Using Strengths

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This post is probably going to come off sounding a bit like an advertisement for Gallup's Strengths Quest program, so please understand that this is written purely from a place of loving the tools I've gotten from engaging with this tool multiple times and on multiple levels.

If you're unfamiliar, StrengthsQuest is kind of like a personality test, but it's a lot more involved than that. The general premise is that we can't be all things to all people, so working to our strengths is a good way to go. They've identified 34 strengths, and while everyone may display characteristics of each of the ones they've listed, you're going to have areas where you're strongest.

Here are mine (in order):

1. Ideation: "People strong in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena." p. 179
2. Input: "People strong in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information." p. 191
3. Strategic: "People strong in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues." p. 229
4. Learner: "People strong in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them." p. 199
5. Communication: "People strong in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters."

I've taken it more than once, and my strengths did change from the first to the second. The literature around the test would have you believe that your strengths are the core of you, but my experience of some change was also reported by the few other people I know who have taken it more than once. I think it's still a useful tool, even though it's more a reflection of your circumstance than anything else. Regardless, both times 

Here's what this test has helped me do:

• Reframes weaknesses as strengths. For instance, because I'm so good at noticing connections between seemingly unconnected thing, I used to think that I was going off topic. Now I know it can be a good thing that I notice those connections.
• Gives a common vocabulary to people who have very different perspectives and/or strengths. Picking on myself again, my ability to find alternate ways to move forward, and talking about them in the planning process, used to strike people as me throwing up roadblocks. After taking that test, and sharing my results, I was able to further communicate that I was trying to warn people of possible future problems so they could avoid them.
• Better support my staff and help them work to their strengths. This is why I realized I want to tell you all about StrengthsQuest - this month, as I sit down for the one-on-one meetings with everyone who works for me, I've been talking to them about their strengths and the advice from Gallup about how to manage someone with their particular strengths. 

I feel fortunate that where I am now, StrengthsQuest is part of the culture. When they asked about my management style, and I started talking about StrengthsQuest, their eyes lit up. Mine did in return once they explained why. Not only did we already have a shared perspective, we started off with a shared vocabulary. Starting a new job is fraught enough as it is, and StrengthsQuest helped me overcome one major hurdle before I even showed up on campus. I'm a big fan.

So, what about you? Have you taken this test? If so, what did you like about it?



(All quotes are taken from Strengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie.)

Interview Post: Michelle Reale

Biographical

Name?
Michelle Reale

Current job?
Associate Professor, Access Services and Outreach Librarian

How long have you been in the field?
Over 25 years, though it has been 10 years since I received my MSLS!

How Do You Work?

What is your office/workspace like?
I have a nice corner office with two windows in which the sun streams in every morning! I have my book shelves filled with not only books, but all sorts of things that I collect.

How do you organize your days?
I set an agenda for myself! While I often have a least one meeting a day and several sessions to teach each day, I have two hours blocked out to be able to do research and writing.

What do you spend most of your time doing?
Running around, often from building to building to teach sessions, but also up and down many levels of the library taking care of whatever needs to be done. My days are full of reference work, teaching classes, making lesson plans, grading papers, training students etc. Each day is both different and the same in its own way.

What is a typical day like for you?
I come into work, have my coffee, write in my reflective journal, put some binaural beats br solfeggio on very low in the background which steadies me for the day and then I begin! I take a look at my calendar right away to see what obligations I have. I prepare for them and then get my readings, etc. ready for the two hours I have set aside.
What are you reading right now?
I am reading numerous poetry books, a book on Italian-American writing, and Kinfolk by Pearl S. Buck. Also a book about reading theory. I am all over the place!

What's the best professional advice you've ever received?
I have received so much good advice over the years, but something that really revolutionized my way of being in my career was that I do not have to respond immediately to requests of my time, my opinions, email, anything. Even though someone is pressing me, it is wise, in the long run, to take one’s time to think things through. People will just have to wait. In the past I would cave in to pressure and say “yes” to things I had neither the time nor inclination to do. Even email does not have to be responded to immediately. We set ourselves up for frustration and resentment when we are always in respond mode. It is good to take some control. That was advice from my former boss, a wonderful mentor to me, who just retired. I tell her all the time how it changed me!

What have you found yourself doing at work that you never expected?
Cleaning the stacks of body fluids!

Inside the Library Studio

What is your favorite word?

It is an Italian word and it is “ovunque”. It means “everywhere.”

What is your least favorite word?

“No,” but only when it is being said to ME!

