make your library dreams come true - ala.org · make your library dreams come true with pat wagner...

Make Your Library Dreams Come TrueWith Pat Wagner

Make Your Library DreamsMake Your Library DreamsCome True:Come True:

How to Use Project Management How to Use Project Management Techniques to Write a Strategic PlanTechniques to Write a Strategic Plan

Mon, Nov 21, 2009Mon, Nov 21, 2009––2:00 pm2:00 pm--3:30 pm CT3:30 pm CT

With Pat Wagner, Pattern Research, Inc.With Pat Wagner, Pattern Research, Inc.

LLAMA OnlineLLAMA Online


About LLAMAAbout LLAMA

The mission of the The mission of the Library Leadership and Library Leadership and

Management AssociationManagement Association is to encourage is to encourage

and nurture current and future library leaders and nurture current and future library leaders

and to develop and promote outstanding leadership and to develop and promote outstanding leadership

and management practices. and management practices. LLAMALLAMA is a division is a division

of the of the American Library AssociationAmerican Library Association..

((www.ala.org/llamawww.ala.org/llama))


Getting ReadyGetting Ready

•• Chat tools ready.Chat tools ready.

•• Close the door.Close the door.

•• Groups: Butter your popcorn.Groups: Butter your popcorn.

•• Pen and paper for notes.Pen and paper for notes.

•• Handouts?Handouts?

•• FollowFollow--up with LLAMA and/or Pat.up with LLAMA and/or Pat.


About TodayAbout Today’’s Presenters Presenter

•• Pat WagnerPat Wagner

•• Management consultantManagement consultant

•• Denver, CODenver, CO

•• 30+ years30+ years’’ serving serving librarieslibraries

•• On the road: 46 statesOn the road: 46 states

•• Author/writerAuthor/writer

•• Online educatorOnline educator


Why Strategic Plans FailWhy Strategic Plans Fail

•• What project management teaches us.What project management teaches us.

•• Identifying evidence of problems.Identifying evidence of problems.

•• Who is responsible for failure?Who is responsible for failure?

•• What happens when the dust settles?What happens when the dust settles?

•• The ultimate test: hard choices.The ultimate test: hard choices.

•• What can be done?What can be done?


Project Management LessonsProject Management Lessons

•• Who is accountable?Who is accountable?

•• Time is of the essence.Time is of the essence.

•• If the plan is in your headIf the plan is in your head……

•• The most important resource?The most important resource?

•• Overhead is inevitable and necessary.Overhead is inevitable and necessary.

•• The sustainable team.The sustainable team.


Who is Accountable?Who is Accountable?

•• Every line has a Every line has a name.name.•• What do the job contracts say?What do the job contracts say?

•• Let people do their jobs.Let people do their jobs.

•• Civility Civility andand productivity, not either/or.productivity, not either/or.

•• No oneNo one is exempt from responsibility.is exempt from responsibility.


Time is of the EssenceTime is of the Essence

•• How do you estimate deadlines?How do you estimate deadlines?

•• Do you lower wages w/ long hours?Do you lower wages w/ long hours?

•• Do you manage by martyrdom?Do you manage by martyrdom?

•• Do you rescue people when they miss Do you rescue people when they miss

their deadlinestheir deadlines––over and over?over and over?

•• What are you willing to stop doing?What are you willing to stop doing?


Will You Stop?Will You Stop?

•• Sacred cows: the true believer test.Sacred cows: the true believer test.

•• Perfectionism equals theft.Perfectionism equals theft.

•• Pet projects: ego and territory.Pet projects: ego and territory.

•• Project drift and feature creep.Project drift and feature creep.

•• Tweak, tweak, tweak. Tweak. Tweak.Tweak, tweak, tweak. Tweak. Tweak.

•• Micromanaging employees.Micromanaging employees.

•• Setting priorities.Setting priorities.


If the Plan is In Your HeadIf the Plan is In Your Head……

•• There is no plan.There is no plan.

•• Memory is a paintingMemory is a painting……

•• The Rule of Law:The Rule of Law:

–– contracts rule people, not bulliescontracts rule people, not bullies

•• The Rule of Pat:The Rule of Pat:

–– too many words bully peopletoo many words bully people


The Most Important ResourceThe Most Important Resource

•• The people who work for the library.The people who work for the library.

