Introduction

This chapter provides guidance and ideas for starting off as a new leader or manager. The process of applying for and gaining a new role is often intensive and challenging, and it may take some time to achieve the desired position and move on to the next stage in your career. Once you have formally been offered and accepted the role, there is a period when you may experience a range of emotions: excitement; joy; apprehension; fear; enthusiasm; doubt; pride; and many more. Depending on the context of your library and information service, you may have between a week and three or four months before you start your new role.

Thinking about the following themes will help you prepare for your new role: the transition process; setting up your support network; before you start; being clear about your role, responsibilities and boundaries; getting to know your leader and the senior team; getting to know your team(s); identifying your stakeholders; scanning your environment; understanding culture and politics; establishing your position; and early decisions. The final sections in this chapter are concerned with looking after yourself and work/life balance.

The transition process

New managers and directors experience a transition process lasting from a few months to two years, depending on the degree of change experienced in their new position. Matthews (2002) provides an account of this transition process based on her experiences of becoming a chief librarian in an academic library in the USA. She uses the work of Nicholson and West (1988) to provide a framework for the analysis of her experiences and this involves a four-step cycle: preparation; encounter; adjustment; and stabilisation.

The preparation stage involves becoming psychologically ready for promotion to the new role. This may include attending professional development courses or taking a higher degree such as a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) as described in Chapter 12. Professional networking (see Chapter 9) provides an opportunity to learn more about management and leadership, as well as making valuable contacts. Involvement in mentoring (see Chapter 12) offers opportunities for gaining feedback and advice on your career plans and experiences. Preparation also means developing your curriculum vitae so that it demonstrates the experience and expertise required by managers and leaders.