Library Worklife

Work/Life

Going That Extra Mile

By Mickey Burns

Mickey Burns taught a large group of Ohio Library Support Staff Institute (OLSSI) participants what it means to go that extra mile in their work. He declared, "If you’re working for 5 p.m., find another job. Get happy or get gone!" He proceeded to tell us how to do figure out if we can get happy where we are or whether we need to get out. Not surprising to him, many of us have the resources to bring us happiness where we are working now, if we look for them. Happiness influences our ability and desire to "go the extra mile" for ourselves and for others.

We began by pairing off and listing the factors that contribute to job burnout. Once you have "burned out," going the extra mile is impossible. Sometimes it’s even difficult to do what you are supposed to do. The lists filled up quickly for most of the group except for one pairing, who considered themselves content and had to force themselves to think of reasons. These two will remain nameless. Here are the reasons the group came up with in ten minutes. Can you add more factors?

In no order of importance:

Long hours
Patrons’ unreasonable demands
Lack of communication, including listening, from supervisors
Lack of authority and resources to get things done
Monotony
Malfunctioning computers
Coworkers who don’t do their jobs
External and/or personal issues
Administrations that have different rules for different people
Controlling and micro-managers
No room for advancement
No recognition
Changing responsibilities, especially without warning or explanation
And finally... low pay

It was interesting for me, and the second time I had been in a group doing a similar exercise, that low pay was only mentioned as an afterthought. In Mickey’s experience, compensation is always low on the list. This does not diminish its importance (or the need for ALA-APA), but it illustrates that our job fulfillment is defined by more than salaries. Mickey has found that "being in the know" is often first on people’s lists of what is important. Communication, as you can see from the list above, is a part of many of the job burnout factors. Improving communication, about what is happening in the library, in individual jobs, with departments, with services, with funding and with influences like university, school board, trustees and other governing bodies makes employees feel like they are full participants in the workplace. People are empowered when they are taught and then allowed to make decisions, according to Mickey.

Going the Extra Mile means taking the same steps to reach two seemingly disparate endpoints: that you are willing to investigate what you can do to make your work experience approach bliss or what you can do to find another work experience.

The steps:

Continue, adopt or develop a positive attitude.

This sounds simple, but it is easier for people to complain than to look for and talk about the good in their environments.
Resist responding to or accepting bad attitudes, and make positive the norm.

Don’t sweat the small stuff

"There are 800,000 Mexicans who don’t care about how many periodicals are in your library. Lots of people in Europe don’t care about how many hours your library is open."
There are usually more vital and critical issues that we must address than spending hours debating and lamenting the minutiae of our day-to-day responsibilities.

Do something different

Mix things up for yourself if you are in a rut. Try something new, even if it makes you uncomfortable. Alter your routine, do the same things in a different order, take a new route.

Build relationships

All of life is building relationships
Practice the golden rule of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you—smile if you want them to smile, compliment others if you want to receive compliments

Change the paradigm

This is also metaphorically known as "putting on someone else’s shoes." If your patrons are upset about a procedure or policy, try thinking about it from their perspective.
You know your expectations for yourself, but what are your patrons’ expectations of you?

Eliminate I-N-M-J

Having an "It’s not my job" view keeps you from going the extra mile and others for going the extra mile for you.

After Mickey was sure we understood the steps, he asked us what pushes our buttons. I thought to myself that we’d already answered that question in the beginning of the session. However, he wanted us to think of what pushed our buttons in a positive way—see, that’s a positive attitude—and to consider how we could incorporate those positive buttons into our work. What pushes your buttons? Is it a new challenge, working with children, or a talent? Make a list and think of ways you can weave your interests into your position.

After you’ve made your list of happiness-inducing things and activities and how they could be a part of your work, do something with the list. For many of you, it means taking the list to your supervisor and trying to get them to allow you to at least try one of these ideas. In (project) management, a pilot is more readily accepted than a proposal to make a wholesale change. What actions can you take today to do what you love? According to Mickey, the money will follow!

Mickey Burns is a Human Resources Training Coordinator at Cleveland State University.