"Empowering Staff"

  Robert Benson was my favorite speaker of the day.  Robert works with the Roane State Community College Library.  We enjoyed our interaction with him because not only did he listen to us - he understood exactly how we felt about different issues concerning our libraries and he was able to help us find solutions to questions we asked.

  He recommended the following three books:  The One ThingYou Need To Know, by Marcus Buckingham, Start With Why, by Simon Sinek, and Good to Great, by Jim Collins.  These books should help us with leadership development.  Robert pointed out many things which would help guide us in our decision-making pertaining to staffing and building an engaged team.

 

  He reminded us that our libraries were a place for personal connections, emotional connections, and people connecting with people.  We need to engage people to help support our library!  My focus will be on building an engaged team within our city, our friends group, our library volunteers,  and our county library board of trustees.   Our region and state are always there to help us and advise us, and I am so glad.

  I am going away with a great plan to try to focus on my strengths, things that I am good at so that I will be able to achieve all that I possibly can.  Robert pointed out that we tend to focus on our weaknesses.  He said we don't need to waste time doing that.  Truthfully, I had not looked at it that way at all!  I will definitely work on that and then maybe someday I will be brilliant.  (maybe even by next year so I can help my team win at library jeopardy!  (ha!)