Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Carnegie Library in Braddock named historic landmark:
"Being named to the National Register of Historic Places is an honor for more than 80,000 sites, but National Historic Landmarks are among the elite 2,500.
Braddock's Carnegie Library is now in that company. The U.S. Department of Interior last week conferred on Andrew Carnegie's first American library the status of national landmark."
Monday, March 12, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Keep Management Simple; New York Times, 2/25/12
Dan Lagani, New York Times; Keep Management Simple:
"I feel as if I’ve spent the last 25 years getting ready for what I’m doing now. During that time, I’ve found that simplicity is crucial in running a business, from keeping your mind open to ideas that present themselves in everyday life to ensuring that your processes are straightforward. It’s a matter of paring complex problems to the essentials."
"I feel as if I’ve spent the last 25 years getting ready for what I’m doing now. During that time, I’ve found that simplicity is crucial in running a business, from keeping your mind open to ideas that present themselves in everyday life to ensuring that your processes are straightforward. It’s a matter of paring complex problems to the essentials."
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Do You Share Our Goals? Sign Our Constitution; New York Times, 2/18/12
Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Steve Stoute, chief executive of Translation LLC, an ad agency: Do You Share Our Goals? Sign Our Constitution:
"Q. How do you make sure people are aligned?
A. Well, the companies have clear mission statements, and we have clear goals and objectives that are outlined, and there’s a way in which we want to achieve those goals. There’s a specific way in which I want growth in my companies to happen and take place. To me, that’s where it starts. I have to be crystal clear. They then have to be clear that they understand the mission, and then we can look at each other in the eye and judge each other for how we move forward. If then I start seeing people going off of the track and having their own belief systems, then it’s very clear that somebody is blatantly not aligned to the mission even though they said they were.
Sometimes, I would even go as far as to have people sign a group document — almost like a constitution — so that everybody is aligned around the mission statement, so everybody knows what they’re responsible for. I’m very upfront, I expect the best, and I hold people accountable for everything that comes out of their mouth. Don’t say you’re going to do something and not do it, because in a company of this size, everybody is directly responsible for the person next to them."
"Q. How do you make sure people are aligned?
A. Well, the companies have clear mission statements, and we have clear goals and objectives that are outlined, and there’s a way in which we want to achieve those goals. There’s a specific way in which I want growth in my companies to happen and take place. To me, that’s where it starts. I have to be crystal clear. They then have to be clear that they understand the mission, and then we can look at each other in the eye and judge each other for how we move forward. If then I start seeing people going off of the track and having their own belief systems, then it’s very clear that somebody is blatantly not aligned to the mission even though they said they were.
Sometimes, I would even go as far as to have people sign a group document — almost like a constitution — so that everybody is aligned around the mission statement, so everybody knows what they’re responsible for. I’m very upfront, I expect the best, and I hold people accountable for everything that comes out of their mouth. Don’t say you’re going to do something and not do it, because in a company of this size, everybody is directly responsible for the person next to them."
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Ambitious NYPL Renovation Back on Track; LibraryJournal.com, 2/17/12
Meredith Schwartz, LibraryJournal.com; Ambitious NYPL Renovation Back on Track:
"The New York Public Library is restarting its plan to revamp the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street."
"The New York Public Library is restarting its plan to revamp the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street."
Judge Blocks Simi Valley from Privatizing, For Now; LibraryJournal.com, 2/17/12
Meredith Schwartz, LibraryJournal.com; Judge Blocks Simi Valley from Privatizing, For Now:
"Ventura County Superior Court Judge Henry Walsh temporarily blocked Simi Valley from contracting with a private company to run its library. Although the city expects to receive proposals to run the library by the end of February, on February 7th, Walsh ruled that the city cannot contract with a private library services company such as Library Systems & Services (LSSI), which already runs two nearby libraries, until the case’s next hearing. At that hearing, on April 9, the plaintiffs will seek a preliminary injunction."
"Ventura County Superior Court Judge Henry Walsh temporarily blocked Simi Valley from contracting with a private company to run its library. Although the city expects to receive proposals to run the library by the end of February, on February 7th, Walsh ruled that the city cannot contract with a private library services company such as Library Systems & Services (LSSI), which already runs two nearby libraries, until the case’s next hearing. At that hearing, on April 9, the plaintiffs will seek a preliminary injunction."
