Coaching Styles: How They Can Help Manage And Motivate Librarians And Their Staff More Effectively

Can the management styles of highly esteemed and successful college coaches, Joe Paterno, football coach at Penn State University, John Wooden, famed basketball coach at UCLA, Mike Krzyzewski, successful basketball coach at Duke University, and Herb Brooks, former hockey coach at the University of Minnesota and the Olympics, apply successfully to academic librarians and their staffs. Can library management and their staffs be positively affected by using their methods? Three principal factors that were fundamental to the success that characterized their coaching styles were discovered to be fundamental to, and consistent with each of their coaching programs. The three common factors are a strong core value system, excellent organizational skills, and a history of life-long mentoring. How these principles can assist and help motivate librarians and their staff is examined.