Leadership, Communication and Managing Change

“Good communication is the bridge between confusion and clarity.”

-Nat Turner

A major theme of the first week of the Mortenson International Library Associates 2024 program was leadership, communication and managing change. Navigating change as a leader in any field can be difficult and the exploration of these facets was extremely useful. In libraries leaders are being called up to deal with turbulent and dynamic post pandemic times which include staff and financial resource shortages. Academic libraries are also facing rapid technological advancement, new user expectations and assisting with staff wellbeing. These and other changes require a leader to be able to communicate effectively with their teams.

The DiSC Workplace profile offered a quick assessment of to ascertain your personal report and DiSC style (Dominance, Influence, Conscientious and Steadiness). These styles align with people’s priorities of action, encouragement, collaboration, support, reliability, objectivity, challenge, and drive.

Everything DiSC Workplace Cornerstone Principles (A Wiley Brand)

  • All of the DiSC styles are equally valuable, and everyone is a blend of all four styles.
  • Your work style is also influenced by other factors such as life experiences, education, and maturity.
  • Understanding yourself better is the first step to becoming more effective when working with others.
  • Learning about other people’s DiSC styles can help you understand their priorities and how they may differ from your own.
  • You can improve the quality of your workplace by using DiSC to build more effective relationships.

The introduction to my own DiSC style (Di – dominance & influence) has been useful in clarifying how I will  be recognized in the workplace and how I will need to transform/ adapt to  improve the quality of my engagements with colleagues of differing styles. Change is evitable and as such we must treat it as an event and adjust our behavior in the transition to have the best experience for all involved.

The facilitator Shirley Crews was highly interactive and allowed us to collaborate with our new Mortenson 2024 colleagues. She guided us through using DiSC to transform the workplace and I especially connected with one of her strategies for coping with change. “ Remember life is difficult but misery is optional!” This reminds me that a negative mind will never give you a positive life.