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Always Be Proud to List ‘Waitress’ on Your Résumé: Interview with Amy Astley, editor in chief of Teen Vogue; New York Times, 2/4/12
Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Amy Astley, editor in chief of Teen Vogue; Always Be Proud to List ‘Waitress’ on Your Résumé:
"Q. How do you find out about their work ethic?
A. You can get some of it off the résumé. You can call the people where they interned and find out what they were like. I also find that if you ask someone in an interview, “Are you a morning person?” the truth always flickers across their face, no matter what they say.
But, as I said, it also comes out in the résumé. I’ll see someone who was a waitress for many summers and I’ll say, “Well, tell me about that.” In today’s upwardly mobile résumé, you don’t always see that. You often see kids who’ve never had a job. But I love seeing someone who scooped ice cream or was a waitress. To me, it means they had to make some money and they had a job dealing with the public. And what was that all about? Tell me about it.
I had jobs like that, too, when I was a kid. I respect it. I respect all forms of work, and I don’t see it on a lot of résumés anymore. If I do see someone has had those kinds of jobs, that doesn’t necessarily mean they have a good work ethic, but it’s a jumping-off point where we can talk about it."
"Q. How do you find out about their work ethic?
A. You can get some of it off the résumé. You can call the people where they interned and find out what they were like. I also find that if you ask someone in an interview, “Are you a morning person?” the truth always flickers across their face, no matter what they say.
But, as I said, it also comes out in the résumé. I’ll see someone who was a waitress for many summers and I’ll say, “Well, tell me about that.” In today’s upwardly mobile résumé, you don’t always see that. You often see kids who’ve never had a job. But I love seeing someone who scooped ice cream or was a waitress. To me, it means they had to make some money and they had a job dealing with the public. And what was that all about? Tell me about it.
I had jobs like that, too, when I was a kid. I respect it. I respect all forms of work, and I don’t see it on a lot of résumés anymore. If I do see someone has had those kinds of jobs, that doesn’t necessarily mean they have a good work ethic, but it’s a jumping-off point where we can talk about it."
Friday, February 3, 2012
Zuckerberg Remains the Undisputed Boss at Facebook; New York Times, 2/2/12
Somini Sengupta, New York Times; Zuckerberg Remains the Undisputed Boss at Facebook:
"Mr. Zuckerberg’s success is an object lesson in what works in crowded, competitive Silicon Valley: Remain in charge, stave off potential predators and expand the company so quickly that no one can challenge the boss."
"Mr. Zuckerberg’s success is an object lesson in what works in crowded, competitive Silicon Valley: Remain in charge, stave off potential predators and expand the company so quickly that no one can challenge the boss."
Friday, January 27, 2012
Data-Driven Libraries: Moving From Outputs to Outcomes; LibraryJournal.com, 1/26/12
Rebecca Miller, LibraryJournal.com; Data-Driven Libraries: Moving From Outputs to Outcomes:
"Something special happens when 150 public library directors, deputy directors, and trustees gather in one room to talk about what their communities get from their libraries. The ideas and examples whip back and forth, as do equally intense questions about roadblocks to all sorts of challenges and strategies for overcoming them. The headiness of this to and fro was palpable at LJ’s third Director’s Summit, held at Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML), OH, December 5–6, 2011. (For more perspective on the discoveries from this event see Francine Fialkoff’s editorial “Moving to Outcomes,” p. 8.)
These library leaders came to discuss the urgent need to reshape how library service is evaluated in order to articulate outcomes better to stakeholders and share success stories with the community. Pure data such as gate counts, computer uses, and more aren’t as satisfying to those who hold the purse strings as are measurements that articulate impact. “It’s pretty simple,” said Jeanne Goodrich, executive director, Las Vegas–Clark County Library District, NV. “Why we do what we do drives what we do. An outcome answers the question, ‘So what?’”
"Something special happens when 150 public library directors, deputy directors, and trustees gather in one room to talk about what their communities get from their libraries. The ideas and examples whip back and forth, as do equally intense questions about roadblocks to all sorts of challenges and strategies for overcoming them. The headiness of this to and fro was palpable at LJ’s third Director’s Summit, held at Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML), OH, December 5–6, 2011. (For more perspective on the discoveries from this event see Francine Fialkoff’s editorial “Moving to Outcomes,” p. 8.)
