Menu:
Success Through Synergy
by Nanette Donohue
Imagine: thirty librarians, from a variety of library types, all at different stages of their careers, gathered in a large room with six round tables. Nobody is entirely sure what to expect, and there's an atmosphere of nervousness and anticipation. The usual questions pop up: "Where do you work? Where are you from? What do you think is about to happen?"
This was my experience during the first few minutes of Synergy: The Illinois Library Leadership Initiative, a program developed to recruit and nurture future leaders for Illinois libraries. Approximately 120 Illinois librarians have gone through the Synergy program, which was founded in 2002 as a cooperative effort of the Illinois Library Association (ILA), the Illinois State Library, and their partners. Each year, thirty Illinois librarians are selected from a competitive pool of applicants to participate in the program, which consists of three two-and-a-half day in-person sessions at locations throughout the state, as well as intersession discussions and activities. The participants are guided through the process by a group of mentors, all of whom have extensive leadership experience in Illinois libraries and in the profession as a whole.
Creating Community
When participants join the Synergy program, they are welcomed into the Synergy community at large. Each new class is subscribed to the all-Synergy e-mail discussion list, which includes members from each past Synergy class as well as past mentors. Synergists use this list to share information about milestones in their lives and careers and to request assistance and suggestions from the community. Each individual class also has its own e-mail list, which is often used to disseminate information about upcoming activities and events relating to the Synergy class.
Local and regional Synergy groups have started to develop statewide, allowing Synergists to continue meeting and networking. There have been Synergy reunions at the Illinois Library Association conference and at the Illinois OCLC Users' Group conference, and there have been informal get-togethers at several ALA conferences. Synergists also receive a Synergy lapel pin, which they can wear to conferences and meetings to identify themselves as Synergists. Because the Synergy program is very well-known in Illinois, this can lead to opportunities for leadership and additional involvement in professional organizations.
Though the Synergy sessions take place in beautiful, vacation-like settings, Synergy is certainly no vacation. Because the in-person sessions are so brief, the days are long and full of activity. Before I started the program, a Synergist from the previous year's class said: "If you don't come home tired, you didn't get involved enough." It's hard to imagine three days in a picturesque state park lodge being anything but relaxing, but she was right. I enjoyed some of the most rewarding experiences in my (admittedly brief) library career at Synergy, but the long days - which generally stretched well into the evening - were exhausting.
Asking Synergists about their experiences generally leads to vague, nondescript answers, which can be frustrating to potential applicants who really want to know exactly what's going to happen. Participants are advised, though, to keep quiet about the activities that take place during the sessions - not because of cliquishness or exclusivity, but because each participant gets something different from the program. Knowing too much about the activities could potentially spoil a future Synergist's experience. The leadership lessons learned at Synergy, however, are meant to be shared.
From the first few minutes of the first session, Synergists find themselves actively participating in the program. Interaction is compulsory, and boundaries are frequently challenged by the facilitators and the mentors. Group activities are the norm, as is discussion, so there isn't a whole lot of free time. As the participants begin to know each other better, the discussion becomes increasingly honest. Some Synergists describe the experience, which involves looking critically at yourself and your environment to become a better leader, as inspiring - even life-changing.
Stepping Back, Moving On
During one of the sessions, I commented that Synergy seemed like an alternate universe, like a bubble where I could think about all the "big issues" that affected libraries rather than focusing what I do in my own little corner of the library world. I felt like I was free to brainstorm, to come up with solutions, to share ideas - no matter how outlandish or unrealistic - and know that they would be accepted, simply, as possibilities. And then I realized that this had been a roadblock - that I did not recognize the importance and value of stepping back and looking at the bigger picture. I always came back from the Synergy in-person sessions reenergized and ready to take on issues that had been problematic for me.
Imagine again: thirty librarians, from a variety of types of libraries, all at different stages of their careers, gathered in a large room with six round tables. They are smiling, chatting animatedly, leaving their tables to mingle with others. They know each other well from days and nights of discussion and hard work. They know they can rely on this new network of colleagues for assistance and support. They know that their group, as a whole, is greater than the sum of its parts - and they're ready to take their place as leaders. This was my experience during the last few minutes of Synergy. I went in as one librarian, and I emerged with an expanded view of the profession and a network of colleagues who inspire me to be better at what I do. To me, that's the greatest joy of being part of this community.
Nanette Donohue is the Technical Services Manager at the Champaign (IL) Public Library and a member of the 2005 Synergy class.