Taking the Initiative

Good principals are always looking for new ways to improve their schools. That's why they value staff members who show initiative—especially those whose great ideas have the potential to reach every student and colleague in the school. How can you demonstrate initiative?

Build bridges. Take steps to link the library with administrators, teachers, counselors, and support staff. Don't wait for others to approach you. Generate ideas and take the lead in bringing them to life. There are, of course, risks in taking the lead, but reasonable risks are the price of influence. Don't attempt things that require vast knowledge and skills that you don't possess. On the other hand, don't shy away from things that you are not completely familiar with. As the saying goes, amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic.

Be opportunistic. If your school is experiencing a problem, analyze what's going on and see if there are library resources that can help meet the challenge. And always look for ways to contribute before a problem develops—or ways to make a good thing even better. For example, administrators are always searching for the latest information on many subjects. Tap into your electronic databases to find what they need—before they ask.

Offer the unexpected. Instead of limiting yourself to the same old things you've always done, create new traditions. Management consultant Edgar Schein says that people who are role innovators perceive the pivotal behaviors, values, and norms of their positions as the foundation (rather than the limitation) of their opportunities. Use your job description as a springboard; extend your role in ways that are both satisfying to yourself and good for your organization.

How can you can do that? Show up where you're not expected. Attend department, grade-level, school-board, or parent meetings regularly and identify the emerging issues. Involve teachers in library policy development, invite them to help weed the book collection or join your meetings with vendors who have something to offer them. As a member of a committee or task force, bring all of your research resources to bear on the issues at hand. With a little homework, you can bring more useful information to a meeting than just about anyone else. Taking this kind of initiative will also show others that your perspective is not limited to the library media center, which, perhaps, is the most important message you can send to other educators.

Always follow through. Taking initiative means more than just launching projects or coming up with good ideas. Trying is good, but it's action that counts. I try to teach my administrative students that there is no one best way to accomplish something. What works for you, might not work for the next person; what works today, might not work tomorrow. If a teacher, for example, doesn't respond to your offer to help, move on to another. If federal grant applications aren't paying off, talk to supportive local groups, like the Rotary Club or the Kiwanis. Just keep trying.

Put others first. The projects, practices, or processes you come up with must benefit others as much as—and preferably more than—they benefit you. If they don't, your ideas will be perceived as self-serving and your support will dwindle. That's why it's important to serve on committees, speak at meetings, and take part in activities that have nothing to do with the library. Use your expertise and the library's resources to make other people's jobs easier, to make others look more effective, and to help others succeed.

Showing initiative requires looking outward. But the connections it creates and the support it engenders will enable you to do a lot more when you look inward again.