Learn more about ICMA’s commitment to supporting its members and their local governments through our programs and partnerships, professional development, and personal connection.
20
My Advice for Managers in Transition
Being in between jobs is never easy, but these best practices can put you on the path to your next local government position.
Dr. Ian Coyle, ICMA-CM
24
“Selfie-Less” Leadership Development and Self-Reflection
History can bring self-awareness to the modern, self-centered leadership industry with programs like ICMA’s Gettysburg Leadership Institute.
Douglas Newman
28
Building a Public Dashboard as an ICMA Local Government Management Fellow
Key takeaways from an impactful project in Cedar Park, Texas
Chance Wood
32
Don’t Abandon the Profession in Retirement
How to stay engaged and put your years in local government to good use.
Rod Gould, ICMA-CM, Dr. Frank Benest, ICMA-CM, and Jan Perkins, ICMA-CM
36 The Prescription for Curing Leadership Malpractice
Diagnosing and treating toxic leadership traits
Patrick Ibarra
42 Combatting Chronic Organizational Distress
2 Executive Director’s Corner Inside ICMA
4 Ethics Matter!
The Turbulent Times of 1968, the Poor People’s March on Washington, and the Role of a City Manager
8 Global Spotlight
Nina Vetter, Meghna Malhotra, and Anurag Anthony
10 Women in Leadership
The Power of Grace: Leading While Female
12 Why I Am ICMA
Taking Professional Development to the Next Level
14 Inside ICMA
Special Thanks to Our Supporters
50 Assistants and Deputies
Strong Duos Make Strong Communities
52 Tech Updates
“Hey AI, Write a Report on Innovation in Local Government”
55 Free for Members
Free Ethics Webinar Series for ICMA Members
Employees are overwhelmed and stressed out, and productivity has plummeted. The solution lies in how leaders retool their organizations.
Dr. Frank Benest, ICMA-CM
56 Senior Advisors In Appreciation of Senior Advisors
67 Professional Services Directory
City/County Management Association
Inside ICMA
The heart of ICMA is its people—the members we serve and the staff behind the scenes making it happen.
BY JULIA D. NOVAK, ICMA-CM
This month’s PM takes you “inside ICMA” and it’s a topic that truly resonates with me! I joined the organization just three short months ago and I have been on my own “learning journey” into what we do, why we do it, and how we do it—and the team here at ICMA has been doing it while responding to a changing fiscal landscape for this organization. I have learned a lot, and there is so much more to learn, but here are some takeaways I want to share with you from my little corner of ICMA.
JULIA D. NOVAK, ICMA-CM, is CEO/executive director of ICMA.
I have been most impressed by the staff in this organization and their commitment to ICMA. They are passionate about what we do, and they are eager for you to sense their connection to you and their support for what you do for your local community and society as a whole. Our job is to support all of you, and that is saying something considering the wide range of communities you serve.
Prior to joining ICMA, I served as a consultant and would use an analogy of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in thinking about local jurisdictions. We know you have
Public Management (PM) (USPS: 449-300) is published monthly by ICMA (the International City/County Management Association) at 777 North Capitol Street. N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002-4201. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. The opinions expressed in the magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of ICMA.
COPYRIGHT 2025 by the International City/County Management Association. All rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced or translated without written permission.
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ARTICLE PROPOSALS: Visit icma.org/writeforus to see editorial guidelines for contributors. For more information on local government leadership and management topics, visit icma.org.
to take care of each basic level before moving toward self-actualization. My former colleague at Raftelis, Julie Gieseke, created an image to visualize this idea of Maslow on local governments. It’s a great tool to talk through where the programs, services, activities, and policies of your jurisdiction align in these five basic areas. Where are you on the journey and what are your aspirations?
How we serve our members as they move from caring for basic infrastructure and safety needs to creating community, winning awards, and ultimately “selfactualizing” is one of the ways we honor the diversity of our members. The key is that each level is supported by the previous level. It’s not about safety or selfactualization—you can’t focus on aspirational policy goals if your local community is not safe—it’s about safety and self-actualization. Our work at ICMA is all about that “and.” While we focus on the basics of local government service delivery, we also focus on developing the leaders who lead these communities. We are here to support your development as leaders so that you can be the best leader for your unique context.
