It Starts at the Top: Developing a Motivational Leadership Style That Moves Mountains

Presented at the 2016 Access Services Conference, Georgia Tech Global Learning Center and the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center, November 16-18, 2016, Atlanta, Georgia.Seti Keshmiripour is the Outreach and Engagement Librarian and the Research Assistance Coordinator at the University of North Texas Libraries. She trains and supervises Graduate Library Assistants in the Access Services Department. She holds a MIS from UNT and has years of experience working in special and academic libraries.Mary Ann Venner is the Head of Access Services at the University of North Texas Libraries. She has over twenty years experience working in an academic library setting.Have you ever wanted to administer changes but had trouble getting staff on board? Attendees will learn how Access Services managers at the University of North Texas Libraries developed strategies to prepare and support staff for accepting changes in the workplace. This presentation will describe a variety of successful changes within the department such as re-organizing the structure of the department, establishing new services, and accomplishing projects. Stages of change from idea to implementation and the facilitation of communication throughout the process will be discussed. Creative ways to motivate staff as well as lessons learned will be also highlighted