I depend on my values to guide me, and I believe the only way to be effective is to lead with kindness, honesty, and respect. Whenever we withhold open and honest communication, we give up the opportunity to create a positive work culture for ourselves, for our teams and for our organization. There is a level of courage that it takes for us to leap into this way of work life, which is why it is our obligation as leaders to create a trusting environment. When we make it safe to ask questions, make it safe to seek to understand, and make it safe to challenge "the why" behind change, we ultimately allow for diversity of thought and innovative solutions.
It is important to be fully transparent as a leader, so I have included some of my personal leadership assessments that I've taken over the years. Although I do not believe that these types of assessments are absolute, I do believe they provide some understanding of my strengths and my areas for improvement.
"Melissa, Thank you so much for your time on Friday – your tour was incredibly informative for the other members of the team. The others haven’t been in a library other than ours in at least a decade, so I was so happy to show them one that I really like. Your insight was much appreciated and everybody left with a great impression of you, the building, and Plano, in general." -The Colony Public Library, December 2024
"Melissa, Thank you again for taking the time to show us around your library and answer all of our questions. You gave us a lot of great insight and things to consider that I know will be really helpful moving forward. We appreciate your help!" -The Colony Convention & Visitors Bureau, December 2024
"Melissa, Thank you for taking on the role of Chair for TLA District 5 this year, and for running such a great Fall Meeting yesterday! I really appreciate your leadership within this group, and I am so proud to be your teammate." - October 2023
"I want to say a very special Thank You to Melissa. Working with you these many years have been a very joyful experience.
I’m where I am today because of your coaching and mentorship. I appreciate the way you push me to be the best version of myself every day. The lessons and principles you’ve taught me will always remain with me. I wish you and the staff at Harrington Library success." - June 2023
"Melissa, We are so lucky to have a manager like you. You have always led with respect. We are proud to have learned this quality from you. Thank you for guiding us both professionally and personally. Thank you for being the boatswain guiding our boat in choppy waters!! I appreciate your ability to bring positivity and humor to the team even through
unexpected situations. I appreciate your vision for Harrington and how you keep us patron focused." - March 2023
"I just wanted to say thank you for yesterday. It's very reassuring to know that I have your support and come come to you for guidance - not always something I've had with past supervisors/managers. I really appreciate you and feel very fortunate to have you as my manager!" - November 2022
"Melissa, Thank you for your leadership during this winter event. I appreciate the responsiveness that you demonstrated working with your peers. The communication and follow up you had with your team and ensuring team GH [Harrington Library] knew what was going on. I appreciate you." - February 2022
"Melissa, Great job on the Onboarding class for Team PPL today. The ice breaker and time spent welcoming new staff is very valuable. I appreciate your efforts to make this a fun program." - February 2022
"Melissa happily assisted the Multicultural Outreach Roundtable's Citizenship Information Workshop on Saturday, February 13. She was very professional and engaging as she explained the library resources offered by the City of Plano. It is clear that she knows her job and is proud to share that knowledge with our residents and others. She was outstanding. Thank you Melissa!" - March 2021
"Detective Brenda Speaker told me the following information: Melissa Shadowens is the manager at the Harrington Library. She stopped by several days last week and was very friendly and said let us know if they can help. We were welcomed the first week by everyone that was still working and they all made us feel like they were just fine with us being here. We really appreciate you for helping the detectives working at Harrington Library make this transitional workspace comfortable and productive!" -Criminal Investigative Services Division, City of Plano, March 2020