Public Management (PM) icma.org/pm
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Creating and Supporting Thriving Communities
ICMA’s vision is to be the leading association of local government professionals dedicated to creating and supporting thriving communities throughout the world. It does this by working with its more than 13,000 members to identify and speed the adoption of leading local government practices and improve the lives of residents. ICMA offers membership, professional development programs, research, publications, data and information, technical assistance, and training to thousands of city, town, and county chief administrative officers, their staffs, and other organizations throughout the world.
Public Management (PM) aims to inspire innovation, inform decision making, connect leading-edge thinking to everyday challenges, and serve ICMA members and local governments in creating and sustaining thriving communities throughout the world.
We also recognize that one of the most important roles we can play at ICMA is to connect you with one another— convening people, bringing together good ideas. This is where we help you help each other lead and manage the challenging issues you face. ICMA is your community, and the team here wants this to be a place where you find connection and resources, as well as a place where you contribute and engage with one another.
The biggest expression of our work is how we connect with you and connect you to one another through our conferences. We had two Local Government Reimagined Conferences in early 2025, and our team is working on the details to make sure our ICMA Annual Conference in Tampa is a smashing success. Registration opens on June 25. (Read more on page 57.) The Conference Education
PRESIDENT
Tanya Ange*
County Administrator Washington County, Oregon
PRESIDENT-ELECT
Michael Land*
City Manager
Coppell, Texas
PAST PRESIDENT
Lon Pluckhahn*
City Manager
Vancouver, Washington
VICE PRESIDENTS
International Region
Colin Beheydt
City Manager Bruges, Belgium
Doug Gilchrist
City Manager
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Lungile Dlamini
Chief Executive Officer
Municipal Council of Manzini, Eswatini
Midwest Region
Michael Sable*
City Manager Maplewood, Minnesota
Jeffrey Weckbach
Township Administrator Colerain Township, Ohio
Cynthia Steinhauser*
Deputy City Administrator Rochester, Minnesota
Mountain Plains Region
Dave Slezickey*
City Manager The Village, Oklahoma
Pamela Davis
Assistant City Manager Boulder, Colorado
Sereniah Breland
City Manager Pflugerville, Texas
Northeast Region
Dennis Enslinger
Deputy City Manager Gaithersburg, Maryland
Steve Bartha*
Town Manager Danvers, Massachusetts
Brandon Ford
Assistant Township Manager
Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania
Committee (your colleagues) have worked hard to put together a meaningful program for you, and I think you will enjoy being together in Tampa.
My first ICMA conference was in San Diego, California, 39 years ago. Since that time, I think there were only two conferences I missed, not counting the COVID virtual experience. Every year I look forward to the connections I’ll make, the inspiration I’ll find, and the sense of community I’ll experience at the Annual Conference. I hope you will find those things in Tampa with me this year.
ICMA is a complex organization with 91 staff members determined to contribute to the value of your membership. The more you engage with ICMA, the more you will see how excited our team is to be of service to those who serve at the core of better communities.
Southeast Region
Jorge Gonzalez*
Village Manager
Village of Bal Harbour, Florida
Eric Stuckey
City Administrator Franklin, Tennessee
Chelsea Jackson
Deputy City Manager
Douglasville, Georgia
West Coast Region
Jessi Bon
City Manager
Mercer Island, Washington
Nat Rojanasathira*
Assistant City Manager Monterey, California
Elisa Cox*
Assistant City Manager
Rancho Cucamonga, California
*ICMA-CM
** ICMA Credentialed Manager Candidate
ICMA CEO/ Julia D. Novak, ICMA-CM Executive Director
The Turbulent Times of 1968, the Poor People’s March on Washington, and the Role of a City Manager
The many parallels between the manager’s responsibilities then and now
BY JIM GIESE
Why Greenbelt?
