Making the Leap to Mid-Management

Abstract

Micheline Westfall, Kay G. Johnson, and Molly Royse shared insights gained from forty years of combined experience in library middle management to help those new to heading a department or those interested in becoming a department head. Topics included human resources (hiring, disciplinary actions, performance evaluations), budgeting, time management, leading meetings, mentoring, networking within the library and on campus, maintaining a good work/personal life balance, and the information one should learn about their library and the university in order to become a successful middle manager.

Keywords:

• middle management
• supervision
• leadership
• human resources
• management

A few weeks before the preconference, the participants were surveyed to determine their background and interests. The six attendees had extensive experience in a variety of academic libraries, including a mix of union and non-union operations, and regular and special academic libraries. Everyone worked in technical services. Experience in supervision varied widely, but none had extensive supervision experience. Interest in the session ranged from participants wanting to learn the nuts and bolts of management, participants wanting tips on becoming a leader, and participants wanting information on advancing in the profession. A Google Docs site was established for the class, and the presentation, bibliography, and other related documents were added to it.

The preconference began with stated ground rules—discussion and questions were encouraged, and discussions about personal matters would remain confidential. Everyone in the room introduced themselves and described their supervision experience and expectations for the course. The presenters expressed that none of us are experts, and they expected to learn from the audience just as the audience learned from the presenters.

An apt quote from Dr. Seuss' Oh the Places You'll Go, a book well known to managers, set the tone:

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You're on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. ¹

Molly Royse then gave an overview of the topics that would be covered: characteristics and expectations of a manager; manager versus leader; human resources; budgeting; relationship building; vision/strategic planning; and succeeding. Royse indicated that as a middle manager, one's role in the organization undergoes a significant change. She suggested asking yourself how others view you. You are no longer one of the gang, and your words and comments carry a different weight. You are a small fish in the administrative pond.

When one becomes a new middle manager, it becomes necessary to step back from the front line and develop a plan for how your unit conducts its routine business and responds to organizational initiatives. The six roles or expectations of a middle manager are as a planner, implementer, assessor, leader, mediator and counselor, and change agent. One should expect involvement in project management. In the early days as a middle manager, you may be expected to be the messenger and give expert feedback. Royse pointed out that as time progresses, the new middle manager transitions into being part of the administrative team. Next she showed a humorous slide with the names of the presenters next to pictures of similar-looking people either screaming or in despair. Her message was that none of us are experts, and we all have our frustrations.

Micheline Westfall led a vigorous discussion about the difference between management and leadership. She started with definitions of management as the process of getting activities completed efficiently with and through other people, and leadership as the art of motivating a group of people to act toward achieving a common goal. She invited the group to add their own definitions of leadership and management. Westfall wrapped up the discussion with a slide of thought-provoking quotes on leadership and management, including a quote from Stephen R. Covey, “Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; Leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.” ²

Kay Johnson's part of the presentation was the nuts and bolts of human resources. She discussed many topics, from hiring to personnel actions. Johnson started out with management mantras. Her mantra and principles of human resources are: (1) Know how to find human resource policies and laws, and have a basic understanding of the more common ones; (2) Understand and develop professional relationships with your staff, supervisors, human resources staff, … everyone; (3) Know your strengths and weaknesses.

Johnson described federal and local policies that can affect personnel management, with a focus on the Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and its Canadian counterparts. ³ She indicated that she reminds her nonexempt employees on occasion that they cannot work over 40 hours a week because the university does not budget for routine time-and-a-half pay. Breaks and meal periods are not covered by FLSA and vary by regional or local policies. Canada differs from most countries in that employment laws are differentiated between collective labor law (unionized work places), and individual labor law (individual's rights at work). Ninety percent of the Canadian workforce is covered by provincial or territorial labor laws rather than one overriding federal law.

In both the United States and Canada, hiring for a new position and sometimes for an existing position requires justification of need. A middle manager may be required to answer some or all of the following questions: Do you need another position? Can you share a position? What would not get done without the position? What new initiatives can you take on with the position? Institutional politics and funding limitations may play a part in whether or not the justification for hiring is approved.

When advertising a position, it is important for the advertisement to throw a broad net, but not so wide that numerous unqualified applicants apply. All advertisements will have boiler-plate information about the institution or the position. Public institutions usually include anti-discrimination or equal employment opportunity statements. Institutions will have standard or required places to advertise. The Library Job Postings on the Internet website is useful in determining sources of employment opportunities. ⁴

It is important for search committees to meet deadlines and move quickly because applicants will take another job offered to them if they are forced to wait a long time for an institution to interview or hire them. Search committees create a matrix of whether or not applicants meet the position requirements and preferred qualifications. Cover letters will help committees weed out applicants if the letters are too short, non-specific, or riddled with errors. Intangibles may affect hiring such as whether an employee moved frequently and did not supply an explanation, the references are vague and seem unwilling to answer questions, or the applicant got C grades in library school for courses highly relevant to the position.