These library leaders came to discuss the urgent need to reshape how library service is evaluated in order to articulate outcomes better to stakeholders and share success stories with the community. Pure data such as gate counts, computer uses, and more aren’t as satisfying to those who hold the purse strings as are measurements that articulate impact. “It’s pretty simple,” said Jeanne Goodrich, executive director, Las Vegas–Clark County Library District, NV. “Why we do what we do drives what we do. An outcome answers the question, ‘So what?’”
Thursday, January 26, 2012
ALA Midwinter 2012: When Looking for a Job, Remember to Smile; LibraryJournal.com, 1/23/12
Michael Kelley, LibraryJournal.com; ALA Midwinter 2012: When Looking for a Job, Remember to Smile:
"Job seekers in the library field need to remember that recruiters often highly value “soft skills.”
“First and foremost, I look at how they present themselves, how well they communicate, and I like when they smile a lot,” said Megan Alpaugh, a staff recruiter for the Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA...
“When I’m hiring I’m not necessarily trying to match up ‘Oh, have you used this system or have you done x, y, or z’ as much as does this person have good communication skills, can they be an effective member of a team, do they have leadership skills, are they enthusiastic in learning new things,” said Ewa E. Barczyk, the director of libraries at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. “Those are the kind of things you can’t teach somebody,” she said."
"Job seekers in the library field need to remember that recruiters often highly value “soft skills.”
“First and foremost, I look at how they present themselves, how well they communicate, and I like when they smile a lot,” said Megan Alpaugh, a staff recruiter for the Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA...
“When I’m hiring I’m not necessarily trying to match up ‘Oh, have you used this system or have you done x, y, or z’ as much as does this person have good communication skills, can they be an effective member of a team, do they have leadership skills, are they enthusiastic in learning new things,” said Ewa E. Barczyk, the director of libraries at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. “Those are the kind of things you can’t teach somebody,” she said."
Friday, January 20, 2012
The New Normal: Annual Library Budgets Survey 2012; LibraryJournal.com, 1/16/12
Michael Kelley, LibraryJournal.com; The New Normal: Annual Library Budgets Survey 2012:
"The 388 libraries that responded to the survey projected a negligible overall decrease in their total 2012 operating budgets (0.7 percent). Materials budgets are down 1.2 percent. And personnel budgets are relatively flat, with an uptick of just 0.2 percent.
But most libraries have still not recovered from the massive cuts inflicted since the financial crisis of 2008, and when this depressed starting point meets with the rapid evaporation of state aid and the inexorable rise of expenses, then the numbers often translate to stressed staffs, fewer materials, and reduced service hours."
"The 388 libraries that responded to the survey projected a negligible overall decrease in their total 2012 operating budgets (0.7 percent). Materials budgets are down 1.2 percent. And personnel budgets are relatively flat, with an uptick of just 0.2 percent.
But most libraries have still not recovered from the massive cuts inflicted since the financial crisis of 2008, and when this depressed starting point meets with the rapid evaporation of state aid and the inexorable rise of expenses, then the numbers often translate to stressed staffs, fewer materials, and reduced service hours."
After Furor, Harvard Library Spokesperson Says ‘Inaccurate’ That All Staff Will Have to Reapply; LibraryJournal.com, 1/19/12
Michael Kelley, LibraryJournal.com; After Furor, Harvard Library Spokesperson Says ‘Inaccurate’ That All Staff Will Have to Reapply:
"Uncertainty about the status of Harvard Library staff spread across Twitter and other social media sites late Thursday afternoon after a series of Town Hall meetings held earlier in the day on campus to discuss the library’s massive restructuring plan, which was approved in September.
“The nature of academic and research librarianship changed today. Today, all Harvard librarians were essentially given pink slips, asked to participate in a website that has tips on rewriting your resume and changing your career, and also asked to basically re-apply for their jobs,” wrote E. Keathley, who said she has worked for the library system, in a Google+ post...
Earlier, the library transition website had a listing of workshops on resume writing and ways to determine transferable skills, but late Thursday this information had been removed from the site along with a video of the Town Hall meeting (which wasn’t working)."
"Uncertainty about the status of Harvard Library staff spread across Twitter and other social media sites late Thursday afternoon after a series of Town Hall meetings held earlier in the day on campus to discuss the library’s massive restructuring plan, which was approved in September.
“The nature of academic and research librarianship changed today. Today, all Harvard librarians were essentially given pink slips, asked to participate in a website that has tips on rewriting your resume and changing your career, and also asked to basically re-apply for their jobs,” wrote E. Keathley, who said she has worked for the library system, in a Google+ post...