In April 1968, my church minister came to my city manager’s office in Greenbelt, Maryland. He said that in May the Greenbelt Community Church and St. Hugh of Grenoble Catholic Church would be hosting the northeast contingent of the Poor People’s March on Washington, DC. Greenbelt’s location on the main road to the northeast and the willingness of its churches to be hosts made the planned visit a perfect addition to the march’s events. He emphasized that the demonstrators would be there only for lunch and would then leave for a temporary encampment on the National Mall near the Lincoln Memorial.
As background, “Greenbelt was the first community in the United States built as a federal venture in housing [in 1937] … with physical and social planning … [to be] a complete city, with businesses, schools, roads, and facilities for recreation and town government.”1 Designed to provide lowincome housing, Greenbelt drew 5,700 applicants for the original 885 residences and is located within Prince George’s County in the suburban Washington, DC metropolitan area.
A Time of Upheaval in the United States
On April 4, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated in Memphis. This led to rioting in many cities, and while Greenbelt remained quiet, the event affected its residents. Greenbelt had been an all-white community, and it was only recently that a few black families had moved into the city. While Greenbelt was a very liberal community, there were still many who opposed the demonstrations that followed Rev. King’s assassination.
Before his death, Rev. King had been organizing the Poor People’s March on Washington and his successor chose to continue the planned demonstration. Thousands of poor people would “march” to Washington and encamp on the National Mall to demonstrate for economic justice legislative actions.
I did not expect the group coming to Greenbelt to be disruptive to our churches, but an outside group could cause disruption, so the city needed a public safety presence. At the same time, distrust and tensions ran high between police officers and black people; having them side by side could spark an unneeded incident. My goal for the day was that there should be no strong police presence at the churches, but there should be an unseen force close by just in case trouble arose.
JIM GIESE served as city manager in Greenbelt, Maryland, USA, from 1962 to 1991, and is an ICMA Life Member.
Demonstrators participating in the 1968 Poor People’s March on Connecticut Avenue, Washington, D.C.
Photo courtesy of Library of Congress, Warren K. Leffler, U.S. News & World Report.
Greenbelt’s Preparations
Greenbelt had a small police department and could not handle any incident involving hundreds of people by itself. I contacted the county government leader, and together with the administrators and police chiefs discussed the issue and we agreed to no visible police presence.
There was a special, secret meeting of administrators and police chiefs for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) with the FBI and other federal agencies held at Lorton Prison in Fairfax County, Virginia. It was my first and only time in prison and I felt quite uncomfortable! The purpose was to inform us of the demonstrators’ location and marching plans. All
the major jurisdictions in the DC area were members of COG, as were some area municipalities. Greenbelt was a new member and the smallest jurisdiction.
A COG member complained that demonstrators were coming in contingents from all over the country and were approaching Washington as they proceeded down highways, and local governments had no information about when they would march through their jurisdictions. Either the FBI did not know the demonstrators’ plans or would not tell and provided no information to the group. I represented the smallest jurisdiction present and said, “The Northeast Contingent will be coming to Greenbelt on May 17 to have lunch at two churches and then move on to Washington.” That
was the only information about movements to come forth at the meeting, and many frustrated local government administrators and police chiefs left in bad temper.
A few days before the march, a press representative, now aware of the Greenbelt stop, asked if there was any place where a temporary press headquarters could be arranged. Fortunately, a parcel of city land had an old, unused clubhouse so I gave permission for the media to use it.
