One in a series of ‘Leadership Planners’ for library leaders, Win ‘em Over is not your typical career development treatise. A practical workbook of exercises and worksheets, the reader is presented with targeted questions and points to encourage self-reflection. The author, Hakala-Ausperk is a respected leadership expert in the library field in the US, and refers to books in this series as ‘combination to-do list, diary and surrogate … good listener’.
Intended to be an interactive workbook rather than a detached read, this book will give back what you put into it. A skim read will not produce much. Instead the design is such that the reader can note down their own thoughts, ideas and goals. To get the most out of this book, the reader will require time and privacy to allow reflection.
The most interesting points in this planner are often overlooked in other management and leadership resources: how to lead colleagues who are more experienced or older, and how to manage friends and colleagues after a promotion. This straight-talking book takes a refreshingly pragmatic approach and pulls no punches, advising that friendships are unlikely to survive in their current form once one friend is promoted above another. The need for a division between personal and professional is further emphasised by the bald statement ‘Leave your personal life at home’.
The chapter titled ‘Plan to follow well’ is introduced by the author, stating ‘If we want to be followed, we need to learn to follow as well’. What follows is a no-nonsense approach to evaluating and improving one’s own work performance. The reader is encouraged to look beyond their own excuses for underperformance, reframe problems with the boss in a positive light and plan to support them in all areas.
Trust is the main underlying theme within the book. Leaders are encouraged to plan to gain trust and confidence from employees, colleagues, and of course, the boss. In taking this stance, the book takes an interesting approach to failure. Not subscribing to the current trend for failure to be embraced, the book advises that while mistakes are inevitable, leaders should do their utmost to ensure that the trust of their employees, colleagues and managers is not damaged nor their reputation tarnished. To this end, leaders are advised to plan carefully for constant improvement.
The concluding statement sums up the interactive nature of the book succinctly. ‘Reading about a plan won’t help. You need to plan to put it into action’.