Earlier, the library transition website had a listing of workshops on resume writing and ways to determine transferable skills, but late Thursday this information had been removed from the site along with a video of the Town Hall meeting (which wasn’t working)."
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Tip for Getting More Organized: Don't; Harvard Business Review, 1/12/12
Michael Schrage, Harvard Business Review; Tip for Getting More Organized: Don't:
"IBM researchers observed that email users who "searched" rather than set up files and folders for their correspondence typically found what they were looking for faster and with fewer errors. Time and overhead associated with creating and managing email folders were, effectively, a waste."
"IBM researchers observed that email users who "searched" rather than set up files and folders for their correspondence typically found what they were looking for faster and with fewer errors. Time and overhead associated with creating and managing email folders were, effectively, a waste."
Sometimes, You Need to Blow the Fuses; New York Times, 1/14/12
Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Bill Kling, founder and president emeritus of the American Public Media GroupSometimes, You Need to Blow the Fuses:
"Q. What do you consider the most important leadership lessons you’ve learned?
A. Let me start by answering the question this way: I don’t think that there is one formula for leadership. There are cheerleaders who are really good at motivating people. There are innovative leaders who are really good at conceiving of products or spotting talent and who have a great vision for the company. There are leaders who are strong on personality, leaders who are strong on creativity. Some of the most effective leaders don’t fit a mold. The ones who I think make a real difference tend to be totally different from the standard definition. I think the strongest criterion is creativity or innovation."
"Q. What do you consider the most important leadership lessons you’ve learned?
A. Let me start by answering the question this way: I don’t think that there is one formula for leadership. There are cheerleaders who are really good at motivating people. There are innovative leaders who are really good at conceiving of products or spotting talent and who have a great vision for the company. There are leaders who are strong on personality, leaders who are strong on creativity. Some of the most effective leaders don’t fit a mold. The ones who I think make a real difference tend to be totally different from the standard definition. I think the strongest criterion is creativity or innovation."
The Rise of the New Groupthink; New York Times, 1/13/12
Susan Cain, New York Times; The Rise of the New Groupthink:
"To harness the energy that fuels both these drives, we need to move beyond the New Groupthink and embrace a more nuanced approach to creativity and learning. Our offices should encourage casual, cafe-style interactions, but allow people to disappear into personalized, private spaces when they want to be alone. Our schools should teach children to work with others, but also to work on their own for sustained periods of time. And we must recognize that introverts like Steve Wozniak need extra quiet and privacy to do their best work."
"To harness the energy that fuels both these drives, we need to move beyond the New Groupthink and embrace a more nuanced approach to creativity and learning. Our offices should encourage casual, cafe-style interactions, but allow people to disappear into personalized, private spaces when they want to be alone. Our schools should teach children to work with others, but also to work on their own for sustained periods of time. And we must recognize that introverts like Steve Wozniak need extra quiet and privacy to do their best work."
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
10 Secrets of a Hiring Manager; US News via Yahoo Finance, 1/10/11
Alison Green, US News via Yahoo Finance; 10 Secrets of a Hiring Manager:
"Ever wonder what the hiring managers who are screening your resume, interviewing you, and--maybe--making you an offer are really thinking throughout the hiring process? Here are 10 secrets that most hiring managers share..."
"Ever wonder what the hiring managers who are screening your resume, interviewing you, and--maybe--making you an offer are really thinking throughout the hiring process? Here are 10 secrets that most hiring managers share..."
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Interview with Christine Fruechte, president and chief executive of Colle + McVoy; New York Times, 1/7/12
Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Christine Fruechte, president and chief executive of Colle + McVoy: Where Ideas Are Always on the Wall:
"Q. Can you share your thoughts on how you build a corporate culture?
A. An effective culture is grounded in having a collective purpose. And a culture also is deeply rooted in core values. You know what your principles are, so if you hire someone and they’re not operating by your core values, even though they may be incredibly talented, they’re going to be rejected from the culture. If you don’t act quickly, they’re not going to be healthy for the culture and it will turn cancerous very, very quickly. You have to live by the core values, and reinforce them constantly. We remind people what the core values are anytime we have agency meetings, and they’re built into our performance reviews. If you’re not living by the core values of the organization, you’re not going to be allowed to advance.
