Issues in Academic Library: Essential Skills of Information Professional

The present case study outlines the importance the leadership skill and identifies it as the most sustainable competitive edge in a progressively more competitive and boundary less business world (Hoch and Dulebohn, 2013). The case study on performance coaching with reference to the role of Darcy Gallagher gives the opportunity to comprehend the qualities and skills that need to be nourished to become an effective leader. The kingpin of the case study is the important elements of competency that affect the leadership outcomes and are influenced by the individual characteristics of the leader as well. The main purpose of the Coaching Performance to be conducted at Elmwood is to develop responsiveness to coaching facilities that are available in the daily work routine and aids the mangers to identify the problems of the members, the prompt responses to address their problems and add to the contribution made for long term career growth of the leaders as well as their subordinates.

According to the knowledge which I have possessed over the years is that the education system in United Kingdom was based on practical application of theories. Surprisingly, the Professional and Academic Skills Support (PASS) module of MBA course in Staffordshire University helped me to gain the experience of applying the acquired theoretical knowledge for the accomplishment of the assigned outdoor activities in the Buxton Residential trip. Although, the module was meant for learning from those outdoor activities to develop one’s managerial skills, I have seen it as a continuous learning process that started from my under-graduate course, where I had the opportunity to come across some theories of leadership and team management.

In the changing business environment, leaders of all organisations may face unprecedented uncertainty, especially the technology advancement and changes among the employees. To survive and succeed, leaders should have some necessary attributes. Meanwhile, some changes for leadership skills have to be made to confront the challenges.

Developing leadership abilities early in my life is vital to becoming the person I aspire to be. Having these kinds of skills is something that can help me become a more effective communicator. Communication is necessary in many careers throughout one’s lifetime. Acquiring attributes of a leader

Leadership skills are vital for success and what better way to acquire them than through

| It is important as a manager and leader to develop yourself within your role personally and within the organisation, both will gain from this. Within the modern world skill sets are updated and change

Leadership at times can be a complex topic to delve into and may appear to be a simple and graspable concept for a certain few. Leadership skills are not simply acquired through position, seniority, pay scale, or the amount of titles an individual holds but is a characteristic acquired or is an innate trait for the fortunate few who possess it. Leadership can be misconstrued with management; a manager “manages” the daily operations of a company’s work while a leader envisions, influences, and empowers the individuals around them.

The ability and strength of an individual to achieve goals by supervising processes, guiding initiatives and employees is defined as Leadership skills. Valuable leadership skills include taking thoughtful decisions, allocation of resources, and the ability to delegate, inspire and communicate effectively. Other leadership traits include honesty, confidence, commitment and creativity. Leadership competencies can be used to effectively select, develop and promote leaders in an organization .The difference between Leadership Skill and leadership competency can explained as the required level of efficiency to perform a task assigned is known as skill whereas the quality to accomplish the same is called as competency. When creating leadership competencies certain factors are considered such as business strategies and future trends. To drive the use of competencies in selecting and developing leaders HR practitioners should use the business strategies. To effectively build a unique set of skills for the organization 's leaders, the firm will sustain competitive advantage. The role of a project manager has always been my interest. The position which I have always desired is a role of project manager.

As new technologies are rapidly introduced, people are able to find any information with the access of internet. This leads to people questioning the relevance of libraries and its true purpose. Public libraries cultivate the value of increased education and a social unity to advancing as a society.

I would say that almost everyone in the United States has been to a public library at some point in their lives. I remember going to the public library in almost every town that I have lived in since I was about five or six years of age. I remember, as a young child, checking out books on all kinds of topics such as dinosaurs, racecars, and Egyptian mythology. As I grew older, my taste in literature evolved. I would check out books about wizards battling against dark magic, snipers saving the world from evil regimes, and every day, ordinary people trying to survive in dystopian worlds. The public library gave me access to all of these literary adventures. I also remember when public libraries started incorporating music, movies, and televisions shows into their in-library resources. I was able

2- Taking self-assessments allow for recognition and understanding concerning one-self and the qualities possessed. Various approaches to leadership, decision-making, and personality traits greatly influence communication, motivation and management abilities within an organization. These skills can be learned and enhanced. Understanding how these styles impact others can empower leaders to increase organizational performance and create an improved work environment. Great leaders have impacted our societies and organizations. They have shared necessary guidelines for increasing leadership skills.

In his textbook, Northouse discussed on the Skills Approach, that leadership is based on three skills which are technical skill that focuses on competence on working with things, human skill that emphasizes on working with people, and conceptual skill that concentrates more on working with ideas. The skills approach suggests that knowledge, abilities and skills are needed for leaders to be effective.

From leadership theories and observations and my personal experiences, I found that leadership is a life learning process and best practices of leadership skills. Surprisingly, the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) points out that informal development opportunities, such as training, are responsible for only 10 percent of the actual learning in leadership development, and ninety percent of learning for leadership development is achieved in formal settings, mainly in everyday job activities such as development assignments and challenging tasks and interpersonal interactions at work, such as networks and mentoring relationships. Cronin and Genovese (2009) insist that what is required in leadership are three things: practice, practice, and practice. Mastery, however, requires more.

McShane and Von Glinow, 2010:360 argued that leadership is influencing, motivating, and enabling others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organizations of which they are members. It is the dual focused management approach that works towards what is best for individuals and what is best for the group as a whole simultaneously. According to Kotter he suggested that leaders establish directions develop strategies influence others to follow energize people. Effective leadership builds on important underlying competencies such as the Self Awareness it sees things clearly and strengthen Analysis and problem Evaluation beyond the immediate and short term .Interpersonal Effectiveness based on listening and communication skills to increase understanding , motivation and commitment .Personal Conviction concerning possibilities and objectives with the resilience to overcome setbacks. In addition to setting clear direction, effective leaders develop employee competence by building self-belief and capability; support autonomy encourages employees to take control, build a culture based on positive relationships .The steps are anchored in meaningful activity and a sense of shared purpose, managers need to identify the steps that move employees from satisfied to motivated and then help people become fully engaged. Relationship management is increasingly important in organizations , effective leaders are aware of individual difference , but also work to

For students to be adequately informed about the value of the university library and resources such as the Internet in information retrieval there must be a careful collaboration between teaching staff and library staff (Kenney, 2007). The focus in this task, of course, is preparing students not just for the immediate research project at hand but rather to prepare them to be life long learners, to prepare them to be successful and productive once they leave the academic environment and take up their chosen careers (Lauer & Yodanis, 2012).