Library Director; Professor of Business Brevard College
The Magee Stool is a simple visual business model described in the new book, To Be the Best By Any Measure: Creating and Sustaining a High Performance Organization. Pat Magee developed this unique model during his 40+ year career leading and revitalizing struggling manufacturing companies and consulting with various organizations. The model's premise is that High Performance requires a foundation based on the interconnected elements of a healthy organizational culture, leadership development at all job levels, and comprehensive strategic planning.
When applied to libraries, The Magee Stool offers leaders and managers a fresh framework for continuous organizational improvement. For those managers, this poster addresses the question, "How can a library create and sustain High Performance?" It defines High Performance in a nonprofit setting and then identifies and defines each of the three legs of the stool. For each element, the poster provides concrete examples and "how to" specific to libraries. Additional notes on the interconnectedness of the three legs (the rungs of the stool) appear, as does information about sustaining high performance once attained. An accompanying website will supplement the poster and provide a bibliography of related resources.