Transcript Getting Rid of the Deadwood

Managing Yourself
and Others
by Sara Hansen and Jennifer Doderer,
Ocean County Library
Sara will cover:
Managing others while keeping
your sanity
Jenn will cover:
Human Resources 101
Management and Leadership
Managing the daily operations of your
organization.
Leading the library toward the future.
Self Assessment:
Who are you?
What kind of a leader are you?
Where do you excel?
Where do you need help?
Who do you ask for help?
Two types of New Directors:
Old relationship – came up through the
ranks and was “one of the gang” in the
past
 New relationship – Director hired from the
outside and not privy to all the problems,
staff interactions, and enabling that has
gone on in the past
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What makes the Director seat different
• You need thick skin – you will be accused of
having favorites
•Confidentiality is a heavy burden
• Open Door policy is OK for most, as it indicates
you are open to new ideas and changes in
the organization, but beware of martyrs and
narcissists – they feed on the attention
In What Direction are We Going?
Cultivate your team
Be honest
Address the issues
What you need
to be successful:
Personnel Manual
 Up-To-Date Policies
 Job Descriptions for everyone
 List of Front Desk skills all need to learn
 Super Library Supervisor training
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New Hires:
•Job application AND a resume from each candidate
•90 days probation in Personnel manual; can extend it only
if State Library
•Sort applications into two piles: NO and Interview
•NO – red flags: comments, sloppy, misspellings, breaks
•Phone Interview: weed out ones that look good on paper
•Interviews: only need to actually interview 5-6 at most
High expectations of good employees
should be spelled out:
•Detailed job description
•Goals for coming year
•Regular / Virtual staff meetings
•Coaching sessions
•Daily E-mail / BLOGS
High expectations of good directors:
•Be a role model – “walk the walk”
•No favorites – treat all the same
•Be consistent
•Be aware of cultural differences
•Reasonable accommodation of a disability
IF YOU’RE HAVING PROBLEMS
WITH AN EMPLOYEE:
Things to check:
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Did you provide an orientation for them?
Do they know what their job entails, i.e. do they have
a job description, list of duties?
Do they need training / retraining (see Free or
Inexpensive Training) Document retraining!
Do they have the tools they need, i.e. space, supplies,
computers, time, quiet environment?
Costs to keep them:
(Cavaiola, p.12)
•Higher rates of absenteeism
•Undermining loyal employees’ commitment to the
organization
•Creating a sense of malaise / depression
•High turnover / retraining costs
•Higher levels of stress with related accidents
•Resistance to new management directives – they will
undermine you with a passive/aggressive campaign
•Legal fees, litigation, including high settlement fees
TOOLS TO MODIFY BEHAVIOR INCLUDE:
• The Personnel Manual
• Coaching / Counseling sessions
• Evaluations
annual and interim (quarterly, weekly), if needed
• Progressive Discipline
•Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) with consequences
(demotion or termination)
Strategies:
•Use a progressive discipline plan
•Document, document, document – and do it to
everyone that is misbehaving
•Treat everyone the same
•Cross-train, reschedule everyone. It will get
them out of their comfort zone and away
from their enablers. Also it will
add depth to your organization.
•Keep ’em busy and out of trouble!!
Evaluations
Adaptability
Communications
Conflict Resolution
Customer Service
Dependability
Job Knowledge
Judgment
Problem Solving
Quality
Team Work
Supervisors - add:
Cost Conscious/ Budgeting
Delegation
Leadership
Managing People
Planning and Organization
Dealing with FMLA, NJFLA
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Stay within the law, use your HR person
Use a labor attorney if things get rough
Document everything, all the time
Have the right forms & require them to be filled
out correctly and completely
Excessive absences vs. Sick leave abuse
Have the right leave policies – require earned
leave the be used up before going to unpaid
Prevent "Stacking" of Leave
Free or Inexpensive Training:
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LibraryLinkNJ
www.librarylinknj.org
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The NJ State Library
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The New Jersey Library Association
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Web Junction - Learning Center
www.njstatelib.org
www.njla.org
http://www.webjunction.org
click on the Find Training tab
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Statewide Super Supervisor classes, levels I, II, and III
http://librarylinknj.org/content/super-library-supervisor-workshopseries-2013
Resources:
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Bramson, Robert. Coping with difficult people. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press,
1981.
Cavaiola, Alan A., and Lavender, Neil J. Toxic coworkers: how to deal with
dysfunctional people on the job. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc.,
2000.
Dobson, Michael, and Dobson, Deborah Singer. Coping with supervisory
nightmares: 12 common nightmares of leadership and what you can do about
them. Mission, KS: SkillPath Publications, 1997.
Documentation and discipline handouts, shared courtesy of Kathleen Carr, Human
Resources, Ocean County Library from Super Supervisor Course
Software from KnowledgePoint: Performance Now, and Descriptions Now,
available from www.cdwg.com. They take purchase orders
Google “sample library job descriptions.” Maine St. Lib. has some good ones:
http://www.maine.gov/msl/mrls/resources/jobdesc.shtml
http://www.ogletreedeakins.com/publications/2008-06-03/new-jersey-paid-familyleave-law-fact-sheet
http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/pensions/epbam/additional/fmla-overview.htm
Marian R. Bauman 732-775-8241 x 1-301 [email protected]