Pre-Conference - Managing Talent: How to Spot'em, Grow'em, and Move'em Along

Since we have some recruitments in the works, I thought it would be good to check out this preconference.  It moved along we'll, good pace, great presenters, and worthwhile content.  I even had some good people at my table for the small group discussions.  

Here are a few of my notes from the workshop:

Why Do Staff Matter - face of organization, they are the future of libraries, part of the brand of the library

- universal staff characteristics that we want - approachability, willing to adapt and manage change, be excited about change, customer oriented, interest in the work, see the big picture and embrace a larger vision, aligning with organizational values, friendly, team-oriented, politically savvy, strong emotional intelligence, resilience and ability to deal with issues head on, able to read body language, creative/visionary thinkers, people who have the capacity to develop, tolerant, project management skills, strategic, 

- behavioral interview techniques - ask candidate to reflect and tell a story of their experience (perhaps a time they provided poor customer service and what they learned from it), create questions at require them to think through a process so you can see what their process is like, ask them to give a presentation/training/Storytimes etc., describe a conflict situation you have been in with a colleague and then describe that conflict from the perspective of the other person, create some kind of situation (even bring in an "actor" to role play - like a book challenge) and have the candidate act it out with the "actor", have people write an email during the interview so you can see tone, detail, writing skills, etc., 

- when you bring someone on board you need to communicate organizational culture to your new employees so they have a clear understanding of who you are and how you operate, what they can expect, and the overall expectation of your organization.  The on-boarding experience can't be overlooked.  Luckily we have Cara who has studied this intensively.

- having the difficult conversations - better to spend 20 seconds on a difficult conversation that's deal with the issue for 20 years without saying anything.  Let people know what the job expectation is  and what you want from them.

Overall, good program - lots of good energy in the room!  During our first table discussion about characteristics we are looking for in staff, I mentioned the importance of being politically savvy, understanding who the players are in the community, and ensuring they get what they need so they see the library in a good light.  One dude at my table jumped on me and questioned why I wouldn't want to provide equal service to everyone and why would front line staff need this skill.  Oh NO, I thought - here we go - obviously he needs a class in political savviness. 

Michelle