

Seth Godin is an extremely popular writer and consultant, usually writing about marketing and motivation, and Tribes is one of his older books. His most recent is Linchpin.

Tribes is about leadership, whether by forming a group that has a similar code or by stepping out from the group and becoming a leader. It has the usual status quo sucks, so status quo not rhetoric, which I don't disagree with, though when some people revolt, they don't necessarily know why they are revolting. Tribes is meant to inspire and encourage leadership.

Tribes is a series of micro-essays (not short enough to be called aphorisms) which makes for quick reading of brief arguments and examples. His writing style is similar to Gladwell's, with premise, example, explanation, next! which seems to be the style in a lot of popular business writing. I could blame this on Tom Peters, since I hope the reason for it is not that mass media has made us too shallow to hold a whole chapter. As an inspirational work, this style means the focus is on actionsand it means that the reader can find many ideas and inspirations and do more research as needed. Or, as Godin would prefer, just do it.

I did like his directions for forming a micromovement, which I think librarians can learn from:

1. Publish a manifesto (no, not a mission statement)
2. Make it easy for your followers to connect with you
3. Make it easy for your followers to connect with one another
4. Realize that money is not the point of the movement (I think we do this one unintentionally well)
5. Track your progress

Leadership is an important topic in libraries (at least at the interview), and so is forming groups and networks at the library. Tribes is an important book in the leadership literature, even if it may not get you to step out from of the herd, or stop sheepwalking, as Godin puts it.

For some free stuff from the book, check out the Current Tribes Casebook.

What kind of manager do you have?: Jung or Nardelli?

Cut Costs like Avon--Not Home Depot is from the Harvard Business Publishing blog. The post describes the difference between the admired CEO of Avon, Andrea Jung, and the non-so-esteemed former-CEO of Home Depot, (though he has moved on to Chrysler) Bob Nardelli. And in a time of cutbacks--though not a reduced need for library services--it might be a good idea to find out who you are working for: Nardelli or Jung?

Oddly, these companies do have something in common with libraries: they have similar customer base (women), they depend on knowledge networks to spread the word, and their customers use their products to improve their lives. But look at what happened when Nardelli cut back:

"The original Home Depot strategy depended on extremely knowledgeable service staff who would go that extra mile for customers and who could really help them understand how to accomplish their own goals. In the name of efficiency, Nardelli cut coverage, replaced quite a number of the experienced old-timers with part-timers, and put the whole organization on a tight, numbers-driven, almost military program. Again, many of his changes were for the better - yet the cultural, network, and experience losses eventually caught up with the company and Nardelli was replaced."

Libraries, like Home Depot, depend on their community connections (we call them "patrons" not "contractors") and undermining the core service, such as reducing the number of workers that have "know-how" is just bad for business.

So who do you work for? Nardelli or Jung?

What's your leadership style?

No, really, what is your leadership style? The interviewers have asked this question for two reasons:

• Will you do well under the current leadership structure at this library--or the branch you are interviewing for because there could be big variations between outposts--and
• Could you become a leader at their organization?

Obviously, the best way to answer this question is with an example: when were you a leader? Look at your past for an example similar to this:

• The leader receives an assigned task, or many tasks, that is too large for one person;
• She selects or inherits her team to complete the work;
• Based on the duties of each team member, the leader must assign each person a task and a delivery date and the leader decides who is responsible for what, how much and when.
• If a team member becomes confused, the leader tries to explain or clarify the process the person is responsible for.
• If a member isn't motivated, the leader may be the person to give him a push, either with rewards or punishments, depending on their leadership style.
• The leader is responsible for completing the task on time and when it is completed, decides how credit (or blame) will be distributed.

And I am not being negative by mentioning blame: projects do fail and the leader either accepts responsibility for it or ducks and covers. Remember, a follow-up to this question could be giving an example of your leadership abilities or explaining the outcome of the project.

This example assumed that the leader was selected and called "The Leader", but sometimes, a leader is just a motivator who keeps people on track and disperses knowledge. They may also not hold that role all the time (or get paid for it). You may have an example in your past where you stepped up and motivated everyone to a reach a shared goal. Just make sure your references will back this up.

You should at least know some basic leadership terms and describe how your leadership style fits. About.com Psychology has a section on leadership theory, as well as a quiz that will help you express your decision-making process. There are many other quizzes you could take, and a simple search for leadership style and quiz should turn up several.

Knowledge at Wharton and the MIT Sloan Management Review each have a section on Leadership, from a business or corporate perspective--the perspective adopted by some library managers-- but watch out for business jargon and be careful that you are using the correct term for what you mean.

Try to come up with an example that expresses your style--school work is fine, but this needs to be a big project that required the input of several people that you directed, this isn't the time for a soliloquy about how you personally manage time--and explain with that style is. Briefly. Anticipate that the next question will ask about outcomes and where you see room for growth.

I don't do nuthin' without authorization

Describe the level of responsibility you have in your current position.

Expect this question if you are interviewing for a position where you have to supervise anyone, make schedules, provide evaluations and, possibly, fire or hire. The interviewers also want to know if you can approve projects or release information that will directly impact the public and that you have the final say in when a project is finished. Not realistic for a student position, but you can explain the training wheels.

For example: As an intern, I was responsible for developing the instruction program that taught students how to use RefWorks. I created all of the class notes and exercises, as well as the evaluation form that was used to assess this new program. I did present the notes to my supervisor, and he accepted the program for presentation, indicating that unless the students felt it was too complex, that he would feel confident reusing the module that I had created. Additionally, I also spent half of my time, approximately 12 hours each week, answering questions in person at the Reference Desk or via chat, usually in the evening or weekends with little or no supervision. I also participated in two interviews to hire student library clerks and provided feedback, as all of the reference librarians did, about the punctuality, attention to detail and speed at completing assigned tasks of the student staff.

Project, evaluation, delivery, little supervision.

Every position has some level of responsibility, so try to explain how you delivered within organizational constraints.

The questions this week came from Interview like a Top MBA by Dr. Shel Leanne. Passages from the book are available from Google Books if you are interested.

And I'll form...the Head!

Can you explain your role in a previous project that you worked on that required the efforts of a team to complete?

Yes, you can answer this question with a class project but work experience is preferred. This question wants to find out a few things about you:

• Are you a leader or a follower?
• Are you a bully or a consensus-builder?
• Did you complete the project on time and within budget?

I'm not going to kid you: very few librarians get to be leaders right out of the launch bay, but, supposedly, this question is looking for leaders. You should show that you know when to lead (you know what you are doing) and when to follow (you have another role you can do better), a concept I was recently introduced to as kinetic leadership. In a kinetic team you are the leader when you have the skills and you are the follower when the current leader needs a plan executed. Show that you know your role and that you contributed what you knew, not that you were a Schrute constantly undermining your colleagues.

You should also not come across as too bullish when a lighter, china-smoothing touch was needed. It is also important to explain if the project was completed on time and if you spent all of your money without exceeding a limit. If you missed either mark, can you account for it? Explain how, in a future situation, you would not need elasticity in time or money.

This question wants to know about your management skills, both when managing and managed and if you can deliver the desired package.