News - MLA
Written by Gail Madziar, MLA Executive Director   
Thursday, April 12, 2018 12:00 AM

Executive Director's Desk - April 12, 2018

Gail Madziar Headshot

Does your leadership team apply the elements of change management and strategic leadership to their decision making?

What are strategic leadership skills?

It has been said, the more unpredictable the environment, the greater the opportunity-if you have the leadership skills to capitalize on it. That means being a strategic leader. According to the Wharton School, strategic leaders are constantly vigilant, honing their ability to anticipate by scanning the environment for signals of change. Strategic thinkers question the status quo. They challenge their own and others' assumptions and encourage divergent points of view before taking action. This requires patience, courage, and an open mind.

Join us on June 1 at the East Lansing Public Library for MLA Executive Summit as the strategic performance consultants from MBC Training and Development, Inc. explore leadership and change. Seating is limited so register early.

Our leadership experts will define strategic leadership. They will explain how to craft a vision and align the library for success. This program will outline the steps you should take to achieve optimal results using strategic leadership throughout your decision-making process.

What is change management?

Part two of our program focuses on change management. Change management is the discipline that guides how we prepare, equip and support individuals to successfully adopt change in order to drive organizational success and outcomes.

This year's executive summit explores change management and how you can apply the necessary measures to impact change.

The program will explore the positive aspects of change. You will understand the five stages of change and behavioral factors. It will show you how to drive out the fear of change and explain the ways to align the organization and the process.

While all changes are unique and all individuals are unique, there are actions we can take to influence people in their individual transitions. Change management provides a structured approach for supporting the individuals in your organization to move from their own current states to their own future states. This is according to PROSCI change management experts.

When your library undertakes new projects or initiatives they often require changes to processes, job roles, organizational structures and types and uses of technology. However, it is actually the employees who have to ultimately change how they do their jobs. If these individuals are unsuccessful in their personal transitions, if they don't embrace and learn a new way of working, the initiative will fail. If employees embrace and adopt changes required by the initiative, it will deliver the expected results. Change management involves first identifying the groups and people who will need to change as the result of the project, and in what ways they will need to change.

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