Q. What are those values?
A. One is integrity. I have a very short fuse for anyone who is not going to operate with high integrity. If they step over that line and start to do things that are suspect when it comes to ethics, they’re out immediately."
"Q. Can you share your thoughts on how you build a corporate culture?
A. An effective culture is grounded in having a collective purpose. And a culture also is deeply rooted in core values. You know what your principles are, so if you hire someone and they’re not operating by your core values, even though they may be incredibly talented, they’re going to be rejected from the culture. If you don’t act quickly, they’re not going to be healthy for the culture and it will turn cancerous very, very quickly. You have to live by the core values, and reinforce them constantly. We remind people what the core values are anytime we have agency meetings, and they’re built into our performance reviews. If you’re not living by the core values of the organization, you’re not going to be allowed to advance.
Q. What are those values?
A. One is integrity. I have a very short fuse for anyone who is not going to operate with high integrity. If they step over that line and start to do things that are suspect when it comes to ethics, they’re out immediately."
Saturday, December 31, 2011
LSSI Gets Its First Contract in Florida; LibraryJournal.com, 12/30/11
Andrew McIntyre, LibraryJournal.com; LSSI Gets Its First Contract in Florida:
"In a move that is predicted to save $1 million or more annually, one central Florida county will soon outsource management of its branch libraries to Library Systems & Services (LSSI), a private, for-profit company based in Germantown, MD.
The Osceola County Board of County Commissioners voted 3-2 on December 12 to allow LSSI to take over management of the six-branch Osceola Library System. The deal begins Tuesday, and it is LSSI's first contract in Florida."
"In a move that is predicted to save $1 million or more annually, one central Florida county will soon outsource management of its branch libraries to Library Systems & Services (LSSI), a private, for-profit company based in Germantown, MD.
The Osceola County Board of County Commissioners voted 3-2 on December 12 to allow LSSI to take over management of the six-branch Osceola Library System. The deal begins Tuesday, and it is LSSI's first contract in Florida."
'Upheaval at the New York Public Library'? At the Least, Some Clouds Over Transformation Plan | News Analysis; LibraryJournal.com, 12/22/11
Norman Oder, LibraryJournal.com; 'Upheaval at the New York Public Library'? At the Least, Some Clouds Over Transformation Plan | News Analysis:
"The New York Public Library (NYPL) likes to manage its press coverage via carefully placed exclusives in the New York Times, the newspaper that matters to an institution dependent on contributions from New York's elite and the policies of top elected officials.
So it was a blow--though unclear how big--that, on November 30, The Nation published Scott Sherman's investigation, headlined "Upheaval at the New York Public Library."
His essential critique: the NYPL, while managing austerity by closing some research library spaces and tolerating branches in disrepair, is "pushing ahead with a gargantuan renovation of the Forty-second Street library, the crown jewel of the system.""
"The New York Public Library (NYPL) likes to manage its press coverage via carefully placed exclusives in the New York Times, the newspaper that matters to an institution dependent on contributions from New York's elite and the policies of top elected officials.
So it was a blow--though unclear how big--that, on November 30, The Nation published Scott Sherman's investigation, headlined "Upheaval at the New York Public Library."
His essential critique: the NYPL, while managing austerity by closing some research library spaces and tolerating branches in disrepair, is "pushing ahead with a gargantuan renovation of the Forty-second Street library, the crown jewel of the system.""
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Corner Office: To Stay Great, Never Forget Your Basics; New York Times, 12/17/11
Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Geoffrey Canada, president and C.E.O. of the nonprofit Harlem Children’s Zone: To Stay Great, Never Forget Your Basics:
"Q. A lot of managers go out of their way to avoid having difficult conversations. Your thoughts?
A. I call them adult conversations. People don’t want to have these conversations. They will avoid them. I am often asking people: Do you need help with having these conversations? So you’re going to talk to that person. What are you going to say to them? How are you going to say it?
It’s something that most of us aren’t trained to do. I used to think it was particularly true in a not-for-profit business, because people who come to work at a not-for-profit want to help people, so it’s harder for them to make these tough calls. But the more I have seen people in for-profits, I think they’re even worse at it.
I’m just stunned sometimes with how unwilling people are to bring somebody in the office and just say to them: “Look, you’re a good person. You know I like you. I like your family. This job is not really working out, and I’m going to have to let you go.” And so they will put people in another position, where they don’t really add to the bottom line, so they don’t have to deal with firing them. We don’t have the luxury of being able to do that. I mean, we don’t have positions that we can just sort of stuff you in."