Greenbelt’s Hosting and
Lessons from the Day
May 17 proved to be a warm and sunny day—a good omen. At about 12:30 p.m., 25 buses with 700 people came to the city. A solitary Greenbelt police officer signaled to the lead driver where to stop. A young marshal got off the bus, got directions to the churches, thanked the officer, and told him, “We’ll take it from here.” The officer quickly left the scene. The marchers had arrived in Greenbelt and there was no uniformed police presence. What I did not know until many years later was that the governor had activated the National Guard, and a unit had been secretly placed in the volunteer fire department station located between the two churches. The National Guard unit was too large for the building, and they were apparently packed in like sardines! According to the Greenbelt News Review:
“The travelers had been expected, and the detailed preparations made at joint sessions of church representatives worked without a notable hitch. Lunch was ready in the church auditoriums … meanwhile registration and issuance of an identification bracelet for each member of the group was begun. The weather cooperated, too, and after lunch many spent their time resting outdoors on the shady lawns or under awnings, or talking, playing badminton, baseball, cards and singing.
The lack of confusion was in the main due to the many marshals—older teen-age campaigners wearing blue denim jackets with their rank marked in red on the sleeve. They handled problems, guided and helped members of their respective groups. City and county officials also worked on and behind the scenes to assure the comfort and safety of the marchers.
The welcoming spirit in the [Greenbelt] churches was shown in hand lettered posters
on the walls, such as ‘You are among friends,’ and ‘We will be praying for your safe journey.’
According to Jack Downs, who was coordinator for the St. Hugh’s hosting, ‘Not everyone in the Parish or in Greenbelt was pleased to have these folks in town for lunch that day. The nation was on edge; so was the city. There was fear in the air. Some folks took a stroll about town; went to the lake and some went to the shops.”
The police chief—dressed in plain clothes—and I drove about between the two churches. The chief noted that of the many members of the press present, some were plain-clothes FBI and other law enforcement officers. A few members of the media spoke to me and asked how I felt about the “poor people” staying in Greenbelt. I responded they would not be staying in Greenbelt but elsewhere in the county or DC. No one believed me.
An overnight in Greenbelt came close to being a reality because accommodations had not been made and the buses left. With temporary encampment not yet approved for occupancy, area churches outside Greenbelt were lined up to house the participants. The county had plenty of school buses to use for transport, but they bore the county’s name and county officials wanted no connection to the demonstration. Private buses were procured and were driven by a variety of people, including county employees and even plain-clothes police officers.
By evening, all the marchers had been transported out of Greenbelt. The televised news that night said that the marchers were spending the night in Greenbelt. I, and a few other residents, knew that wasn’t true. The churches had kept to their commitment of providing lunches only.
My wish to have law enforcement ready nearby but without any police presence with the demonstrators, as well as community partnerships and relationships, made this event a success even in the most difficult of times then, and stands as a formula for today.
Note: ICMA’s ethics director, Jessica Cowles, was the former town manager in Berwyn Heights, Maryland, bordering Greenbelt. Jim is a local government legend, and this story is part of a larger group of stories from his time in the profession.
In this online cohort program, renowned public sector innovator Brian Elms will help you rewire your thinking, identify unnecessary work, and focus your energy on tasks that matter.
ICMA Innovation Bootcamp
June 3–27 | Online Training
The Inclusion Summit | CivicPride
June 4 | Virtual Event
AMCTO 2025
Annual Conference
June 8–11 | Windsor, Ontario
UPCOMING EVENTS
SheLeadsGov — Building Connections in Local Government: Mastering Professional Networking
June 10 | Free webinar
MuniWorld 2025
June 17 | Tel-Aviv, Israel
ICMA Annual Conference | Online Registration and Housing Opens at 12:00 PM ET
June 25 | conference.icma.org
Ethics 101
On Life Support: Navigating EMS Funding Challenges in 2025
June 26 | Webinar
ICMA Voluntary Credentialing Program
July 7 | Application Deadline
Enjoy a 25% discount through June 30! Use code ETHICS25.
bit.ly/Ethics_101
Strengthen your jurisdiction’s ethical culture by making sure that your staff has a proper grounding in your organization’s values and can deal with ethical issues that arise on the job.
For a full listing of events and details, visit icma.org/events. Shop all courses at learning.icma.org.
Nina Vetter, Meghna Malhotra, and Anurag Anthony
City manager Nina Vetter reflects on her Tranter-Leong Fellowship exchange with the Urban Management Centre in Ahmedabad, India.
