Quantum² Highlights
A newsletter of the Dialog leadership development program for information professionals

Dear Quantum² Member...
With spring come the showers to nurture the seedlings. And our own plans, made earlier in the year, are now taking root and sprouting. Spring also brings the conference season, all in an effort to help us map our professional growth and development. We have planned relevant Quantum² sessions with this spurt of activity in mind. To find out more about our offerings, read on.

Quantum² AT SLA

At the forthcoming Special Libraries Association (SLA) 97th Annual Conference, June 11-14, 2006, in Baltimore, Quantum² coaches will be offering a half-day Continuing Education (CE) course on Saturday, June 10. To register for this event, please visit the SLA Conference Web site www.sla.org/content/Events/conference/ac2006/index.cfm.

• Achieving Operational Excellence: Best Practice for Information Services

Date/Time: Saturday, June 10, 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Cost: Ticket # 270, Price $199/member, $299/non-member
Presenters: Liz Blankson-Hemans and Betty Jo Hibberd

InfoStar Award Nominations

We are making one final call for Quantum² InfoStar Award nominations. InfoStars are inspiring examples of innovation and creativity, whose stories provide insight into their personal achievements and leadership qualities enable them to serve as role models for others, regardless of their level. If you know someone who meets these qualities, please complete the nomination form on our website.

This year's InfoStars will be presented at the 97th SLA Annual Conference in Baltimore.

Quantum² Topic of the Month
Understanding Personality Styles to Become “People Smart”

A key part of building relationships to communicate and work with others is to understand their personality and behavioral styles, which determine how they think and act in given situations. Just as each of us are predisposed to being right-handed or left-handed, each of us also has developed our own style of thinking, feeling and acting that distinguishes us from each other in expressing our individual identities.

Our personality styles determine the distinctive preferences that we have in gathering and processing information and making decisions. According to William Marston (1928)* on whose original work subsequent variations of personality types are based, there are essentially four basic types – dominant or authoritative; influential or relational; steady or logical; conscientious or organized. In other words, some people make decisions by using a logical, systematic or “thinking” process. Others come to conclusions based more on a "feeling" that something seems right or not. This inclination determines whether they are “task-oriented” (interested in what and how) or “people-oriented” (interested in who and why).

There is no right or wrong style, but the more you understand personality styles, the more you can adapt your behavioral style to be flexible towards those with whom you interact as an information professional. Understanding personality styles enables you to:

• Become a better communicator
• Appreciate the differences in others
• Resolve or prevent conflicts
• Work effectively with others and be more productive
• Gain credibility and positively influence others

Once you understand others' personality styles, you will be better able to communicate with them. You can adapt your style to suit the differences in them. This awareness of their underlying motivations allows you to prevent or resolve conflicts, sometimes even before they start. You are able to negotiate compromises that allow for harmony and co-operation. Although you may not choose their approach, each of you can be effective in your own way. By collaborating in this congenial atmosphere, you are able to positively influence others, and you and your department gain credibility.

By becoming “people smart,” you enhance your personal and professional effectiveness.

This and other skills and attributes form the core of many Quantum² workshops and Web resources. For more tips on boosting your personal and professional competencies, visit the Quantum² Web pages at http://scientific.thomson.com/quantum.

*Marston, W.M., The Emotions of Normal People, 1928.