Episode #4: Jim Neal
“I’ve always been very interested in the work of Clayton Christensen. I know that there is some debate about his commentaries on leadership but I view the importance of innovation as so critical to the success of libraries and librarians.
He, more than any other writer today, has given me some really good guidance and good thinking around how social, political, economic, technological change encourages us to think differently about what we are, how we are perceived and understood by the communities we serve and by how we do it. I find his work to be really powerful.
The other book that I found to be really helpful was focused on the higher education communities by Damon Williams called, Strategic Diversity Leadership. It’s all about how to activate change and transformation in the higher education community. It has important lessons that extend well beyond just colleges and universities.
It just demonstrates that in order to have high-quality education, to promote economic development, leadership capacity, social justice —diversity is important, but it’s central to our work as leaders in whatever field we find ourselves working in. I’ve always tried to embrace that. It’s one of my core values, and I’m glad to be working in a field which also gives such high importance to diversity, inclusion and social justice.”
Buy the book: https://amzn.to/3E0rEpc
Listen to Jim’s full episode: https://libraryleadershippodcast.com/jim-neal-president-of-the-american-library-association/