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Building Trust

Empowering and Promoting the Work

of Your Library Team

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Meghan Kowalski

Outreach and Reference Librarian

University of the District of Columbia

she/her

meghan.kowalski@outlook.com

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Let’s Talk

Share a story of when you promoted the work of someone on your team.

Why did you do it?

https://shorturl.at/0S2nw

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I’m awesome?

We are so bad at self promotion

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A Note of Caution

Consider the person

in front of you

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Why don’t people promote themselves?

Hierarchies

It’s not my place

Office Politics

Game of Corner Offices

Imposter Syndrome

Am I good enough?

Doesn’t feel “right”

The ick factor

Hierarchies - They don’t think they are in a position to promote themselves outside of their department (or, in some cases) even in their department.

Office Politics - This is a game that most of us hate, but it is a constant. People who promote their work or the work of others are often seen as offenders of “bad” office politics instead of just promoting the good work of people. People start to wonder “why are they doing this?” “what’s in it for them?” - it can feel like there are trades being made - a lot of office politics results from there being low levels of trust in an organization

Imposter Syndrome - At some point, we all feel like we are faking it. We can be excellent at our job and still feel like we are waiting for people to notice our faults. Promotion of good work comes with attention, and some are afraid that attention will uncover weakness (Essentially, we don’t trust ourselves.)

Just doesn’t feel “right” - Sometimes it just feels “icky” - there are emotions wrapped up in promoting good work and those can be hard to work through.

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What’s the harm?

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Learn About Your Team

Make it okay

Ask for input

Listen & Remember

Ask permission

Create space

Make it routine

Make it okay - brag about yourself and ask others to share alike (meetings, emails, etc.) - start small, work your way up - the more you do make it okay, the more a team will learn to trust in the process

Always always always ask for feedback, input, stories, and idea sharing

Meetings

Ask 5 Questions

1. What's going on?

2. What do you like about your work?

3. What do you not like about your work?

4. What do you want to be working on?

5. What can I do better?

Most important - listen when people talk (and make notes for later)

Ask for permission to share what you learn - can be in the moment you learn it or after the fact

When people are comfortable - make this learning routine and ongoing - create public spaces

Surveys or feedback collection spots
Call outs for information in office communications - I am always asking for “brag about yourself” content for our staff newsletter
Would anyone like to share an achievement (in meetings)

Again, all of this is a give and take that helps build a resilient trust between supervisors and their team

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Promote Your Team

They’re worth it!

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Share up

Give credit where it’s due

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Repeat what

they said

I would like to...

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Did you know...

The power of storytelling

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Highlight the

person

Give them a spotlight

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Share

achievements

Look at what they did!

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Request help

Who can do this?

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Share

opportunities

Forward chances for great work

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Show up

Cheer them on!

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Common Hurdles

There’s a reason this isn’t easy

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Is it safe?

Audit

What’s happening in your office?

01

Build

Rewards, praise, & positive reinforcement

04

Invite

Allow people to talk to you when they need to

03

Consistency

Provide equitable opportunities

06

Need & Value

Connect the person to the workplace

02

Give Opportunity

Seek growth, not punishment

05

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Imposter Syndrome

Acknowledge

Feelings matter and should be recognized

01

Reframe

Change the shape of negative thoughts

04

Connection

Relate skills to facts and evidence

03

Celebrate

Wins matter and should be shared

06

Listen

Hear what people are saying

02

List

Write down all the good things

05

Imposter syndrome is persistent uneasy feeling or anxiety that one has not truly achieved their success through their own hard work and skills. Essentially, you feel like a fraud or that you are faking it and that someone will “learn the truth” at any moment.

We can all feel this at times, but for some it is worse than others. While you can’t fix feelings of imposter syndrome, you can help alleviate some of the anxiety.

Acknowledge these feelings - we’ve all had them
Listen - hear why people feel like they are not “good enough”
Connect known skills to positive outcomes (Focus on facts) - You did X because of Y.
Fight feelings with evidence - Show the tangible accomplishments
Reframe negative thoughts - I know that you are feeling like you X, but did you see how X led to Y?
Write out accomplishments - this is a good thing for everyone to do, but it makes things feel tangible in the moment
Celebrate wins

NOTE: This is an ongoing activity - imposter syndrome doesn’t disappear with one meeting - and the more you do this kind of work, the more your team and you will trust that the things you say and do are true

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Self-Doubt

Clarify

What is the heart of the problem?