"Q. A lot of managers go out of their way to avoid having difficult conversations. Your thoughts?
A. I call them adult conversations. People don’t want to have these conversations. They will avoid them. I am often asking people: Do you need help with having these conversations? So you’re going to talk to that person. What are you going to say to them? How are you going to say it?
It’s something that most of us aren’t trained to do. I used to think it was particularly true in a not-for-profit business, because people who come to work at a not-for-profit want to help people, so it’s harder for them to make these tough calls. But the more I have seen people in for-profits, I think they’re even worse at it.
I’m just stunned sometimes with how unwilling people are to bring somebody in the office and just say to them: “Look, you’re a good person. You know I like you. I like your family. This job is not really working out, and I’m going to have to let you go.” And so they will put people in another position, where they don’t really add to the bottom line, so they don’t have to deal with firing them. We don’t have the luxury of being able to do that. I mean, we don’t have positions that we can just sort of stuff you in."
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Deputy director takes over Carnegie Library operations; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 12/13/11
Joe Smydo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Deputy director takes over Carnegie Library operations:
"The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has a new president and director.
The board of trustees last night unanimously appointed Mary Frances Cooper, the library's deputy director, to the top position.
Ms. Cooper was selected from among 40 applicants, Lou Testoni, chairman of the trustees, said in an email to board members and other boosters this morning.
He called her a nationally recognized library leader who was selected after an "extensive national search."...
Ms. Cooper has a master's degree in library science."
"The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has a new president and director.
The board of trustees last night unanimously appointed Mary Frances Cooper, the library's deputy director, to the top position.
Ms. Cooper was selected from among 40 applicants, Lou Testoni, chairman of the trustees, said in an email to board members and other boosters this morning.
He called her a nationally recognized library leader who was selected after an "extensive national search."...
Ms. Cooper has a master's degree in library science."
Corner Office: A Blueprint for Leadership: Show, Don’t Tell; New York Times, 12/10/11
Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Amy Schulman, executive vice president, general counsel, and president of nutrition at PfizerA Blueprint for Leadership: Show, Don’t Tell:
"Amy Schulman, executive vice president and general counsel at Pfizer, says that just as good writers learn to “show, don't tell” in their essays, she has learned to use real-life anecdotes about herself to convey her style to employees...
Q. I’ve lost count of the number of executives I’ve interviewed who, it turns out, have teaching backgrounds.
A. Actually, I think that’s not surprising. People who are drawn to teaching really like to help people. I think of teaching as teasing out what’s already inside of people, and helping them to get better. Teaching has a lot to do with getting other people enthusiastic about something, and feeling that you want to create that spark."
"Amy Schulman, executive vice president and general counsel at Pfizer, says that just as good writers learn to “show, don't tell” in their essays, she has learned to use real-life anecdotes about herself to convey her style to employees...
Q. I’ve lost count of the number of executives I’ve interviewed who, it turns out, have teaching backgrounds.
A. Actually, I think that’s not surprising. People who are drawn to teaching really like to help people. I think of teaching as teasing out what’s already inside of people, and helping them to get better. Teaching has a lot to do with getting other people enthusiastic about something, and feeling that you want to create that spark."
Thursday, December 8, 2011
I Don't Understand What Anyone Is Saying Anymore; Harvard Business Review, 12/5/11
Dan Pallotta, Harvard Business Review; I Don't Understand What Anyone Is Saying Anymore:
"I'd say that in about half of my business conversations, I have almost no idea what other people are saying to me. The language of internet business models has made the problem even worse...
People just don't make sense anymore. You'll save yourself a lot of trouble if you internalize this. Observe it, deconstruct it, and appreciate just how ridiculous most business conversation has become.
You will gain tremendous credibility, become much more productive, make those around you much more productive, and experience a great deal more joy in your working life if you look someone in the eye after hearing one of these verbal brain jammers and tell the person, "I don't have any idea what you just said to me.""
"I'd say that in about half of my business conversations, I have almost no idea what other people are saying to me. The language of internet business models has made the problem even worse...
People just don't make sense anymore. You'll save yourself a lot of trouble if you internalize this. Observe it, deconstruct it, and appreciate just how ridiculous most business conversation has become.
You will gain tremendous credibility, become much more productive, make those around you much more productive, and experience a great deal more joy in your working life if you look someone in the eye after hearing one of these verbal brain jammers and tell the person, "I don't have any idea what you just said to me.""
