Standing TALL: Choosing to Apply to the Texas Library Association's TALL Texan Leadership Institute

 After having attended the Texas Library Association's TALL Texan Leadership Institute, another library worker reached out to me with questions about my experience. Below are the answers that I provided in response to her questions.

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• Why did you apply to Tall Texans? Originally, I heard about TALL Texans as a new school librarian - within my first five years - and at the time it was described to me as an opportunity to gain meaningful leadership training in the field of librarianship that was specific to the Texas Library ecosystem. Thus, it was something that I'd aspired to for quite awhile. However, as time went on I made my way toward leadership without having attended the institute and began to second guess the value of the investment. However, when I mentioned to my supervisor that I was mildly interested in attending, she strongly encouraged me to apply - stating that not only would the library pay for my tuition but that she believed I would particularly benefit from the contacts that I would make while there. Bearing that in mind, when the deadline was extended last year, it seemed like a good time for me to try.

• Did the program have any impact (long or short-term) on your career trajectory or choices? It definitely did. The kind of impact it can make will vary from person to person and will largely be dependent upon your personal leadership experience to date. I've been a fan of and participant in organizational leadership for the past 30 years - beginning back when I was in high school. So, I've been through leadership training before; however, this particular training is not only developed through the lens of librarianship but is also experienced in the company of fellow library leaders in Texas. Furthermore, for me, it came at a particularly relevant time. Although I deeply enjoy metacognitive work, the day-to-day need to check things off my perpetual to-do list makes it easy to lose sight of the values and value driven goals that underpin the minutiae of what I do. So being able to commune with like minded library workers and reflect on these things was refreshing. In short, I had very few epiphanies while there; however, the connections that were forged are invaluable.

• If you had the opportunity, would you do the program again? Without a doubt! In fact, my next goal regarding the program is to volunteer to become a mentor. Mentorship is near and dear to me, and it has taken many forms over the course of my life. Being able to support and guide other library workers through this process would be a means of giving back to the community that I'd greatly enjoy.

• Do you overall recommend Tall Texans? I strongly recommend TALL Texans. As a mid-career library worker, whether you're a veteran leader or relatively new to exploring that mode of engagement, there's so much to be gained by attending. How exactly that will manifest largely depends on the individual. Case in point, I'd somehow forgotten how emotional metacognitive work makes me; if I could give past me some advice it would be to hold space for my strong emotions and their ability to have a significant impact on the discussion during the course of the institute as well as to make peace with the fact that I would cry once each day during the program.