I have just finished the CILIP Leadership Programme 2015-16. This was a pilot programme to develop leadership in the profession and was aimed at mid-career professionals or those with some experience.  I work as a Research Librarian in  City University London Library Services and was fortunate enough to be offered the opportunity to attend the programme by my Library Leadership team. I wasn’t totally sure what to expect from the programme but had recently studied a Leadership and reflective pratice module at work so hoped to build on this and learn about different styles of leadership, meet others and connect with CILIP and work on a group project.

The programme ran from July 2015-2016 and was a mixture of face to face meetings and online webinars and self directed learning using the CILIP Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).  I was also part of a project group which was working on a continuing professional development (CPD) project with some of the CILIP member networks.

Some of the highlights for me were:

Attending workshops in different venues throughout the country eg. Liverpool, Newcastle and Brighton and attending the CILIP Conference.

Meeting new colleagues and friends from other sectors such as public libraries, museums and galleries and the private sector.

Exploring different leadership styles, personal communication styles and roles within teams. I have learned that there are different personalities and communication styles and am more aware of how people may communicate with each other when giving feedback for example and how this can affect outcomes and understanding. Also, in terms of leadership, how you present yourself and communicate your vision and ideas may influence your effectiveness and success.

Discovering the extent to which CILIP members have such a high level of  commitment to and interest in their continuing professional development. It is really encouraging for the future that colleagues wish to continue to continually learn and develop and learn new skills.

The opportunity to write some articles on leadership in CILIP Update and in SCONUL Focus  These gave the opportunity to reflect on different styles of leadership such as situational leadership and mentoring and coaching.

The opportunity to reflect on my experience of the CILIP Leadership Programme with other participants as part of the My Career strand of the CILIP 2016 Conference.

Images: Albert Dock, Liverpool; Feasting with friends

Communication styles workshop; Newcastle Central Library

I attended the CILIP conference  2015  in Liverpool and found it very professional and really enjoyed the keynote speakers in particular and also found some of the parallel sessions relevant. I also attended part of the conference this year in Brighton 2016 (as mentioned above). I think the Careers strand of workshops and presentations at the conference this year was  really useful with its focus on careers, professional development and personal advocacy. There is also a new online version of the CILIP PKSB (Professional Skills and Knowledge Base) This should enhance the functionality of the tool and make it easier to use.

Working on a CILIP CPD project as part of a group at a distance was interesting and challenging.  As part of this our group designed a CPD survey which was distributed to members of CILIP member networks via email. There was a huge response to our survey (743 respondents)  indicating the large amount of interest and engagement that CILIP members have in CPD.  There are many opportunities for CPD such as online learning, webinars, mentoring/ coaching, workplace visits and experience sharing, teachmeets and networking evenings. The challenge lies perhaps in events at the right time (eg. daytime, evenings, lunchtime), in suitable geographic locations,  online events and making the technology work and having the resources and time to fund,  organise and coordinate everything.

I’m sure I have much to reflect on for the future, I’ve learned that leaders (like Pokemons) can emerge in unexpected places and it may be the case that they are practitioners and speak through their work, research and their professionalism and they may not necessarily be the most senior managers in an organisation but can still exercise power, have vision and influence and develop others. Also, considering how we communicate with others is important and perhaps making an extra effort to  I would like to  thank CILIP, the Leadership Programme Coordinator (Jo Alcock) who was very supportive and great to work with,  colleagues on the Programme and my Library Leadership Team at City for the opportunity.