What profession other than your own would you love to attempt?

None. Being  a librarian/writer is all I ever wanted to be. I am proud to have achieved two of my biggest goals.

What profession would you never want to attempt?

A Dentist. Ugh. Or nun.

Everything Else

What superpower do you wish you had?

If I could read minds, it would save me a lot of grief! Human beings are very complex and it is often difficult to read intentions. I mess up a lot.

What are you most proud of in your career?

I have written four books in my field and have just secured a contract for a fifth.  It is very, very important for me to make a contribution in my field.

If you're willing to share, tell about a mistake you made on the job.

I’ve been reactive at times when it would have been better to just be a cool observer. It is never good to have a knee-jerk reaction.  I am really working on this.

When you aren't at work, what are you likely doing?

Reading, writing, thinking, being out in nature with my two dogs, Miso, a Bichon Shih-tzu and Vanzetti, a five pound Chihuahua. To say I am an introvert is a bit of an understatement.  I would rather be listening to  and observing things around me than to be the one talking.  I often wish the world and daily life were a bit quieter than they are.

Who else would you like to see answer these questions?

I haven’t a clue!

Michelle Reale is an associate professor and Librarian at Arcadia University. She has authored four ALA titles in her field of librarianship and is working on a fifth. She has a chapter in the brand new The Feminist Reference Desk: Concepts, Critiques, and Conversations, on the female student and (dis)articulation.  In addition, she has  authored nine poetry collections including the most recent The Marie Curie Sequence (Dancing Girl Press, 2017) and All These Things Were Real: Poems of Delirium Tremens, (West Philly Press, 2017). Confini: Poems of Refugees in Sicily is forthcoming from Cervena Barva Press. She is the Book Reviews editor for the Rag Queen Periodical and the Editor-in-Chief of Ovunque Siamo: Italian-American Writing.

Interview Post: Matthew Murray

Biographical

Name?
Matthew Murray

Current job?
Visiting Library Fellow in the Scholarly Communication Initiatives department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries.

How long have you been in the field?
I started this (my first professional library job) in January of this year. (Wait, doesn’t that make ME the young librarian? Why am I writing this?)

How Do You Work?

What is your office/workspace like?
I have a cubicle decorated with buttons/pins, some nerdy toys and a “thank you” card from my coworker’s daughter after I gave them a copy of a volume of DC Super Hero Girls. (I also have some posters of NASA’s Space Tourism series that I haven’t gotten around to putting up yet.) I find it pretty cold, so despite wearing multiple layers of office clothing, I sometimes end up also wearing a hoodie and fingerless gloves (to be fair, I am just generally cold…). There’s no natural light unless I go over to the other side of the office, but if I do that I just see the creepy pyramid (Las Vegas is weird). The library building itself is relatively new (it opened in 2001), big (five floors), and nice! During the school year it is almost always packed with students using our public computers and study spaces.

How do you organize your days?
We have Google’s Education Suite at work, so email is through Gmail and everyone has a Google calendar. This makes it really easy to organize meetings, because you can see when people are available. (You can also easily block out time to work on projects to prevent other people organizing meetings with you.) I try to keep “to do” lists for projects I need to work on, but I’m not always successful at keeping them up to date. I’m getting better at setting deadlines for other people (to give feedback on reports, etc.), because otherwise I’ll discover that yesterday afternoon a bunch of new comments were left on something I thought was finished.

What do you spend most of your time doing?
Writing (and rewriting) project plans, emails, reports, help guides, and other documents. We recently finished up a pilot project dealing with ORCID integration using their API. When that was happening I was spending a lot more time looking at (and formatting) python scripts and XML files.

What is a typical day like for you?
I check to see what meetings I have and if there’s anything I need to do for them. Then I check my email and see if there are any new ones I need to read/reply to. Then I’ll start working on any one of a number of projects depending on when I need to get them done, how much free time I have available that day, and what a coworker with whom I work closely on certain projects is doing that day.
What are you reading right now?
I co-host a podcast called Book Club for Masochists that chooses a random genre every month that we then read and discuss. For instance, in October we’re reading dystopian novels, though I haven’t started any yet (suggestions are welcome!). I just finished an ARC of Paperbacks from Hell, which is all about paperback horror novels from the ‘70s and ‘80s.

I’m also always reading about a billion comics and graphic novels. I recently read The Private Eye by Brian K. Vaughan, Marcos Martin, and Muntsa Vicente which is a neat cyberpunk story set in a future several decades after all the private information in “The Cloud” went public.

