Leaving Leadership Roles due to Low Morale

JavaScript isn't enabled in your browser, so this file can't be opened. Enable and reload.

If you are a formal library leader who has dealt with or is dealing with low morale (workplace abuse and neglect), and grappled with leaving your role (or is planning to leave the role) due to low morale, please share what signs a) you wished you had heeded more deeply and/or b) would have helped you identify earlier that you should leave.

No questions request personally identifying details, and none of the questions require a response. Your submission may be edited, checked for anonymity, and shared on the Renewers forum, on social media platforms, and in teaching or support materials. This form takes as long to fill out as required for you to contemplate and share your experience - offer as much or little information as you like. Thank you for sharing your experience. This exploratory survey is being conducted by Kaetrena Davis Kendrick, M.S.L.S. (kaetrenadavis@gmail.com)

Are you currently experiencing low morale while in a formal leadership position?

Yes

Not Sure

Clear selection

If you are not currently experiencing low morale, in the past have you experienced morale while in a formal leadership position?

Yes

Not Sure

Clear selection

Please indicate your race:

African American / Black

Asian / Pacific Islander

Caucasian / White

Latino / Hispanic

Native American / Indigenous

Multi-racial

Prefer not to say

Clear selection

What is your gender? (Choose all that apply)

Female

Male

Non-binary

Transgender

Intersex

I prefer not to say

Other:

How long has your low-morale experience been going on (if your experience happened in the past, how long did the past experience last)?

Three months or fewer

Four to six months

Seven to nine months

Ten to twelve months

One to three years

More than three years

Clear selection

How long did you hold the leadership position impacted by low morale?

Less than one year

One - three years

Four - six years

Seven - ten years

More than ten years

Clear selection

Please indicate which of the following were part of your low-morale experience (choose all that apply):

Legacy Toxicity

Accountability (not being able to consistently/effectively apply benchmarks or corrective actions for toxic workplace behaviors)

Potemkin Power (realizing your power was only in title; having little influence or authority)

Misaligned Values

Crossfire (being caught between your supervisor's expectations and direct and indirect reports' expectations)

Uncertainty & Mistrust

Positional Isolation (not being able to discuss your experience or create safe networks with other leaders)

None of these

Other

How soon into your position did you determine/realize you should leave due to your low-morale experience?

Six months or less

7 - 12 months

13 months - 2 years

3 - 5 years

6 years or more

Clear selection

Briefly share the tipping point or event that solidified your commitment to leave your leadership role:

Which, if any, of the following did you have to negotiate/resolve during your decision to leave? (Choose all that apply)

Geographical parameters

Family or caregiver obligations

Salary goals or cost-of-living differentials

Financial obligations (e.g. student loan debt)

Ongoing commitments at place of work (e.g., building projects, collaborations, research)

Service or Committee work

Perceptions of status with leadership title

Disappointing Self

Self-perception of failure as a leader (e.g., not being able to "fix" the organization)

Lack of clarity on career transition skills

Disappointing others

Perceptions of power with leadership title

Perceptions of authority with leadership title

Quality of personal relationships

Quality of workplace relationships

None of these

Other:

What path did you take to leave your formal leadership position?

Stepped down from administrative role and held/hold another position in the same organization

Found another job outside of the organization

Retired from the organization

Left the organization with no new employment

Other:

Clear selection

Did you go to/are you going to another library/archives workplace? Is it a formal leadership role?

Yes, and to another LIS formal leadership role

Yes, and not to a LIS formal leadership role

No, and going to a formal leadership role in another industry

No, and not to a formal leadership role in another industry

Clear selection

If you have left your leadership role as a result of low morale, in retrospect, do you:

Wish you had left sooner

Wish you had stayed longer

Feel like your timing to leave was "on time."

Other:

Clear selection

In retrospect, what (other) signs / signals indicated that stepping down or leaving your leadership role is/was the best course of action?

If there's anything else you'd like to share about your decision, please share it:

Submit

Clear form

Never submit passwords through Google Forms.

This content is neither created nor endorsed by Google. Report Abuse - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy

Forms