Hello librarians!  Thank you for joining me. 

Are you a library director, manager, or supervisor who’s struggling with a burnt-out or demoralized staff?  Or maybe you feel disconnected from your team and unable to get them on board with any of your initiatives?  If so, stick around.  

Every member of your team has greatness within them. Every staff member, volunteer, and student aide has a meaningful role to play in your library’s mission. 

But how do you inspire them to reach for their best?

In this episode, I’m going to share eight proven ways to motivate and inspire your library team.  Even if you have only volunteers or student workers or you’re not currently supervising anyone, these tips can be useful for you. Show notes are available at masterfullibrarian.com/ep-9.

Say good morning

Every morning, as soon you arrive, say good morning to the people you work with – and especially those who work for you. Do your best to greet every team member.  Be genuinely happy to see them!  

This small and simple action not only makes your team members feel seen and appreciated - it also creates a warmer, more welcoming atmosphere and culture in the work space. 

And who doesn’t want a little more of that? 

Manage by walking around

Don’t let a week pass without stopping by the desk of each team member just to chat and stay connected.  If you can do it daily, that’s even better.  

Make an extra effort to do this with team members who don’t work anywhere close to your office or your normal traffic routes.  Working for someone you never see, except in formal meetings, can be demoralizing for many employees – they can begin to feel disconnected from leadership. 

As though you don’t care about them.

A disconnected employee is often a demoralized employee.  It’s hard to feel valuable to the library if you feel overlooked.

While serving as a high school librarian, I had four principals in nine years. Of the four, only one of them took the time to get to know me or to stop by just to visit and see how I was.

And because he acted like he cared and he asked questions about me, my life, my library, my program -  I was willing to go above and beyond for him.  

My happiest and most productive years in that job were under his leadership because his attention made me feel like I mattered.

For six more tips and complete show notes, visit masterfullibrarian.com/ep-9.