Tag Archives: orgdevl

Wisdom Wednesday – Actions, Not Words

I’ve been thinking about actions vs. words a lot lately. One of the things that really brought home this important distinction was when I had to leave the Regent Place branch of Regina Public Library after eight years as Branch Head following a re-org of supervisors and managers. It was a pretty emotional time and […]

Wisdom Wednesday – The Difference Between Control and Support

They may be introverted or extroverted, new to the role or with years of experience, heavily trained in management theory or have developed their approach through real-life experience. But, at the end of the day, there are really only two kinds of managers – those who see their role to control others and those who […]

Wisdom Wednesday – “Everyone thinks we’re in the book business but we’re not. We’re in the *helping* business.”

This piece of advice ties directly to last week’s about how the absolute most vital piece of advice I’ve received in my 15+ years as a librarian is to do what you can to solve the problem of the person standing in front of you. In library school, I think I saw a stat that […]

Wisdom Wednesday – “What Are You Doing To Solve The Problem of the Person Standing in Front of You”

I’ve been trying to write a post summarizing some of the various tips, pieces of advice, koans of wisdom that I’ve collected over the years – mostly from my time in libraries but from other workplaces, reading of books articles and just talking to knowledgeable people I respect. As that post grew and grew, I […]

Friday Fun Link – 10 Mind Hacks To Use With Gen X

It me! Generation X is weird. These 43-58 year-olds are so strange it presents golden opportunities. Here are 10 mind hacks to use with Gen X: — Michael Girdley (@girdley) June 10, 2023  

Friday Fun Link – Fuck Professionalism: Creating A Workplace That Works For All

So much of what we’re taught to believe from our earliest days, by our parents, by our schools, by popular culture, is outdated, incorrect and potentially even harmful such as the notion of “professionalism“.

Bosses Who Mask When In The Presence of Others

This week might have to be a “Leadership” theme… ‘Bosses’ who mask when in the presence of others demonstrate:•evidence-based decision-making;•respect for their employees;•that they understand their influence; and•very good leadership. — Dr. Jennifer Irwin (@drjenirwin) October 25, 2022  

Leadership

Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to “lead”, influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. – Wikipedia 

Throwback Thursday – #tbt – “Employees First, Customers Second”

I usually post a picture for Throwback Thursday but for something different today, I thought I’d post a different type of “throwback”. I was recently talking with someone about the best leadership/management/business books we’d read. I said I have a few favourites but one called “Employees First, Customers Second” by Vineet Nayar was the first […]

Great Attraction or Great Attrition? It’s Up To Employers…

Some of the society-shifting impacts of Covid are being seen most clearly in workplaces.  A lot depends on whether managers and leaders are able to shift their thinking…