01

List

Getting it on paper can help make it real

04

Reaffirm

You are here for your team always

03

Realistic

Don’t set your team up to fail

06

Support

What do they need to get things done

02

Share

Make positive results known

05

Self-doubt is closely related to and is a part of imposter syndrome it’s different in that it can be individual or team level - it’s more about the lack of confidence in a skill set or capabilities and less about feeling like a fake

Clarify what the doubt is about (Skills, outcomes, personality, etc.)
Provide support in the form of training, tools, etc. - sometimes you have to bolster skills or tools
Reaffirm your commitment to help - You are not here to punish but to provide support and assistance
Write out accomplishments - again, showing the accomplishments makes things real
Share positive results - See what you did!
At the team level - be realistic, are you asking for something or being asked to do something that CAN’T be done - don’t set your team up to fail (ask for help and resources on behalf of your team)

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Office Politics

Umbrella

Don’t let negativity flow down

01

Network

Talk to the people who can help

04

Explain

What’s happening and how to cope

03

Get Help

HR exists for a reason...

06

Set It Up Right

Create a space for success

02

Encourage

Communicate and promote

05

Office politics are all the behaviors and activities that leads to hierarchies of power - may be tied to a chain of command or may be people creating spheres of influence.

You are an umbrella not a sieve - protect your team

Sometimes, you have to take the “big leap” on behalf of your team
Everyone knows the “bad eggs” and works around them already
Some things you can’t fix, but don’t cascade the negative down

Set your team up for success

Buddy system or inter-department mentoring
Introduce people to allies in other departments
DO NOT express jealousy, negativity yourself
Stay neutral in negative situations - work the problem not the person
Focus on inclusion and collaboration

Explain the reality BUT provide a way to cope (and do the hard part for your team) - for example, if another manager stonewalls you on a project, you do the pushing back and following-up on behalf of your team - don’t farm it out to someone else with lesser power

Work your formal AND informal networks on behalf of your team - if you have power, use it to help others

Encourage positive and open communication - more communication can help alleviate the fiats imposed by office politics

In worst case scenarios get HR or C-Suite level involved - they are there for a reason - don’t let one bad egg ruin a whole department or organization

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Logistics

Step One

You are the first point of contact

01

Provide Support

What do you need to succeed?

04

Paperwork

Show how it all actually works

03

Follow Up

Did it work? What can I do next?

06

Connect

Put people in touch with others

02

I’m Lost

Provide direction through change

05

You need deep knowledge of an organization in order to navigate it well. Some people just don’t know what/who/how (particularly true of larger organizations). Logistics are all those little details, workflows, and processes you need to have a sense of to do well at your workplace. A lot of this knowledge comes with time and you, as a manager, are in a position to share that with your team. If you’re new, you’re in a position to ask the questions that others feel they can’t.

You are the first step (make it clear people can come to you with anything) - get the ball rolling
Make connections and introductions - connect people wherever you can so that they can work on their own
Decision trees and pathways - show how it all works - how are decisions made? Who does what? why?
Provide material support - tools, resources, time, whatever
Provide direction through change - offices change all the time, you can sort of be a campus to help guide your team - be the consistent spot through vague periods
Follow-up and check-in

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Benefits

Personal & Organizational

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Personal Level

Reduce imposter syndrome

Boost confidence

Career pathing & exploration

Skill growth

Increase self-motivation

Increase happiness

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Organizational Level

Centers the person

Uncover talents

Improve workflows

Innovation & efficiency

Skill growth

Improve happiness

& retention

Promotes person-centered workplace (people are people as opposed to cogs) - offices are full of people, not automatons

Uncovers hidden talents - you never know when people have hidden skills

Skill growth - people want to grow, when good work is noticed, they want to grow more

Workflow improvements and efficiencies - reduces silos (breeds understanding of what others do)

Innovative projects - let’s people make suggestions wherever they are needed, not just in their siloed areas

Backburner projects get done - someone might take on something else because they’ve been given the chance

Workplace happiness - people like working with other people who recognize their good work which leads to...

Increase employee retention - Recognition and acceptance matter for emotional well-being

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Where do you want to work?

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Q & A

Thank You!

meghan.kowalski@outlook.com

meghankowalski.com

CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo, and includes icons by Flaticon, and infographics & images by Freepik

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Resources

Asana - Unmasking imposter syndrome: 15 ways to overcome it at work

Forbes - 11 Helpful Strategies for Navigating Office Politics

Gallup - From “Thank You” to Thriving: A Deeper Look at How Recognition Amplifies Wellbeing

Harvard Business Review

Hidden Brain - Success 2.0: The Psychology of Self-Doubt

Indeed - How to Support Your Team