It’s YOUR Future: Lead the Way
Leslie Brantley, Morgan County R-II Middle School/High School
Library Media Specialist
Lisa Scroggs, Jefferson City High School Library Media Specialist
Professional Roadblocks
• Role of the library media specialist as a vital piece of the educational
puzzle is overlooked due to
• Lack of presence
• Perceived lack of contribution
• Departmental isolation
• Not viewed as a "real" teacher
• Collaboration attempts met with opposition
• Leadership provides an opportunity for the library media specialist to
step forward as a servant-leader
What is “servant” leadership?
 The library media specialist fulfills a leadership role in school districts as
a servant-leader
 The term servant-leader was defined by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1969 and
applies to leadership in the form of service (Heaphey, 2006)
 According to the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, servant-leadership
"begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then
conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead" (Greenleaf, n.d., What is
Servant Leadership? section.)
 Servant-leaders are rooted in a people-first philosophy (Heaphey, 2006)
 Success is achieved when the needs of the served are met, allowing in
turn for those served to adopt the servant role (Boyum, 2008)
 The library media specialist elevates visibility and awareness of his or
her servant-leadership role by leading collaboration and by becoming a
leader in various capacities
 Using listening skills, empathy, emotional support, empowerment, and
coaching skills (Riggs, 2001)
 The skills as a servant-leader make the library media specialist an
“indispensable leader” in ensuring student success (Pennell, 2008)
 Main objective highest level of learning and engagement for all students
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Transcendence
Self-actualization
Aesthetic
Cognitive
Esteem
Belongingness and Love
Safety
Physiological
Psychology: An
Exploration
(Ciccarelli and White)
“Everyday Leadership”
-Drew Dudley on TED
What does the research say?
• The library media specialist as a servant-leader guides instructional
focus, structures, and protocols for collegial conversations that are
needed (Garmston, 2007)
• Collegiality “denotes the ability of staff members to work with one
another in the analysis of curriculum documents, assessment results,
and instructional strategies without getting mired in personal politics”
(Zmuda & Harada, 2008)
• The library media specialist fulfills the servant-leadership role of
collegiality daily with characteristics, such as
• Collaborative partnerships
• Information literacy skills
• Creating inquiry-based resources that shape the library media
specialist job, making him or her a natural partner (Zmuda &
Harada, 2008)
What’s in it for me?
• Helps build selfconfidence and skills
• Balanced reciprocity
• Brain releases
dopamine and
serotonin
• Reduced anxiety and
improved ability to
deal with
psychological distress
• Better physical and
mental health
• Live longer
• Raises aspirations
“
‘Be selfless, if only for
selfish reasons’ is one
of my favorite
happiness paradoxes.
”
–Gretchen Rubin in
“Voluntarily Happy”
What are some effective
leadership strategies?
Dale Carnegie
How to Win Friends & Influence People (1936)
• Fundamental Techniques in Handling People
• Principle 1—Don’t critize, condemn, or complain
• Principle 2—Give honest and sincere appreciation
• Principle 3—Arouse in the other person an eager want
• Six Ways to Make People Like You
Principle 2—Smile
Principle 4—Be a good listener; encourage other people to talk
about themselves
• Win People to Your Way of Thinking
Principle 4—Begin in a friendly way
Principle 7—Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers
Principle 12—Throw down a challenge
• BE A LEADER
“A leader’s job often includes changing your people’s attitudes and
behavior.”
Principle 4—Ask questions instead of giving direct orders
Stephen R. Covey
 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989)
1. Be Proactive
2. Begin with the End in Mind
3. Put First Things First
4. Think Win-Win
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
6. Synergize
7. Sharpen the Saw
 The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness (2004)
Patrick Lencioni
 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (2002)
 Absence of Trust (Invulnerability)
 Fear of Conflict (Artificial Harmony)
 Lack of Commitment (Ambiguity)
 Avoidance of Accountability (Low Standards)
 Inattention to Results (Status and Ego)
Smart, doable leadership
Problem
Solution
Doubt
Face the problem
head-on; be willing to
learn from mistakes
No one likes my ideas
Clarify your vision
first; embrace others’
ideas
Work overload
Delegate
Accomplishments will
disappear after I
leave
Always be training
your replacements
How can I use my role as a
leader to benefit my library?
