The Inventive Leader: Future-Proof Your Library

The Inventive Leader equips senior library leaders to future-proof their organizations by developing the skills, mindsets, and tools required to lead through uncertainty, test assumptions about the future, and build adaptable, resilient services. Following the Double Diamond framework, leaders will turn innovation challenges and opportunities into promising tangible solutions. Even in contexts where resources are constrained, inventive leaders can lead meaningful change and build what’s next for libraries.
Format

Live via Zoom with pre-work

Workshop Dates

August 18, September 1, 15, and 29 at 1pm ET/10am PT

Facilitators

MJ D'Elia, Thirdway Think

Credit Hours 

16 Credit Hours

Member Price

$1,250

About the Course

Future-proofing is not about predicting the future. It is about building libraries that can adapt, learn, and remain valuable under changing conditions. For the Inventive Leader, future-proofing means working on challenges that: 
  • Are shaped by uncertainty (e.g., new technology, funding trends, workforce changes, community expectations, political expectations, etc.)
  • Require new ways of thinking, not just optimization

By the end of this program, learners will be able to:
  • Lead and champion innovation within their library
  • Analyze and articulate well-defined problems with structured processes
  • Generate and evaluate solution pathways that align with organizational needs
  • Translate ideas into actionable plans through prototyping and iterative testing
  • Strengthen professional networks for ongoing support and collaboration

Course format: This course is designed to provide library leaders with key foundational information over the course of four 2-hour workshops. Between workshops, MJ and ULC will offer drop-in peer learning labs so participants can continue to make progress on their work and get personalized feedback.  

Audience: Deputy Directors, Chief Operating Officers, Associate Directors, and other senior leaders seeking an innovation framework and practical tools to accelerate positive change.

Course Facilitator:
MJ D'Elia

CEO, Director, Thirdway Think and LLEAD Institute

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MJ creates and facilitates learning adventures, workshops and custom courses related to leadership development, strategic thinking, and high-performance teams. After 20 years as an academic librarian, MJ turned his company, Thirdway Think, into his full-time gig with the sole mission to instill creative confidence in emerging leaders and their teams. He helps libraries have better conversations, using a variety of tools including Everything DiSC, The 5 Behaviors, the Team Performance Model, and Lego Serious Play - yes, that's a real thing.

MJ is also the director of the LLEAD program, Canada's only cross-sector leadership development program for libraries and information organizations. In his spare time, MJ doodles, reads far too many leadership books, and leads a small charity called See the Good Foundation.