lfa

Article in the May 23rd issue Chronicle Careers - The Four Habits of Highly Effective Librariansby Todd Gilman. The four traits are Openness, Responsiveness, Collaboration and Communication.

All too often, librarians — like all human beings — do not listen to one another. In a well-meaning attempt to be proactive we may dutifully invite co-workers or subordinates to weigh in on how we might improve some aspect of our services. If they say things we have already thought of, or agree with (or both), all is well.

But if their responses are not what we expect (read: want) to hear, rather than question our assumptions, we become defensive. We may nod sympathetically while telling ourselves that nothing needs to change. If the responses seem too challenging, we may even angrily defend the status quo.

Let’s face it: It’s hard to take criticism, even if it’s constructive. It’s even harder to act on it and try to change our behavior, policies, or procedures.

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