SLO 7. The student applies advocacy, marketing, and communication principles for entrepreneurial leadership.
When learning more about advocacy, marketing, and communication principles I ran across an article that describes the six habits of effective entrepreneurial leadership. As I read the article I was able to see how the habits listed in the article can aide me in applying the principles to be an effective leader as a librarian. And the coursework I completed during my studies equipped me with the necessary tools to put the principles into practice as a librarian.
The first habit listed for effective entrepreneurial leadership is to know yourself. This habit is vital because as an effective leader one must know themselves, what is most meaningful to them, and how to use their passions to best serve their community (Wesman, 2016). My true passion lies in serving at-risk young women in the community. This passion derived from my upbringing and struggles to overcome numerous hardships on my journey to success. In many of my current outreach visits, I work with young women that are survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse. I'm proud that I can use my platform in the library to serve as an advocate for these women and fight to bring programs and library efforts to support their lifelong learning needs.
The second habit listed for effective entrepreneurial leadership is to have a vision and be able to articulate it (Wesman, 2016). This habit is vital because as an entrepreneurial leader in the library field I must be able to efficiently articulate the vision of the library so that others are inspired to work together to complete the library’s shared goal (Wesman, 2016). I work for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, and the vision of my library is currently in a place of transition. We are focusing our efforts on reaching a larger audience through more meaningful and impactful programs. One of the ways that we are increasing that impact is through increased outreach efforts. Over the last few years, I've worked hard to increase my outreach efforts in the community so that I can properly articulate the library's vision to foster change and encourage lifelong learning in the community.
As a leader, you have to be able to think outside the box, and that is why LIS 662: Information Services for Diverse Client Groups was one of my favorite and most meaningful courses. This course and the assignments that I had to complete taught me that as a librarian I can think outside of the box, and as a leader, I will have to take risks to embark change in the lives of those I serve. The third habit listed for effective entrepreneurial leadership is to develop employees and help them grow (Wesman, 2016).
Even in my current role as a teen services specialist, I have sought opportunities to develop my leadership skills. I've served as a volunteer manager, intern manager, and completed training courses to strengthen my skills. To support the development of my skills I took the course LIS 650: Leadership and Management in Information Organizations. This course taught me the tools needed to be an effective leader. One of the most meaningful assignments that I completed in this course was a community marketing interview. For the interview, I spoke with a marketing specialist from my library system. This assignment not only strengthened my communication skills it also taught me the importance of proper marketing in terms of library programming and overall community engagement. Since completing that course I have made more of an effort to market my programs, and I have seen a rise in my program attendance.
The fourth and fifth habits of effective entrepreneurial leadership are to listen carefully and implement new ideas (Wesman, 2016). Being able to listen and collaborate on ideas is vital as a leader because efficient leaders must be able to efficiently work on a team. Before I began my studies I dreaded group assignments. But as I worked through my coursework I truly began to see the value in group projects. Group projects teach you how to designate roles, become disciplined, and implement proper time management skills. Each group assignment that I completed strengthened my leadership skills because I learned how to embrace new ideas and benefit from different perspectives. And the projects that were produced out of my group assignments were some of the best assignments that were developed during my studies.
The final habit for effective entrepreneurial leadership is to take good care of yourself and stay curious (Wesman, 2016). In my opinion, this is the most valuable habit because self-care is vital for library professionals. Working with the public can be overwhelming at times especially when I am serving at-risk groups. I actively engage in self-care and seek opportunities to learn more about avoiding burnout. While attending the Spectrum Institute I learned more about groups that were created to support library service professionals so that they can be the best that they can be. I am blessed that during my studies I have been able to connect with other future librarians and create my support system.
As a librarian, I want to be viewed as a leader. I aspire to be someone that pushes my community forward, aspires positive growth amongst my colleagues, is viewed upon as a dependable team member, and properly communicates to articulate the library's true vision. By continuously working on myself to meet these standards I will become an entrepreneurial leader in my community.
