Effective delegation is one of the most powerful yet underutilized tools in academic library management. Too often, managers avoid delegating because of time pressures, fear of mistakes, or the tendency toward perfectionism. Yet thoughtful delegation not only strengthens team capacity—it cultivates autonomy, supports leadership development, and fosters a culture of trust and shared responsibility.
This session provides a practical, person-centered approach to delegation rooted in clarity, communication, and coaching. Participants will learn how to identify work that is appropriate to delegate, how to match tasks to employee strengths and developmental goals, and how to create supportive structures that allow staff to succeed. In this session, we will explore the difference between “dumping” and delegating, discuss common emotional and organizational barriers to letting go, and examine how micromanagement can unintentionally hinder team growth.
Through guided activities, attendees will practice writing a delegation plan using a simple, repeatable framework that clarifies expectations, checkpoints, authority levels, and accountability. The session also includes strategies for developing staff confidence, supporting independent decision-making, and navigating delegation challenges such as uneven workloads or inconsistent performance.
Participants will leave with practical tools they can apply immediately, including quick reference cards, a 30-day delegation challenge, and personal reflection prompts, along with renewed confidence in their ability to build stronger, more empowered teams through intention
When we make a mistake at work, how we are supported by the people around us can make all the difference in our ability to recover from that mistake and use it as an opportunity to learn, grow, and develop. Conversely, when one of our staff members makes a mistake, how we respond to that mistake as managers can make all the difference in how we build workplace cultures that are people-centered and allow our employees to grow and thrive as human beings and contribute to successful, supportive teams.
In this presentation, two members of a library executive leadership team will share what they’ve learned about the process of making mistakes – both from the perspective of the person making the mistake, and from the perspective of the person helping to manage the mistake after it was made. The presentation will invite reflection on how we ourselves, as people and individuals, move forward from making mistakes, how we can support our staff, and how we can translate that into a more human-centered approach in our libraries that is still centered within workplace and HR policies and procedures.
The presenters will share their vision, using real-world scenarios and concrete steps that attendees can take and adapt at their own institutions, for making libraries places in which employees can safely make mistakes and in which managers can help employees use those mistakes as launch pads from which to learn, grow, and move the organization forward.
