Part 3: Leading from Where You Are
This is an update of my previous three leadership articles posted some years’ ago on this blog.
In the first two posts of this series, we established that leadership is already embedded in the role of school library professionals, even though it is not always formally recognised and explored how leadership styles and frames can be useful to influence school culture more effectively. In this final post, the focus moves to strategic leadership in practice.
What does it mean to practise leadership strategically? How can school library professionals build influence without authority, advocate without burning out, and lead with purpose and integrity?
Strategic Leadership: It’s Not About Titles
Strategic leadership isn’t limited to those with positional power. It’s about being intentional in how we work with others to influence direction, create value, and achieve meaningful goals.
According to Olson and Simerson (2015), strategic leadership involves:
- Creating new ideas (strategic vision)
- Putting ideas into action (strategic influence)
- Garnering support and buy-in (strategic communication)
These are not abstract concepts. School library professionals demonstrate strategic leadership when they:
- Design library programs that align with school improvement plans
- Use data to advocate for increased staffing or resources
- Connect their work to broader system-wide goals, like literacy or wellbeing
Power and Influence: A Leadership Toolkit
One of the most practical ways to understand strategic leadership is through the lens of power and influence. French and Raven’s (1957, as cited in Elias, 2008) framework outlines five sources of power. School library professionals can draw on several of these to lead without authority:
- Expert power: Your knowledge of research, digital literacy, and curriculum design makes you a go-to person for staff. Share your expertise proactively and document the outcomes.
- Referent power: Built on trust and relationships, referent power is what gets you invited into planning meetings or asked for advice. This kind of influence is earned over time through integrity and collegiality.
- Reward power: You may not give out formal rewards, but recognising others’ contributions, celebrating collaborative successes, or spotlighting student achievements builds goodwill and strengthens your role.
- Legitimate power: Even if your role isn’t on the leadership team, you have authority embedded in your professional standards. Refer to Statements such as those to clarify expectations.
- Coercive power: While not advisable for TLs, it’s useful to understand this dynamic—especially in navigating staff who respond to fear-based leadership elsewhere in the school.
For school library professionals, it’s a relief to know that leadership doesn’t have to be loud; but it does have to be intentional.
Four Leadership Archetypes: Which One Are You?
Self-awareness is key to strategic leadership. Eurich (2017) describes four self-awareness archetypes:
- Introspectors: High internal, low external awareness—know themselves, but don’t act on feedback.
- Pleasers: High external, low internal awareness—focus on others’ opinions, often at their own expense.
- Seekers: Low in both—often unsure of their impact or purpose.
- Aware: High in both—can lead authentically and adaptively.
Ask yourself:
- Do I understand how others perceive the library’s value?
- Do I reflect regularly on my leadership strengths and gaps?
- Am I taking steps to align my intent with my impact?
The most effective leaders, regardless of role, are those who invest in developing both internal and external self-awareness.
Want to dig deeper into these leadership archetypes? Check out Tasha Eurich’s Harvard Business Review article, republished by the Australian Marketing Institute.
Draw on your knowledge of leadership language, leadership theory and self reflection to start practicing strategic leadership today.
Three Ways to Start Practising Strategic Leadership
- Reframe Your Goals Using Strategic Language
Look at your library plan. Are you using terms like capacity building, learning outcomes, or evidence-informed practice? Aligning your language with that of your school’s leadership team increases visibility and relevance.
Instead of: Deliver information literacy lessons
Try: Strengthen students’ academic integrity and inquiry skills across the curriculum
- Observe Leadership in Action
Ask to attend a leadership meeting or study the language your principal uses in newsletters, briefings, or strategy documents. Match your proposals to their stated priorities using leadership frames—structural, human resource, political, symbolic (Bolman & Deal, 2021).
- Engage in Micro-Professional Learning
Dedicate 30 minutes per week to leadership-focused reading, listening, or reflection. Start with:
- Reframing Organizations by Bolman and Deal (2021)
- Daniel Goleman’s work on emotional intelligence (2014)
- Blogs and podcasts on educational leadership
Check out the readings and resources on my Leadership in Libraries Pinterest Page for more professional reading.
Keep a journal of terms, insights, and connections to your practice. Use this to frame future proposals, conversations, or performance reviews.
Final Thoughts: Leadership is a Practice, Not a Position
We need school library professionals who are confident, informed, and visible. Not just as managers of spaces and resources, but as leaders of learning, equity, and innovation.
By understanding leadership theory, TLs can:
- Act with clarity
- Advocate with strategy
- Lead with purpose
In a time when school libraries are under increasing pressure, leadership is not optional—it is essential. And school library professionals are not only ready—but uniquely positioned—to lead with impact.
References
Australian School Library Association (ASLA), & Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). (2001). Learning for the future: Developing information services in schools (2nd ed.). Curriculum Corporation.
Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2021). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership (7th ed.). Wiley.
Elias, S. M. (2008). Fifty years of influence in the workplace. Journal of Management History, 14(3), 267–283. https://doi.org/10.1108/17511340810880634
Eurich, T. (2017). Insight: The power of self-awareness in a self-deluded world. Macmillan.
Goleman, D. (2014). What makes a leader: Why emotional intelligence matters (1st ed.). More Than Sound.
Olson, A. K., & Simerson, B. K. (2015). Leading with strategic thinking: Four ways effective leaders gain insight, drive change, and get results. Wiley.
Feature image: Photo by Gastro Editorial on Unsplash