The first habit listed for effective entrepreneurial leadership is to know yourself. This habit is vital because as an effective leader one must know themselves, what is most meaningful to them, and how to use their passions to best serve their community (Wesman, 2016). My true passion lies in serving at-risk young women in the community. This passion derived from my upbringing and struggles to overcome numerous hardships on my journey to success. In many of my current outreach visits, I work with young women that are survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse. I'm proud that I can use my platform in the library to serve as an advocate for these women and fight to bring programs and library efforts to support their lifelong learning needs.
The second habit listed for effective entrepreneurial leadership is to have a vision and be able to articulate it (Wesman, 2016). This habit is vital because as an entrepreneurial leader in the library field I must be able to efficiently articulate the vision of the library so that others are inspired to work together to complete the library’s shared goal (Wesman, 2016). I work for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, and the vision of my library is currently in a place of transition. We are focusing our efforts on reaching a larger audience through more meaningful and impactful programs. One of the ways that we are increasing that impact is through increased outreach efforts. Over the last few years, I've worked hard to increase my outreach efforts in the community so that I can properly articulate the library's vision to foster change and encourage lifelong learning in the community.
As a leader, you have to be able to think outside the box, and that is why LIS 662: Information Services for Diverse Client Groups was one of my favorite and most meaningful courses. This course and the assignments that I had to complete taught me that as a librarian I can think outside of the box, and as a leader, I will have to take risks to embark change in the lives of those I serve. The third habit listed for effective entrepreneurial leadership is to develop employees and help them grow (Wesman, 2016).
Even in my current role as a teen services specialist, I have sought opportunities to develop my leadership skills. I've served as a volunteer manager, intern manager, and completed training courses to strengthen my skills. To support the development of my skills I took the course LIS 650: Leadership and Management in Information Organizations. This course taught me the tools needed to be an effective leader. One of the most meaningful assignments that I completed in this course was a community marketing interview. For the interview, I spoke with a marketing specialist from my library system. This assignment not only strengthened my communication skills it also taught me the importance of proper marketing in terms of library programming and overall community engagement. Since completing that course I have made more of an effort to market my programs, and I have seen a rise in my program attendance.
The fourth and fifth habits of effective entrepreneurial leadership are to listen carefully and implement new ideas (Wesman, 2016). Being able to listen and collaborate on ideas is vital as a leader because efficient leaders must be able to efficiently work on a team. Before I began my studies I dreaded group assignments. But as I worked through my coursework I truly began to see the value in group projects. Group projects teach you how to designate roles, become disciplined, and implement proper time management skills. Each group assignment that I completed strengthened my leadership skills because I learned how to embrace new ideas and benefit from different perspectives. And the projects that were produced out of my group assignments were some of the best assignments that were developed during my studies.
The final habit for effective entrepreneurial leadership is to take good care of yourself and stay curious (Wesman, 2016). In my opinion, this is the most valuable habit because self-care is vital for library professionals. Working with the public can be overwhelming at times especially when I am serving at-risk groups. I actively engage in self-care and seek opportunities to learn more about avoiding burnout. While attending the Spectrum Institute I learned more about groups that were created to support library service professionals so that they can be the best that they can be. I am blessed that during my studies I have been able to connect with other future librarians and create my support system.
As a librarian, I want to be viewed as a leader. I aspire to be someone that pushes my community forward, aspires positive growth amongst my colleagues, is viewed upon as a dependable team member, and properly communicates to articulate the library's true vision. By continuously working on myself to meet these standards I will become an entrepreneurial leader in my community.
Artifacts
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Group Assignments
These are examples of group assignments that I worked on during my studies that will support my entrepreneurial efforts as a future librarian.
LIS 610: Final Environmental Scan | |
File Size: | 956 kb |
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References
Wesman, J. (2016, May 24). 6 Habits of Effective Entrepreneurial Leadership. Retrieved from Entrepreneur.