3. Morale[muh-ral] -noun Emotional or mental condition with respect to cheerfulness, confidence, zeal, etc. especially in the face of opposition, hardship, etc. Source: Random House Dictionary
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7. Some Causes of Low Morale Poor communication Bad management decisions Lack of training Limited personal growth Limited professional growth Lack of respect No common goals Misaligned goals Economy Layoffs Impending layoffs Other libraries suffering Lack of work/life balance Little or no accountability Silos
12. More Organizational Morale Improve communication Cross training + encourage pitching in Eliminate corporate cliques Organizational encouragement
13. Even More Organizational Morale Lighten mood as an organization Informal and formal social events to promote friendships Support personal & professional development
15. Increase Personal Morale Sometimes it is not about you Develop your skills Leave work stress at work
16. You CAN Increase Personal Morale Leave home stress at home Find joy in other parts of your life Find success and motivation in other parts of your life
17. Even More Personal Morale Find either a new reality or a silver lining. Suck it up. If all else fails, find another job/career. Life is too short to be unhappy.
18. Last Bit About Personal Morale Remember the “serenity prayer message” - control what you can, let go what you can’t, and try to recognize the difference
19. The Four Agreements Be impeccable with your word Don’t take anything personally Don’t make assumptions Always do your best -Don Miguel Ruiz
20. “This is how I took care of my own personal morale. Advocacy” –Lori Reed
23. Ruiz, Don Miguel. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, a Toltec Wisdom Book. New York: Amber-Allen Publishing, 2001.
24. Secretan, Lance H.K. Reclaiming Higher Ground: Creating Organizations that Inspire the Soul. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997.
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Notas do Editor
Morale Issues in your LibraryHow can library staff handle staff morale issues in a challenging climate for libraries? Learn how library staff can keep their heads about them when faced with stressed or frustrated coworkers, and how managers can deal with low morale among their staff. Lori Reed and Maurice Coleman will explore skills and techniques to reinforce positive morale in the work environment and reverse low morale when it strikes.
Meet BobBob works at a public libraryHis wife got laid off last yearHis parents are getting older and want to move in with himHe has two teens in high school applying to collegeHis wife just had a babyLast night he took the 3am feedingand the 5 am feedingBob’s house is in foreclosureHe wonders if her family will be homelessHis daughter stayed out till 2am last nightOn the way to work this morning the radiator cracked in his carThe car had to be towed to the shopThis is all before Bob gets to work
When Bob gets to work his boss is annoyed that he is lateSo are is coworkersBob is asked to clean up an accident in the mens' room because he is the only man on dutyOn the way to lunch Bob gets stopped by a patron who needs help emailing her resumeShe does not have an email accountOr a resume
Luckily most of us don’t have days like this. Or at least not every day. But keep in mind this might be the reality for some of your coworkers.Everything you just heard has happened to people Maurice and I know.This could be a typical day for any of us.
Libraries throughout the United States are coping with the most serious financial crisis in a generation. Local and state governments, facing drastically reduced revenues, are slicing library funding to unprecedented lows.Library administrators and trustees are grappling with incredibly difficult decisions to reduce services, programs and staffing.
A leader needs to stay at stage 4 though he or she needs to go through all the stages. She might rapidly have to move through to stage 4.
In the week after the 9/11 attacks NYC Mayor Giuliani helped open Saturday Night Live. Producer Lorne Michaels asked if they could be funny to which Giuliani replied without missing a beat, “Why start now.”Sometimes I think that this is what needs to happen in libraries after major change.