At work I am no doubt reading something about research data management or the latest scholarly communications scandal.
What's the best professional advice you've ever received?
Before I started my Master’s in Library Studies I was told that what you do in class doesn’t matter; it’s what you do outside of class that will get you a job.

Also, know your limits and boundaries; sometimes it’s better to say “No” to something than saying “Yes” and becoming overwhelmed.

What have you found yourself doing at work that you never expected?
Learning Python (though really, it had to happen someday). Being asked to help organize an event because I am an expert in zines. Being chair of a hiring committee.

Inside the Library Studio

What is your favorite word?

Resist.

What is your least favorite word?

The USA’s president has pretty much ruined the word “trump” forever.

What profession other than your own would you love to attempt?

Writing and/or editing comic books. (Someday!)

What profession would you never want to attempt?

Capitalist. Any job that would require me to be at work before 8am.

Everything Else

What superpower do you wish you had?

One of those powers that can be used to help other people and/or the environment—like widespread, permanent super-water purification.

What are you most proud of in your career?

Every time I am legitimately able to help someone learn something or gain access to information. Plus: Co-organizing the Zine Pavilion, presenting about comics and libraries at San Diego Comic-Con and Emerald City Comicon, co-founding and editing a student journal, and helping create a Raspberry Pi powered book recommendation machine.

If you're willing to share, tell about a mistake you made on the job.

Swearing in front of my boss’s boss.

When you aren't at work, what are you likely doing?

Recording/editing my podcast (38 episodes so far!), publishing seven (almost eight!) issues of Two-Fisted Library Stories (a fiction/comics anthology zine), running Cthulhu related role playing games, reading comics and books, reading about comics, editing for No Flying No Tights (a comic book website for library folk), writing postcards to people, obsessing about social media, playing Pandemic Legacy (just about to start June: four wins, four losses), playing video games, and insisting I don’t have to go to bed yet.

Who else would you like to see answer these questions?

Violet Fox. Annie Pho. Sarah Houghton. Amie Wright.

Matthew tweets at @MidniteLibrary.

Meetings, Meetings, and More Meetings - But For Good

I know what you're going to say - all meetings are useless and most are a big pain in the butt. And, to be honest, I used to agree with you. Not anymore. It all changed when I moved into administration, but I couldn't put it into words until now. I spent a lot of time setting up one-on-one meetings with every single person who works in my library, which wasn't the norm before, and explaining why to each of them is going to help me explain to you why meetings can be for good.

I'll give you more detail below, but if you don't have a lot of time to read, the tl;dr is one of my biggest themes on this blog: relationship building. Now, in no particular order, here's what I mean:

• Since I'm a little more removed from the front lines in this job than I have been in the past (even though I've been training on the circulation desk and have a regular reference desk shift, every other week), meeting with everyone gives us time to get to know each other. This is especially important when it comes to the ten people who work in the library part time, since I don't see them as often and really only work side by side with the one part time reference librarian who works the same reference desk shift as I do.
• Having a regular meeting schedule makes it so that sitting down with the boss isn't necessarily a punitive thing. Only meeting with staff when things are going wrong makes those meetings feel like being called to the principal's office. For those times when I do have to give negative feedback, I want people to be relaxed and open to discussing what happened instead of being automatically on the defensive.
• Speaking of giving negative feedback, having a regular meeting schedule makes it so it won't be a thing - us being in an office with the door closed - and it won't cause tongues to wag. One of the worst bosses I've ever had only closed the door for one-on-one meetings when you were in trouble. I'll never forget the time I showed up 5 minutes early for my meeting and found the door of their office closed. I knew, even without being able to hear what was being said, that my colleague who had the meeting slot before mine was being chastised. It is nobody's business except mine and that of the employee in question if I have to give negative feedback. 
• Regular one-on-one meetings also gives people an opportunity to share ideas that they might not want to bring up in staff meetings. What if someone thinks we need to add a step to the check out process to protect people's privacy, but it will take extra time? Or what if the idea is that we should open up earlier in the morning because students are lined up outside the door? Being able to chat privately with me will give them a way to share that idea.
• Most importantly, me taking time to meet with them on a regular basis makes them know they are heard. This is me investing my most important resource - time! - in each and every person who works in my library.

Yes, meetings can be a pain in the tuchus. Some days it feels like that's all I do, which doesn't even touch the annoyances that accompany finding coverage for when I need to meet with someone who exclusively staffs a service point. But wow, is it worth it.

So how about you? What do you like about meetings?