•• If you had to recruit them tomorrowIf you had to recruit them tomorrow……

•• Your main job: Elicit the best.Your main job: Elicit the best.

•• Your main tool: Your own virtues.Your main tool: Your own virtues.

•• Earning trust and respect.Earning trust and respect.

•• The principle of social equals.The principle of social equals.


Necessary and InevitableNecessary and Inevitable

•• Management overhead includes:Management overhead includes:

–– breaks and celebrationsbreaks and celebrations

–– time to ask and listentime to ask and listen

–– time to thinktime to think

–– prepare, respite, repair, preventprepare, respite, repair, prevent

•• The danger of ignoring overhead.The danger of ignoring overhead.


The Sustainable TeamThe Sustainable Team

•• How do you invest in people?How do you invest in people?

•• How do you treat people?How do you treat people?

•• Will you want to work with them again?Will you want to work with them again?

•• Will they want to work for you again?Will they want to work for you again?

•• Would they hire Would they hire youyou as the leader?as the leader?


Evidence of ProblemsEvidence of Problems

•• No progress on learning.No progress on learning.

•• No initiative: more than dropped balls.No initiative: more than dropped balls.

•• Mistakes are repeated.Mistakes are repeated.

•• Adversarial attitude towards leaders.Adversarial attitude towards leaders.

•• Bullies flourish.Bullies flourish.

•• Proud of poverty and failure.Proud of poverty and failure.


Responsible for FailureResponsible for Failure

•• What leaders do to fail.What leaders do to fail.

•• What managers do to fail.What managers do to fail.

•• What supervisors do to fail.What supervisors do to fail.

•• What employees do to fail.What employees do to fail.

•• Which failures are community affairs?Which failures are community affairs?


When the Dust SettlesWhen the Dust Settles

•• Back to workBack to work……the operations plan.the operations plan.

•• Evaluation and closure.Evaluation and closure.

•• What has fallen between the cracks?What has fallen between the cracks?

•• Did we forget the library users?Did we forget the library users?

•• Reinforcing the good changes.Reinforcing the good changes.


The Ultimate TestThe Ultimate Test

•• Hard choices: priorities are required.Hard choices: priorities are required.

•• How priorities are sorted.How priorities are sorted.

•• The danger of concrete thinkers.The danger of concrete thinkers.

•• Does everyone know the plan?Does everyone know the plan?

•• Empowering employees to lead.Empowering employees to lead.


What Can Be Done?What Can Be Done?

•• Start at the top: integrity and manners.Start at the top: integrity and manners.

•• Fire the bullies. Right now.Fire the bullies. Right now.

•• Simplify: How criminals are legislated.Simplify: How criminals are legislated.

•• Everyone has the same information.Everyone has the same information.

•• The high praise ratio: 10The high praise ratio: 10--toto--1.1.

•• Accountability is the bottom line.Accountability is the bottom line.


ResourcesResources

•• Project Management Institute: PMIProject Management Institute: PMI

–– pmi.orgpmi.org

•• The OneThe One--Page Project ManagerPage Project Manager

–– Clark A. CampbellClark A. Campbell

•• The Fast Forward MBA in Project Mgt.The Fast Forward MBA in Project Mgt.

–– Eric Eric VerzuhVerzuh


FollowFollow--upup

•• [email protected]@pattern.com

•• pat2pattern: twitterpat2pattern: twitter

•• Pat Wagner: Pat Wagner: LinkedInLinkedIn

•• PatternResearchPatternResearch: : librarythinglibrarything


LLAMA OnlineLLAMA Online

•• Thank you for attending todayThank you for attending today’’s s webinarwebinar. Information . Information about LLAMAabout LLAMA’’s future s future webinarswebinars and other continuing and other continuing education programs is available on the LLAMA web education programs is available on the LLAMA web site site www.ala.org/llamawww.ala.org/llama..

•• You will receive a short evaluation for todayYou will receive a short evaluation for today’’s s program by email next week. Your feedback is very program by email next week. Your feedback is very valuable to us. valuable to us.

•• In the meantime, feel free to contact Fred In the meantime, feel free to contact Fred ReulandReulandwith any comments or suggestions at with any comments or suggestions at

[email protected]@ala.org..

make your library dreams come true - ala.org · make your library dreams come true with pat wagner...

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