'Lights on librarian' and 'high noticing' leaders: A challenge for the profession into the 21st century

Bernadette Rosbrook

I was invited to participate, along with three other panellists, in the 'New Graduates Challenge Session' on Day One of the ALIA 2004 Biennial Conference. We were asked to present our thoughts on the major challenges facing the LIS profession in the 21st century. The following is an edited version of my presentation.

Although I haven't been involved in libraries for long, I have had many opportunities to meet and talk with librarians from different libraries all around Brisbane. I have been fortunate enough to encounter many intelligent, committed people, who have been both generous and honest in sharing their insights and experiences with me.

These discussion have given me a 'birds-eye' view of the profession, and one thing that I have come to observe is that librarians fall within two extremes: 'lights on' and 'lights off'.

Most of the librarians that I have encountered seem to think deeply about their work, and all of them still believe in the value of the profession. However, 'lights-on librarians' bring creativity to their thinking. It's readily apparent in the way that they describe what they do. Whether they're talking about staffing issues, internet resources or information literacy - their antennae are out. They are curious and engaged.

On the other hand, 'lights-off librarians' seem to have had their lights taken out. They've lost energy for their work. They look as if they're dragging themselves through each day. Instead of talking about what they do, they talk about what they can't do because of lack of time, lack of money, lack of support. What is particularly surprising is that they don't talk about moving on to something else or about what it is they would like to be doing.

The 'lights on learning method'

I heard the concept of 'lights on in the workplace' in January 2004 on the Radio National program New Dimensions.

Michael Toms, the producer of the program, was interviewing Cathy Walker - founding director of an organisation called Clarity International. Cathy and her team work with people to help them discover the work that they really want to be doing - the work that really lights them up.

To this end, they've developed a technique called the 'lights on learning method'. They ask people a series of questions and then use advanced video technology to record the responses. They look for the lights in people's eyes and the changes in their faces as they talk about different aspects of their life and their work. They then use the facial changes as signals to identify people's passions - the things that they really have vitality for.

After thousands of interviews, Cathy Walker has come to describe 'lights on' as 'a full-bodied feeling of aliveness'. It's about being grounded and focused. It comes from doing work you love.

Relevance to librarians

The 'lights on' concept was not discussed in relation to librarians. But it helped me to understand what I was seeing in librarians.

It led me to think about those people I had met whose lights had gone out. From talking to them, I knew that there were still some aspects of their work that they enjoyed (it might be working on the information desk, or teaching a class or writing project reports). I asked myself: how could their performance improve and how could their experience of work be different if they were given the opportunity to do more of the work they loved?

The 'lights on' challenge!

In my opinion, therefore, a major challenge facing our profession is the need for librarians to find their lights and to keep them on throughout their careers.

As a first step towards doing this, we all need to become 'high-noticing' in relation to ourselves. Regardless of our level of experience or our position in our organisation, we all need to pay attention to how we feel about the tasks we're doing. We must learn to recognise when our energy goes up and when we're being drained.

As second step, we need to become high-noticing in relation to our colleagues. We must look for the lights in our co-workers and friends, and (when appropriate) offer tactful feedback about what we see.

The third step is really a challenge for our leaders. Be high-noticing in relation to your staff. There are new graduates coming through every year and they are passionate about what they do. Be committed to helping them preserve their energy and curiosity.

At the same time, pay attention to the vitality clues in all your employees: Not just what they say, but how they sound, how they look. Are they healthy, engaged, energetic? If their lights have gone out - talk to them. Listen carefully and observe closely: When do they get a spark in their eye? When can you hear enthusiasm? When can you perceive energy? Give them feedback on what you're seeing. Work with them to help them discover what they find energising. Then make the commitment to seeing them do more of what they love.

It's a big ask. But, as Cathy Walker says, 'recognising energy is a key leadership skill'. Energy is not 'a commodity' that can be 'brought in from outside'. Energetic libraries - libraries that are vibrant and essential - can only come from energetic librarians.

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