Just For Fun: Viktor Victorious

Mr. Viktor, my gray tabby boy, came into my life about a month after Martin the Gozerian died way too young. V was exactly what I needed in my life. He's boisterous and gregarious and goofy - definitely not to be ignored. More important than his good taste in music, as seen in the above (I like Paul's Boutique a lot, too), he's seriously the most happy-go-lucky cat I've ever known. (Except when it comes time for me to wash the bed linens. Then he gives me a face. See below.)

People with whom Viktor has made friends:

• Every repair person ever. He especially liked the guy in charge of maintenance at my apartment complex in Delaware.
• The guy who delivered and set up the futon I bought for my second bedroom here in New York. Viktor loved him so much that he sat in the guy's lap while my futon was being put together.
• Every friend of mine who has come to my apartment. 
• He may have never met you before, but trust me: Viktor loves you and is your friend, too.

If the rescue organization that brought him into my life is to be believed, Viktor has always been this way. Apparently when they found him, he was in the company of some much younger kittens. The rescue group assumed he was a she, and the mother of the kittens, because of how affectionate Viktor was with the littler kits.

Actually, the only creature I've ever seen him treat with anything less than full on, storybook, eternal love and devotion...? Is my other cat, Zephyr. But even with her, it's more like a kid brother pestering his big sister. (Before you ask, no - they aren't related. I know they look it a bit, but it seems tabby is just very common coloring among Delaware cats.)

And last, but not least, is the fact that he has very refined tastes in cinema. He is watching The Seventh Seal in that picture below - and he watched it very intently for almost the whole film. I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about this striking film by the auteur, Ingmar Bergman, but there's no doubt that Viktor is a fan.

Here's to my odd little man - long may Viktor reign over my apartment and life.

On Social Media Breaks, Mental Health, and Productivity

Towards the end of the day last Tuesday, I got "Misery is the River of the World" stuck in my head. It wasn't because I love Tom Waits - I do, but that wasn't the reason. No, it was because I'd seen almost nothing but horrors and nightmares (almost exclusively perpetrated by our current administration) on social media that day. To be honest, it had been like that for days and days. Except on Tuesday, when I saw someone compare a thing the current administration is doing to the Stasi, I knew I'd had enough. I said to myself, and to a few friends as I explained the reason for my break from my formerly beloved Twitter, "Misery might be the river of the world, but that doesn't mean I need to swim in it constantly." A bit over dramatic? Yes. Still true.

And so, partially inspired by Derrick Jefferson, I quit. Obviously temporarily, since I posted this in all the normal places. I logged into neither Twitter nor Tumblr nor Facebook - other than to add things to the queue for Owl Zeppelin - for almost a week. It wasn't bliss, but it wasn't bad. The impulse to check came and went, but I got through it every time it came. I knew what I was getting into, though, since changing any habit is hard. The results weren't hard to predict, either... I am so much calmer and more in my skin than I've been ever in recent memory. Also, hella more productive - especially at home. I can't remember the last time I went more than a couple of days without checking at least one of my social media places, so it stands to reason I can't recall when I've been this calm and productive.

I did keep up with news during my time away. I've got a profile set up with IssueVoter.org, and they email me when there is legislation that is important to me so I can call my elected representatives. (Actually, I call Representative Louise Slaughter's Rochester office so often I think her staff are starting to recognize not just my name but also my voice.) I also scanned the front page of Twitter for big news items without logging in, and asked a couple of friends to let me know if anything major was happening.

It was great, but I need to be realistic. I hate the phone so much that social media is sometimes the only way I can keep in touch with some of my friends. That means I need to figure out a way to stay connected without losing my sanity to what's going on in the world. I need to be part of the social media communities I've built/been part of, but without ingesting all the horror and misery. That's going to be a problem, though. "Yes," I can handle. Likewise, "no." In between? Not so much. As a way to build my capacity for "a little," I'm going to try to spend no more than 30 minutes on social media each day - at least until it's a fully ingrained habit. I think much more than that and it won't be out of curiosity and genuinely wanting to catch up - more than that, for me, and it will be wallowing.

Finally, I'm posting about it here for a few of reasons:

• Saying something publicly means I'm that much more likely to follow through with it;
• I'm hoping I'll inspire some of you to take a break, like Derrick inspired me;
• I need to remind myself to take care of myself to be strong for the long haul - because it's going to be a long one.

"Call no man happy til he dies," is a line in that Tom Waits song up there. That may be true, but that doesn't mean I can't try to find some peace along the way.