Sunday, December 4, 2011
[Corner Office] I Was Impossible, but Then I Saw How to Lead; New York Times, 12/3/11
[Corner Office] Adam Bryant, New York Times; Interview with Ruth J. Simmons, president of Brown University for the last 11 years: I Was Impossible, but Then I Saw How to Lead:
"Q. But at some point, particularly when you became a manager, you realized you couldn’t be so impossible.
A. It was living, frankly. And the experience of understanding that the ways in which I was trying to solve problems and to interact with people were getting in the way of achieving what I want. And that’s what did it for me. Ultimately, I came to understand that I could achieve far more if I worked amiably with people, if I supported others’ goals, if I didn’t try to embarrass people by pointing out their deficiencies in a very public way. So I think it was really experience that did it more than anything else."
"Q. But at some point, particularly when you became a manager, you realized you couldn’t be so impossible.
A. It was living, frankly. And the experience of understanding that the ways in which I was trying to solve problems and to interact with people were getting in the way of achieving what I want. And that’s what did it for me. Ultimately, I came to understand that I could achieve far more if I worked amiably with people, if I supported others’ goals, if I didn’t try to embarrass people by pointing out their deficiencies in a very public way. So I think it was really experience that did it more than anything else."
How Libraries Are About More Than Books; HuffingtonPost.com, 11/30/11
Paul Needham, HuffingtonPost.com; How Libraries Are About More Than Books:
"These are complicated times for public libraries. Even as budgets are slashed nationwide, more people than ever are visiting their local library. Even as the unemployed seek out the quiet space and free Internet access, the group most attached to libraries remains working mothers, often accompanied by their children.
And, in case you hadn't heard, books aren't quite as popular as they used to be.
"So the question, and it's a huge question, is, 'What even is a library anymore?'" said Cesar Pelli, the world-renowned architect and designer of the Minneapolis Central Library."
"These are complicated times for public libraries. Even as budgets are slashed nationwide, more people than ever are visiting their local library. Even as the unemployed seek out the quiet space and free Internet access, the group most attached to libraries remains working mothers, often accompanied by their children.
And, in case you hadn't heard, books aren't quite as popular as they used to be.
"So the question, and it's a huge question, is, 'What even is a library anymore?'" said Cesar Pelli, the world-renowned architect and designer of the Minneapolis Central Library."
Upheaval at the New York Public Library: The Nation, 11/30/11
Scott Sherman, The Nation; Upheaval at the New York Public Library:
"The man who must contend with the NYPL’s budget difficulties is its new president, a tall, amiable, casually dressed political scientist named Anthony Marx, who started at the library on July 1. Marx had been the president of Amherst College, where during his eight-year tenure he raised great sums of money and did much to diversify the student body. But obtaining the financial resources to sustain the NYPL in these lean and mean times is a task that’s sure to keep Marx tossing in his bed at night. (Personal reasons may also keep Marx from sleeping soundly: on the afternoon of November 6 he was arrested in Upper Manhattan for driving while intoxicated; his blood alcohol level was 0.19. He is scheduled to appear in court on December 9.) He faces an additional challenge with the CLP, devised by his predecessor and scheduled to be completed in 2015.
The centerpiece of the CLP—expected to cost anywhere from $250 million to $350 million—is the construction of a state-of-the-art, computer-oriented library designed by British architect Norman Foster, in the vast interior of the Schwarzman Building."
"The man who must contend with the NYPL’s budget difficulties is its new president, a tall, amiable, casually dressed political scientist named Anthony Marx, who started at the library on July 1. Marx had been the president of Amherst College, where during his eight-year tenure he raised great sums of money and did much to diversify the student body. But obtaining the financial resources to sustain the NYPL in these lean and mean times is a task that’s sure to keep Marx tossing in his bed at night. (Personal reasons may also keep Marx from sleeping soundly: on the afternoon of November 6 he was arrested in Upper Manhattan for driving while intoxicated; his blood alcohol level was 0.19. He is scheduled to appear in court on December 9.) He faces an additional challenge with the CLP, devised by his predecessor and scheduled to be completed in 2015.
The centerpiece of the CLP—expected to cost anywhere from $250 million to $350 million—is the construction of a state-of-the-art, computer-oriented library designed by British architect Norman Foster, in the vast interior of the Schwarzman Building."
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