With decades of experience and 27 books to his name, Dr. Steve Albrecht brings a wealth of knowledge in employee training, security, and leadership. In this session, he shares 15 employee archetypes he’s identified throughout his career and offers practical advice on how to recognize, manage, and coach them to build stronger teams.
Powerful coaching tools
Dr. Albrecht makes a great point in the webinar right off the bat — good bosses coach every day. They observe, listen, ask questions, and engage in both casual conversations over coffee and more formal one-on-ones. Every leader can benefit from structured support, whether from HR, their manager, or peers in order to strengthen those skills even further. The most powerful coaching tool, says Dr. Albrecht, is Direct, Non-Personal, Immediate Feedback. In a way, we’re doing early damage control by saying: “let’s address this before it becomes a concern”.
One of his most impactful tips from the webinar on how to get along better and work more productively is advice for us to ask, suggest or tell employees these three things:
KEEP doing this, because it’s working.
STOP doing this, because it’s not working.
START doing this, because it will work better.
This way, you are recognizing and praising your employee for all the good things they are doing and helping them realize what they can improve on in a polite, non-personal way.
Dr. Albrecht goes into depth about many useful management tips, such as this (inspired by The Glen Kraemer Suggestions): Always check for clarity. As a manager, don’t assume silence means agreement or readiness to act. After outlining expectations or a desired change, pause and ask: “Is there anything I haven’t explained clearly?” This invites your employee to surface any confusion, missing context, or obstacles without feeling like they’re making excuses. It also signals that your role isn’t just to assign tasks — it’s to clear the path for them to succeed.
Watch the webinar and let us know if it sparks ideas for your library or leadership style. Make sure to watch until the very end where Dr. Albrecht shares some surprise advice for library leaders!
Dr. Steve Albrecht’s new book “The Library Leader’s Guide to Human Resources” is coming soon — learn more and pre-order your copy here.