How I did itAny way: Reflections on my career

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How I did itAny wayReflections on my career

• Janine Schmidt,
• University Librarian, University of Queensland

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Overview

• The beginning
• The journey
• The memories
• The lessons
• Why Canada?

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THE BEGINNING Queensland girl, born and
bred Nice gal, close family Imbued with
protestant work ethic Moved around as a
child Provided with good education Girls can do
anything 2 daughters (in 30s) Worked since left
school Always travelled
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The journey

• Places Ive lived Ipswich, Maryborough,
  Brisbane (Clayfield, Taringa, Chapel Hill, City),
  Melbourne, Sydney
• Where Ive studied Sherwood, Fort St, Ascot
  State Schools, BGGS, UQ, UNSW, AGSM
• Where Ive worked - Myer, UQ, CSIRO, UNSW, UTS
  School of Librarianship, Insearch, SLNSW, UQ
• Volunteer Daycare, Schools, ALIA, Church
• Where Ive travelled to
• Work USSR, UK, USA, Western Samoa, China, Oman,
  Malaysia, Brunei, Canada, Europe, Argentina,
  Vietnam
• Pleasure Malaysia, Thailand, China, UK, Europe,
  USA, Canada, Indonesia, Fiji, Samoa

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The people Ive known

• Friendships maintained at all places of
  employment
• Professional mentors - Betty Doubleday, Alan
  Horton, Margaret Trask, Dorothy Peake, Carmel
  Maguire, John Hay, Ted Brown Dagmar
  Schmidmaier, Mairead Browne, Alison Crook
• Memberships ALIA, CAUL, IFLA, QULOC, U21, ATEM,
  Women in Management, Zonta, Thirty Club, AFUW,
  Alumni, SLNSW Foundation

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The memories

• Feeling naïve in Melbourne
• Having children in Sydney
• Students, work colleagues
• Library clients
• Making a difference in peoples lives
• Juggling and balancing responsibilities
• Work and family, young and old family
• Organisational and individual needs

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Learning

• Watching and listening to others
• Emulating the admired few
• Avoiding the mistakes of others
• Discussions with colleagues
• Formal and informal networks
• Mentors

Seize opportunity by the beard, for it is bald
behind. Bulgarian Proverb
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The lessons

• Practise what I preach
• Dont believe my own rhetoric
• Forgive myself and others
• Trust my gut
• Seek to understand I shall never be understood
• Image is important reality?
• Attitudes, skills and knowledge
• Emotional intelligence
• Leadership

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The image
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Attitudes (Behaviour)

• Team orientation
• Personal responsibility
• Sharing with and acknowledging others
• Trust, integrity, loyalty, objectivity
• Change is a constant
• Reflective practice and critical evaluation
• Flexibility
• Service commitment

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Skills

• Slate to PDA, use information and communications
  technology (mostly) effectively
• Listen to and interpret client needs, empathise
• Planning, implementation, measurement
• Leadership
• Doing things quickly, 80/20 rule
• Networking
• Communication verbal, written
• Analytical - think critically, logically and
  creatively
• Marketing and promotion

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Knowledge

• General arts background
• Information and knowledge management
• Contemporary problems and issues
• Financial and strategic planning basics - ABC,
  budgeting
• Management TQM, Marketing (badging and
  branding), organisational theory
• Educational theory
• Industrial relations

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Badging and branding

• Retail store identities
• Colour
• Black houndstooth David Jones
• Green and yellow BP
• Macdonalds universal
• Signage, letterhead, publications, website
• Image/name badges/uniforms
• Be part of the parent organisation, not apart
  from it
• Naming (Library becomes the Cybrary)
• Badging databases and e-products as being
  delivered by Cybrary
• Unique selling proposition

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Unique selling proposition

• Oh what a feeling
• Drive on
• The Power of Dreams
• The Fresh Food People
• Myer
• Australias first bank
• The University for the Real World
• We link people with information

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Emotional Intelligence

• Self-awareness
• Emotional self-awareness, accurate
  self-assessment, self-confidence
• Self-management
• Self-control, trustworthiness, conscientiousness,
  adaptability, achievement orientation, initiative
• Social awareness
• Empathy, organisational awareness, service
  orientation
• Social skill
• Visionary capacity, influence, developing others,
  communication, change catalyst, conflict
  management, building bonds, teamwork and
  collaboration

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Leadership

• Process of influencing others to understand and
  agree about what needs to be done and how it can
  be done effectively and the process of
  facilitating individual and collective efforts to
  accomplish shared objectives
• Sum of those qualities of intellect, human
  understanding and moral character that enables a
  person to inspire and control a group of people
  successfully
• Doing the right things the right way
• Making choices (sometimes difficult) about
  priorities, where unlimited demands are combined
  with limited resources
• Taking others with you

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Leadership styles

• Coercive (Emergency)
• Authoritative (Lack of direction, most powerful)
• Affiliative (Improve morale, team harmony)
• Democratic (Difficult decisions, competent team)
• Pacesetting (Skilled, self-motivated team use
  sparingly)
• Coaching (Focus on personal development,
  time-consuming, people must want to change)
• Try them all

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The 7 Heavenly Virtues of Leadership

• Humility
• Courage
• Integrity
• Compassion
• Humour
• Passion
• Wisdom

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Tips and tricks

• Be honest, be oneself!
• Leave the comfort zone
• Push the boundaries even if just a little!
• Get involved!
• Adopt a "make it happen" attitude
• Be prepared
• Follow up, write letters, say thank you
• Respect difference
• Have fun!
• Smile!

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Absolute no nos!

• Dont lie
• Dont over-promise and under-deliver
• Dont use people
• Dont say one thing and do another
• Dont apologise unnecessarily but admit it when
  you stuff up
• Dont be silent
• Dont be insincere
• Dont expect overnight success
• Dont make excuses

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Why Canada?

• Why not?
• Someone asked me at the right time
• 11 years at UQ
• McGill University very like UQbut Quebecoise
  too
• Personally need new challenges
• UQ probably needs someone new..different..similar?
  ..

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Final words

• Develop some BHAGS (Big Hairy Audacious Goals)
• Kill a few sacred cows
• LEAD
• Persuade and inspire others
• Sell your passion
• Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak
  courage is also what it takes to sit down and
  listen (Winston Churchill)

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The Library

• Collaborative workspace?
• Gateway/portal to the internet?
• A website providing easy access to virtual
  information?
• A client-centred service retailing push/pull
  information services some free, some fee?
• Well-resourced, highly regarded, active,
  luxurious, interactive public space relating well
  to its environment and clients, containing
  inspiring, up to date information and competent
  outgoing staff with clear plans providing
  services of excellence

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Thanks for listening