Although the Lexington Public Library's history of promoting from within is a motivator for young librarians working there, it also was prompting calls for opportunities to be prepared for such a move. This desire from the non-management professional staff dovetailed with the administrative goals of maximizing staff potential, working as a team, and providing seamless service. The challenge of meeting the expectations of non-management professional staff to be provided with clearer knowledge of the path to management became an opportunity to build cohesion and cultivate future managers in a more intentional way.

The Lexington Public Library's staff development plan includes five areas: career pathing, clearly-defined core competencies, critical conversations, succession planning, and mentoring. Although a number of programs are addressing these areas, mock interviews have proven one of the most popular and successful. Non-management professionals wanted more feedback and in many cases felt they were ready for promotion. The leadership team in many cases felt non-management professionals were not ready for promotion. What could have been a dividing force became a uniting one. All non-management professional librarians (Librarians I) were invited to participate in a mock interview. After interviews, each Librarian I received feedback, both strengths and weaknesses. The key to the mock interviews' success was the feedback itself--straightforward so as to provide honest appraisal and real challenges for improvement while always professional and constructive in tone. Combined with other programs, the mock interviews have given professionals a clear picture of what they can do to improve their career path and a clear picture of how their current positions fit into the overall function of the Library.

In the short time since mock interviews were conducted, almost 30 percent of those who participated have been promoted. Interviews for management positions have benefited from a noticeable increase in the number of qualified candidates with strong interviews. Beyond that, the culture of the Library has shifted from one that values longevity to one that values skill. Librarians seeking advancement understand that they must seek opportunities to improve their skill sets and that they must be able to view the Library’s position from the perspective of the next level rather than only their current one. This has happened because of realistic information provided to non-management professionals by managers who are now accountable for providing honest assessment of those who work for them and those who interview for positions with them.