When I think back over
my career of almost 20 years, I can think of one or two defining moments. One
in particular happened when I was about 2 years out of library school. I was
living in the West Indies, 27 years old, and working as the associate director
of the small library at an offshore medical school. That’s a great story in and
of itself, but a story for another day. This was back in the mid ‘90s, and part
of my responsibility was providing campus-wide training and support in
Microsoft Office.
One day after
assisting a colleague in the housing office with a spreadsheet, she turned to
me and said, “you know, I used to wonder what value a young kid like you
brought to the workplace, but now I know that you really know your stuff and do
a good job.” This comment has stuck with me through my career. While
librarianship was a second career for me as it is for many of us, I spent only
a nano-second in my first career and earned my library degree in my
mid-twenties. And I looked young. At a job interview about 10 years later (I
still looked young then) I was asked how I deal with people assuming I’m
younger and less experienced than I am. I was able to relay the story of what
my housing office colleague had said and reply that my strategy has always been
to be excellent at what I do.
Just as people no
doubt dismissed me based on my appearance, I admit I did the same. When I first
started out, I thought I was pretty hot stuff. I was bright and
committed. There definitely were times I thought I was brighter and more
committed than my colleagues. Sometimes I didn’t listen to them. And it’s
a mistake I’ve seen repeated by lots of newly minted librarians. How about you?
You’re smart. You’re energetic. You’re committed. You’re passionate. What
do you think of your colleagues? Are they as smart, energetic, committed and
passionate as you are?
Diversity of
perspective is essential in the workplace. Only recently (by reading Roger Martin’s The Responsibility
Virus) did I realize that my choice to assume that my colleagues didn’t
bring value to the discussion wasn’t just my own rash, over-inflated sense of
self. Human beings are hard-wired to protect their own viewpoints and dismiss
other perspectives. Roger Martin describes the four governing values that
inform our actions when dealing with differing perspectives as:
- Win, don’t lose;
- Maintain control;
- Avoid embarrassment;
- Stay rational.
If we can alter this
frame we can work with others to develop the strongest plans and ideas
possible. Even opening your mind for five minutes to the possibility that
others have something to contribute can change the dynamic. Rather than
assuming you have all the answers, try this: actively tell yourself that
although you have a lot of knowledge and understanding, you may not see or
understand everything. By acknowledging that other people have different
experiences that allow them to see things in different ways, you can remind
yourself that their perspective will contribute to your
understanding. Make your primary task accessing the collective
intelligence in order to make the best choice.
The next time you are
working with others to solve a problem, pause and check your
mindset. Without being aware of Roger Martin’s theory, this is what my
housing office colleague did. By actively reminding yourself that the
perspectives of your colleagues, combined with your own, can make for stronger
choices and options, you will ensure that your organization moves forward
collaboratively. This benefits not only interpersonal relations in the
workplace but also the plans and projects your organization carries
out. Plans created with a diversity of perspectives are stronger and
generally more successful. And fully thinking through an issue by weighing the
contribution of everyone involved really does lead to better solutions.
After spending 20
years in library public service, Kimberly Sweetman now works as a consultant
and coach helping libraries and library people to reach their goals and develop
superior service through exceptional leadership. She blogs at kimberlysweetman.com and tweets as @sweetcoachcons.
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