If a blog falls in the forest, and there’s no one to hear it, does it make a sound?

Sorry I’ve been so remiss about posting. We’re going through a major software implementation at work and it is sucking up a lot of my mental energy, so when I get home my brain is mush and I can’t summon the energy to write a coherent thought. I will try to be better, I promise! Just to get the ball rolling, here’s a quote I like (it was on the cover of the March issue of Fast Company):

Innovation is super fragile. It’s very easy to kill. We need a stubborn, rebellious attitude. – Google CIO Douglas Merrill

Another good quote from Leading for Growth:

Whether they like it or not, leaders have the power to scare the hell out of people. If you don’t fully explain what you are up to, you leave people in the dark, and people in the dark have vivid imaginations…You’ve got to give people information, and lots of it, so they don’t wonder what is really going on and start imagining all sorts of worst-case scenarios.

Very true, especially if you haven’t established a level of trust. People who don’t trust you have no reason to give you the benefit of the doubt and every reason to assume the worst.

I’m reading Leading for Growth by Ray Davis. I’m only on chapter 2, but here’s a quote I liked from chapter 1:

Think of your own business and industry. What do you and your competitors do that is boring, stale, or bland? Is there something that is numbingly similar across every company, including yours? If so, you have a great opportunity. (p.13)

Well, at least in libraries, the “numbing similarities” are probably too numerous to count. But I like looking at our services through this prism and seeing what opportunities shine out…much to think about here.