Interpersonal Skills, Theory and Practice: The Librarian's Guide to Becoming a Leader
Although the book focuses on one aspect of leadership, interpersonal communication, its purpose is to provide a practical guide to becoming a leader, addressing other aspects of leadership. The author, having worked with students and librarians on local, national, and international levels, has come to believe that interpersonal competence is by far the most important skill for leadership success.\ While there are many books on leadership, there are none extant that focus on the key attributes...
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Although the book focuses on one aspect of leadership, interpersonal communication, its purpose is to provide a practical guide to becoming a leader, addressing other aspects of leadership. The author, having worked with students and librarians on local, national, and international levels, has come to believe that interpersonal competence is by far the most important skill for leadership success.While there are many books on leadership, there are none extant that focus on the key attributes of interpersonal communication and/or emotional intelligence for librarians. This book, through explanation of theory and application to practice of librarianship will outline concrete steps to improving interpersonal skills/communication. All in the context of other attributes of leaders, it will show how interpersonal skills are not only achievable, but paramount in achieving career success.
IntroductionChapter 1 Leadership Theories and Management Functions: You Can't Have One Without the Other 1Chapter 2 Understanding Yourself and Your Leadership Potential 11Chapter 3 Listening: The Most Powerful Tool, the Most Neglected Skill 21Chapter 4 Small Group Dynamics and Teams 37Chapter 5 Motivation: Can You Inspire? 51Chapter 6 Conflict: The Unavoidable Connection 59Chapter 7 Creating a Positive Climate for Change 71Chapter 8 Your Leadership Development Plan 79Bibliography 89Index 93
\ From the Publisher"… insightful resource … it emerges from Sheldon's obvious love of the field and long professional history as a library professional, making her interest and advice genuine and meaningful." - School Library Journal\ \ \ \ School Library JournalIn her brief but insightful resource, Sheldon encourages library professionals to consider the importance of interpersonal skills in leadership. The book is organized around true stories of individuals being passed over for jobs in the library community. The author's mission is to promote self-reflection in those who imagine themselves in leadership roles in the future or are currently frustrated by missed opportunities for advancement. Within the text are a variety of exercises: listening-skills assessments, personality-type inventories, and personal leadership-development activities. Anecdotes and significant quotations make the text feel more conversational than didactic. This volume may not offer groundbreaking information, but it does gather a lot of relevant material in one place. Even more importantly, it emerges from Sheldon's obvious love of the field and long professional history as a library professional, making her interest and advice genuine and meaningful.—Jennifer Miskec, Longwood University, Farmville, VA\ \
