City Management: It’s not about today.

A constant tension exists between the past, present, and future in the life of a city manager. A manager is confronted with expectations along this timeline from citizens, council members, business leaders, and him/herself.

Those wishing to maintain the status quo will always look to the “good old days” and remind the manager that the city must maintain or in some instances return to the “way things were years ago.” These citizens usually are focused on a tradition, event, or manner in which commerce was conducted in the past. They hold these memories as important and seek to have these and the social interactions they served to create continue. Unfortunately, a manager cannot turn back time nor prevent changes which time creates, and attempts to recreate never seem to fulfill expectations of those seeking the way things were in the “good old days.”

Those concerned for the present – (often council members) – are often keenly focused on meeting the present needs of their constituents. They view their primary purpose as a voice to those who elected them, even though data reveals that only 15 – 20% (Governing, 2014) of registered voters actually vote in municipal elections and this rate is declining; clearly demonstrating that those voters are small part of those they actually serve. The data raises the question who is representing the needs and desires of the 80 – 85% of citizens who choose not to vote? Those representing the “present needs” are also often the most vocal, speaking so loudly that their words obscure the real needs of the whole community and the community’s future well-being.

Finally, there are those focused on the future. Some of these are visionary leaders which can become frustrated with the slow processes of government. Once frustrated they complain to the city manager until their frustration reaches the point where they withdraw or in rare instances run for city council office so they can affect the needed change. The city manager’s ability to balancing their vision with the reality of governmental progress is no less than an art form. The manager must not only be able to help them understand incremental progress, but help them capture the widest possible view of their vision, i.e. expanding the focus beyond one need area.

Managers must remain solidly focused when confronted by these diverse and often challenging expectations. They can only be solidly focused, however, if they are centered in what they choose to believe is best for the communities they serve. If they are more concerned with their personal well-being – career security or advancement- they will be tossed by the waves of public opinion and unable to provide leadership to the community or model leadership to the Council.

My experience has shown me that the truths Councils and Citizens need to hear are often the truths they not only wish not to hear, but find most difficult to understand. So where and how do you begin? These are the first three steps I take to convey the truths of community leadership:

Checking my moral compass – Whom am I serving – my interests or the interests of the community today and in the future?
It’s not about today. I convey my leadership philosophy to the Council during the interview process (before I am hired). An essential component of my leadership philosophy to directly convey to them that the while they do represent their constituents today – their primary duty is to make decisions that better the lives of their constituents’ grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Leadership requires a 50,000 foot and 50 year view. Leadership also requires an understanding that present day needs can also be better addressed when planning for the future. I speak directly and clearly of this philosophy and provide examples from my career experience illustrating the outcome of this implementation or dismissal of this philosophy.
Remind and Reinforce – Stay Centered. We as humans need constant reminders. This is particularly true when we are faced with diverse expectations and vocal demands. Council member face pressure from constituents – particularly in the social media world we live in today. The city manager must provide constant reminders that it is not about us and not about today must be provided in an encouraging and supportive manner to the Council members. He or she must also stay centered by constantly checking their moral compass and drawing strength from their commitment to serve.

Hopefully these ideas can benefit those of you who share my profession. I realize they are “big picture” community leadership steps, but they have served well as my leadership foundation, hopefully they can be of benefit to you. My opinions and thoughts on leadership in this arena will be in future articles and posts.

Leadership Challenges for Mayors in Council – Manager Forms of City Governments

After several decades of public service you become aware of pitfalls which can negatively impact the service of elected officials. My leadership experience has been in Council – Manager Forms of government. Having served in numerous cities with this form of government, I have had ample opportunity to study the journeys of newly elected mayors as they struggle to find their way and define their roles.

Mayors in many Council – Manager Forms of government have limited direct power. Mayors preside over the meetings, serve as the spokesperson for the council, may add items to the agenda, and have certain powers in cases of emergencies; their powers are, however, limited in that they can only vote in the case of a tie and typically do not count in the establishment of a quorum.

City Management: It’s not about today.

Seasons of Leadership

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven— Ecclesiastes 3:1

Ecclesiastes tells us that there are seasons in life. Life is a bookshelf with bookends of birth and death. The volumes between are those we choose to write and in many instances, those which we allow life to author for us. The seasons of life go far beyond the major events in our existence. They impact our families, our dreams and goals, and are played out in every area of our lives, including our careers. Our challenge as leaders is how we recognize the seasons and how the choices we make as life carries us from one season to the next.

The High Calling of City Council Service

Service as a city council member is distinctive in many ways from other service as an elected official. Council members serve the electorate in the community in which they live, work, and raise their families. Oftentimes the families of those elected to city councils have lived in these cities for generations. In a word, council members are typically “woven” into the fabric of the communities where they have chosen to serve. They may feel called to serve because of strong familial, emotional, and economic ties to their cities; or simply a sense of purpose and duty to make their communities better. The calling they feel to aspire to these leadership positions is noble and quite strong, as it is a calling to what often seems a “thankless” form of public service.

SWOT Analysis of City Council Leadership Roles and Functions

SWOT analysis is a commonly used planning/management tool. It provides organizations a means to analyze their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Each of these operational areas contribute to the organization's overall health and potential for growth.

Communities are complex organizations. Community planners often use a SWOT analysis in the development of community master plans. Leadership is always one area of analysis in the development of a SWOT for a city. Leadership, particularly elected leadership may be the most crucial determinant in the health, growth, and prosperity of a community. While this is true for all communities this is particularly critical for small communities. In understanding the roles and functions of municipal elected officials it may be helpful to view them through the SWOT lens. This paper is an attempt to examine elected leadership through this analysis methodology.

Community Leadership Reimagined

The turbulence we are witnessing in our nation’s cities is a symptom of something beyond systemic racism, lack of social or economic justice, or political division. In my opinion it is a symptom of a self-centered and isolated existence which has crippled social development for thousands of years. Positive social change begins with our ability as leaders to think, feel, listen, speak and act with the understanding that it is not about us – it is about the generations which will follow. The decisions we face as leaders must be framed in the context of the future lives of others’ children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren, not simply the lives of those we serve today.