Interviews can take a variety of formats and the candidates may meet with diverse constituents. It is very important for the search committee to get feedback from the interview session participants. It is extremely important to hire the right person for a job, which is not necessarily the applicant who seemed best on paper. The institutional culture should be considered. Johnson pointed out that when offering a position, one can expect a negotiation process over salary, start time, and possibly other benefits.

Johnson indicated that the manager responsible for hiring a new employee should have a training plan in place with procedures and checklists. Expectations should be clear and employees should be released from a review period when they meet assessment goals. Training should cover topics from routine administrative duties such as completing timesheets, to the complexities of the position. Diverse employees may respond better to different types of training, whether it's group, individual, online, and so on.

Johnson covered employee relations, communication, and conflict management. She pointed out that supervisors must follow rules, respect their staff, set an example, and recognize differences in personalities and individuals' emotional baggage. Communication runs the gamut from formally recorded personnel actions (e.g., evaluations) to body language. It is important to keep the lines of communication open. While it is important to follow rules, they may need to be bent on occasion. Johnson quoted Franklin D. Roosevelt about rules, “Rules are not necessarily sacred; principles are.” ⁵ Middle managers will encounter conflict, but keep in mind: communication, rules, respect, setting an example, personalities, and baggage. There is no single solution to resolve conflict.

Westfall described budget-management as a supervisor acting as a miniature Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Middle managers need to develop an understanding of their organization's budget structure. As a middle manager one should know what the fiscal policies of their state or institution are or where to find them. It is also important for middle managers to understand pay grades and job classifications and to remember that staff should be doing the level of work appropriate to their classification.

Depending on an institution's authority-structure, a middle manager may have responsibility for managing budgets for collections, student assistants, equipment and supplies, and training. It is important to plan for the unexpected such as getting additional monies or having budget cuts. A middle manager should plan in advance for scenarios of what one would purchase with additional money, what subscriptions one would cancel if there are budget cuts, or how to get the work done without the current level of supplies or student assistants.

Westfall stressed the importance of networking within and outside the library. She pointed out that one needs to build good working relationships with your colleagues, supervisors, campus financial services, vendors, and others.

Molly Royse ended the presentation with the following tips for succeeding:

A.	Set realistic goals. Goals should be SMART—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time Bound. One should have an appropriate number of goals; too many is as bad as too few. Periodically revisit the goals to update them as necessary, and communicate the goals to everyone. Knowing and understanding the organizational mission and priorities will help middle managers to prioritize their own work.
B.	Communicate the vision. The middle manager may not be responsible for creating or determining the vision and mission of their organization, but will be responsible for carrying it out regardless of their level within the organization. Middle managers should share the vision with their staff. Staff must embrace the vision to move toward it.
C.	Manage time well. An important key for a successful middle manager is personal organization. One must commit to some organizational strategies to handle multiple projects and responsibilities. It is important to record one's obligations using a calendar or a to-do list. Make appointments with yourself to block out time and check e-mail on a schedule. Keep in mind how personal organization impacts others in your department. Perhaps the only situation more stressful than feeling disorganized and out of control is having a supervisor who is disorganized. Keep a written record of what you have delegated and to whom.
D.	Manage personal stress. Maintain a work–life balance. Employ self-initiated techniques to avoid cynicism, burnout, or disillusionment. Chill out before burning out. Engage in introspective recognition, preventative measures, or coping techniques. Is the overtime, extra hours really necessary and justified or self-inflicted? The following are key elements for success that can help reduce day-to-day stress: Balance, Prioritize, and Compartmentalize.

The last slide displayed was a picture of the three presenters looking happy this time. Royse mentioned the blog that was set up for follow-up. A helpful bibliography of resources for middle management is on the Google Docs site and copied below. The books by Pixey A. Mosley were particularly recommended (see Bibliography for full list of preconference resources). The preconference generated much discussion throughout the presentation, and diverse techniques for tackling specific challenges were shared. It was indeed a mutual learning experience for both audience and presenters. The presenters welcomed further questions or discussion in person, phone, e-mail, or by the blog. To maintain personal privacy, the Google Docs site and the blog are limited to class participants only.

Notes

1. Dr. Seuss, Oh the Places You'll Go! (New York: Random House, 1990).

2. Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1989).

3. United States Department of Labor. Wage and Hour Division, “Compliance Assistance: Wages and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA),” http://www.dol.gov/whd/flsa/#.UHLPsVHZ3Sg (accessed on October 8, 2012).

4. Sarah Johnson, comp., “Library Job Postings on the Internet,” http://www.libraryjobpostings.org/ (accessed October 8, 2012).

5. Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Radio Address to the Young Democratic Clubs of America, August 24, 1935.” Available from “The American Presidency Project,” http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=14925 (accessed on October 8, 2012).