Author Jason Martin won’t tell you how to be a leader. In fact, that’s not the point of his book. Instead he’ll give you a roadmap and the tools to find it out for yourself, guiding you to discover why you want to lead, how you can best lead, and what your own unique leadership practice looks like. Activities will both allow you to explore your leadership identity and develop your leadership practice. Signposted with prompts for self-reflection, workshop discussions, and mentoring conversations, this guide’s topics cover core issues like

discovering why you want to lead;
research findings on the five most desirable traits in library leaders;
wrestling with the constraints of organizational culture;
a tour of practical leadership models such as Theory Z, Situational Leadership, Transformational Leadership, and emotional intelligence;
how to develop habits that will bolster your confidence through inevitable moments of doubt;
cultivating a “people first, mission always” mentality;
self-care for leaders; and
living out your unique leadership vision through goal setting, self-evaluation, and other key steps.


By following the activities in this book and using them to inform your leadership practice, you will add value to your leadership and to your library. As Martin demonstrates, it all starts with asking yourself, “What can I do today to make myself a better leader?”