Learn with LLAMA Online
Fall 2009 Executive-level webinars
for library directors, deans and top managers
Featuring: Pat Wagner of Pattern Research
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“The Executive-Decision Maker’s Secret Weapon –
How You Can Make Better Choices with the Use of Graphic Models”
Wed, Oct 21, 2:00 pm-3:30 pm CT
Class description:
The increased speed of change, along with new and shifting user expectations, and political and financial pressures, make decision-making more difficult, even for seasoned library leaders. Simple visual models can help capture useful (and sometimes slippery) data, better communicate issues to stakeholders, and earn trust and respect through transparency. Learn two time-tested models from the negotiation community, which can be applied and shared in many situations.
Topics include:
- Using visual grids to identify, weigh, and compare issues.
- Creating cost/benefit scales when moving from “old” to “new” choices.
- Using graphic models to lower emotionality during group decision-making
Participants will learn to:
- Make complex decisions with less likelihood of missing key information
- Share the process and results more accurately with executive teams, staff, and the larger institution or community.
$39.00 LLAMA Members / $49.00 All others
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“Learn the Supervisor’s Balancing Act –
How You Can Bring Out the Best in Your Top People
Without Micromanagement”
Tues, Nov 3, 2:00 pm-3:30 pm CT
Class description:
Library leaders might hesitate, with justification, to interfere with the work of top managers. After all, didn’t you promote, hire, or retain people with the experience and breadth of vision to run departments and buildings without micromanagement? However, even top managers have issues. Are they coordinating their efforts with their administrative team members? Are they consistently working within the parameters and priorities of the strategic plan? Are they modeling the best behaviors of civility and customer services? Are they growing their skills and changing along with the people they supervise? It is not that top managers don’t need supervision; it that the scope and direction is different.
Topics include:
- A visual model for communicating goals and constraints
- Evaluating top managers
- Promoting based on technical versus “people” skills
Participants will learn:
- How to ensure that top managers have the same requirements in terms of consistency, accountability and success as the rest of the library organization
- How to ensure that top managers are held to higher standards regarding behavior and success.
$39.00 LLAMA Members / $49.00 All others
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“Make Your Library Dreams Come True –
How to Use Project Management Techniques to Write a Strategic Plan”
Mon., Nov. 16, 2:00 pm-3:30 pm
Class description:
Why does a library’s strategic plan often fail? Because your overarching and ambitious abstract vision might not translate well into goals and priorities that make sense to the people who will be doing the day-to-day work. The secret is to use project management principles while creating the plan, including accountability and what is often called management overhead. Building in time and resources for operations–communication and trouble-shooting–at the beginning can ensure that the work gets done on time, under budget, at an agreed upon level of quality, and with everyone still speaking to each other.
Topics include:
- Knowing who is in charge: the project management job descriptions
- Time-outs: Have you scheduled for mistakes, disagreements and misunderstandings?
- The ultimate test: Can a frontline library employee make the right choice from the strategic plan’s priorities?
Participants will be able to:
- Improve implementation of strategic plans
- Provide better quality, specific information for library managers, supervisors, and staff members, both degreed and paraprofessional
- Achieve your goals without micromanaging or burdening your staff with unnecessary paperwork
$39.00 LLAMA Members / $49.00 All others
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