• Leadership styles are not one-size-fits-all (Williams, 2006)
• Switch styles due to varying factors including
• Situation
• Climate
• Personalities
• Mood
• As a leader, the library media specialist's role is to "find people's
talents, aspirations, and skills and showcase them" (Jessie, 2007)
• Build and foster collegiality to promote library resources and
programs
• Good leaders are passionate about mission and vision (Coatney, 2012
& Everhart, 2013)
• Ask forgiveness instead of permission (Everhart, 2013)
• Listen
• Foster customer service (Coatney, 2011)
• “You need to create satisfied customers and users who will then
advocate for the library” (Kuon, 2012).
• Promote, promote, promote
• Take the initiative
• “Librarians should take the initiative themselves” Kuon,
2012)
• Become the “Go-to person” (Kuon, 2012)
• Learning Commons aka “hub of the school” (Kuon, 2012)
Ultimate Goal
“The goal is not to increase collaboration; the goal is to improve
student performance. The goal is not to force staff to attend
professional development; the goal is for them to improve their
practice in order to improve student performance. The goal is not to
garner more respect for the learning specialists; the goal is for the
interactions between learning specialists and staff to help the system
improve its overall performance” (Zmuda & Harada, 2008).
Why stop at the schoolhouse door?
There is an entire
world of opportunity
beyond the walls of your school!
Jay Asher Visit
The Bev East Memorial
Mitten Tree Project
Boys and Girls Club
of the Capital City
What leadership opportunities
are out there?
Building and District Leadership
• Find and say YES to committees!
• Administration
• “Take Your Place at the Table” (Miller, 2013)
• Professional Learning Communities (PLC)
• Professional Development Committee (PDC)
• Curriculum
• Teacher Evaluation
• Provide professional development opportunities
• Resources
• Classroom technology and demonstrating innovative
instructional tools (Dees et al, 2010)
• Digital Citizenship
• Instructional leader
• Common Core
• Collaborate with teachers to create authentic student learning
opportunities
• Plan formative and summative assessments
• Analyze data
Community Leadership and Beyond
Civic
Professional
 Local public library
 Teacher organizations
(MSTA, MNEA, AFT, etc.)
 Civic clubs (Rotary,
Zonta, etc.)
 Hospitals
 Shelters
 After-school care centers
 Correctional centers
 Content area
organizations (IRA,
NCTE, etc.)
 School library interests
(ISTE, MLA, etc.)
 MASL committees and
regional groups
Get involved with MASL at the regional level!
Central: Kay Bult, kbult@grainvalley.k12.mo.us
East Central: Debbie Leeker, leeker.deborah@desoto.k12.mo.us
Greater Kansas City: Rene Burress, burress@ucmo.edu
Mid-Missouri: Debbie Litwiller, dlitwill@boonville.k12.mo.us
Northeast: Beth Yount, byount@marceline.k12.mo.us
Northwest: Lynn Sullivan, lsullivan@albany.k12.mo.us
St. Louis City: Vacancy (Opportunity! Who is willing to get this region
up and running?)
St. Louis Suburban: Jennifer Millikan, jmillikan@stjosephacademy.org
South Central: Ginger Murphy, gmurphy@stclair.k12.mo.us
Southeast: Elaine Sever, esever@sikeston.k12.mo.us
Southwest: Angie Miller, amiller@aurorar8.org
Join Us on Edmodo for
Networking Opportunities
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Networking group TODAY.
Leadership Networking Group
Thank you for attending our session.
Enjoy the rest of the conference!
Leslie Brantley-brantleyl@mcr2.k12.mo.us
Lisa Scroggs-lisa.scroggs@jcschools.us