How do you feel about the challenges?

I loved the PLMI Survivor challenges!  I have secretly always wanted to go on the TV show  Survivor, but as the years have gone by have known that that dream has faded.  So this gave me my Survivor dream!:)  And the challenges have always been my favorite part. 
Thanks Heather for my Survivor dream come true!!

How do you feel about the group project?

It has been very stressful with the amount of work that has to be done.  Working in a group has been fine as long as everyone participates.

I think the principles in Winning Friends are great leadership philosophies.  Several of the principles are common sense if you just treat people the way you would want to be treated.  Practicing the principles would be a good thing. I really enjoyed Mary's presentation.

How do I feel about the team aspect and the projects?

I don't mind working in groups or teams at all.  I usually can learn a lot from other people and I appreciate that aspect of group work. 
I think the group project will be fine especially after we get going on it and have a plan for it.  I am looking forward to see what each group comes up with and possibly using the ideas at my library.

Insights

I liked what Robert Benson said today about effective leaders create focus.

I need to set specific priorities and let our team do their jobs based on the priorities.  We need more focus as a whole on what we do best.  And create a "stop doing" list to better focus on what we do best which is helping the community find information, help with computers, internet, etc. and provide the programs that are wanted.  These are the things that we do best.

Where I Am Right Now, Where I Want To Be, How To Get There

Where I Am Right Now,  Where I Want To Be,  How To Get There

Right now I don't feel like I have been doing a good job communicating and checking in will all my staff.  It has been a hard summer because we are displaced across the street while we are renovating.  The staff in this branch is separated into two separate units.  The tiny library is in one unit and the backroom staff is in a unit upstairs with a separate entrance and the stairs are not great.  Since we are separated like this, it has been difficult with communication.  I have two employees that are really hard to talk with anyway and this situation has made it more so.

They are great employees, but they are not very open at discussing what is on their mind.  I have given both more responsibility and would like to have better feedback.

I plan to implement some of the team building exercises and techniques that I have learned this week to increase and have better communication with all my staff.

Managing performance

I have to say that I have not done any formal written performance evaluations since I have become the director of my library.  That is going to change!

I have made a point to have a one on one discussion with each employee at random times to talk about their jobs, finding out how things are going, and to get a sense of their attitude about the job.  I usually get input from them about the processes of the jobs they do to find out if things are working like they should.  I also try to make mental notes about things I need to discuss with employees when I see them and have the opportunity to have a private conversation.  Right now,  I don't have a private office. So when I find a good opportunity to talk, I try to take advantage. 

After today's discussion, I would like to try a quarterly informal "sit-down" to discuss any items that need to be taken care of with each employee, get feedback, and give praise when it is due.  I would also like to implement a self-evaluation to see where the employee sees themselves, ask them to set personal goals, and follow-up on these goals annually with an annual review.  The self-evaluation will show the discrepancies between how the employee thinks and how you think about the employee.  It should point out any problems.

Our speaker also talked about trust.  In my mind, trust is one of the most important things in any relationship.  It is built over time and it goes both ways.  You have to trust your employees and they have to be able to trust you.