Author Archives: Rick Anderson

I know what you’re thinking: ”I’m a leader, not a manager. Workflow management isn’t my job.” Two answers: Managers are leaders, or should be, so workflows really are a leadership issue. Administrative leaders may not manage workflows directly, but they … Continue reading →

I’m going to close out the year with a lesson I learned many years ago from a column by Stanley Fish; I believe it was in the Chronicle of Higher Education (which, is, by the way, an essential read for any academic … Continue reading →

I came into my current position as a library leader about four years ago, saying what I’ve always known all good leaders are supposed to say in that situation: “Don’t expect me to swoop in here and starting being disruptive … Continue reading →

The words “simple” and “easy” are not synonyms. A task or process can be simple but not easy, and it might be easy but not simple.  Let me provide a couple of quick examples to illustrate what I mean: Driving … Continue reading →

Ever heard the saying “reality always wins”? I have no idea who coined it, but I first heard that phrase some years ago, and for a long time I found it comforting. Sure, nonsense and denial might prevail for a … Continue reading →

This is one of those conversations that tends to happen between two lobes of my brain – I’ll refer to them as Rick Brain 1 and Rick Brain 2. Here’s how this particular conversation goes; maybe it’s somewhat the same … Continue reading →

When you were a child, there’s a very good chance that you were told by your parents to do something you didn’t want to do. And there’s a very good chance that you asked why you had to do it, … Continue reading →

And, for that matter, to those who don’t. Today is a holiday in the US, so there’s no new Vision & Balance content today. But I hope all of you have a joyful weekend.

I’ve spent the last 20 years or so in library administration, and it’s taken me almost that long to figure out something essential. It’s simple, and it’s probably obvious to most people, but for me it took quite a while … Continue reading →

Following on from Tuesday’s discussion of “Five Sucky Things about Being a Library Leader,” I’m going to address what I think are five of the best things about being a library director (though I think they translate well into other … Continue reading →