In a dynamic cross-continental exchange, Nina Vetter, city manager of Newport, Oregon, USA, and recipient of ICMA’s Tranter Leong Fellowship Award, recently completed her fellowship with the Urban Management Centre (UMC) in Ahmedabad, India. Over the course of 10 days, she collaborated with local government professionals and stakeholders in Ahmedabad, immersing herself in India’s evolving municipal landscape.
What took place was a two-way learning experience that offered new perspectives on governance, innovation, and professional city management, one that Vetter described as “a terrific experience of learning and relationship building.”
A Shared Language
From infrastructure to public health, cities around the world face similar challenges, but how they respond varies by both culture and context. For Vetter, the fellowship provided rare insight into these differences and commonalities. U.S. and Indian cities face parallel hurdles with resource constraints and evolving resident expectations that require a combination of creativity and resilience to address. Vetter emphasized that “you really learn best when you can go and see firsthand how other people do things. For me, it was really helpful to learn the different approach that the Urban Management Centre takes and learn the approaches that their staff takes.”
UMC deputy director Meghna Malhotra echoed this sentiment, explaining that “even though we come from different systems, city managers all speak the same language. The challenges we face are exactly the same, even though the scale might be different, and that’s why we can come together to find better solutions.”
Innovation in Practice
The fellowship was rich with hands-on engagements across multiple fields. From public health bylaws to model sanitation contracts aimed at improving sanitation worker safety, this exchange offered a host of practical, transferable lessons.
Vetter highlighted the many projects and initiatives UMC is involved in. “We talked about some really interesting work, particularly in regard to women in sanitation. To encourage more women in the sanitation space, UMC developed a board game to try to better educate and engage women in building their own businesses. What a cool, creative way of trying to approach a problem!” This spirit of creative thinking and adaptability stood out to her. “UMC is not just doing what they did for the last 15 years for every single project. They’re thinking about how they can do things better and have it be more impactful than the last time it was done.”
Fresh Perspectives on Local Government Management
For UMC, Vetter’s presence offered a valuable window into professional local government management as practiced in the United States. “Having Nina with us brought a very refreshing and grounded perspective,” said Malhotra. “Nina sharing her experience of running cities where she has served as city manager helped us bridge the gap between policy design and operational delivery.”
UMC vice president Anurag Anthony added that the staff benefited immensely from Vetter’s leadership style. “Nina shared her lessons with our staff by delivering a talk on decoding how cities work in the United States, and this was not just a presentation, but a deep-dive conversation.”
Nina Vetter
Meghna Malhotra
Anurag Anthony
Malhotra echoed the sentiment, especially around a core area of focus: sanitation worker safety. “This is an area where Nina really helped us think through with a lot of nuance and really focus on where we can go wrong and what loopholes should be considered. She really helped us shape these model contracts, and very soon, they will be issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs throughout the country.”
Anthony also credited Nina with helping elevate internal thinking around various leadership challenges. “Her perspective encouraged our staff to think about capacity building in a much more structured way, and that will have a long-term effect on how we approach different challenges.”
Stepping Outside of the Box
Vetter emphasized the importance of stepping outside the boundaries of one’s own community to gain perspective. “Those of us who work for a city are really geographically centered in one place, but it’s important to sometimes remove yourself from that, as it gives you a different perspective and allows you to grow and develop.” Beyond technical knowledge, cultural exchange was a fundamental part of the experience, one that Vetter embraced wholeheartedly. “It was refreshing to really immerse myself in another culture and professionally, it’s really helpful to see how other local governments work.”
While Vetter offered UMC a unique city manager–focused perspective and contributions to policy changes, Anthony also appreciated and highlighted the energy she brought to the UMC team. “I was even more interested in her laughs that brought a different vibe to the room during the meetings.”
A Model for Global Exchange
As UMC and ICMA continue fostering global relationships, this fellowship is a compelling example of the value of applied, collaborative knowledge exchange between global peers in local government.
“What I really enjoyed was the opportunity to work on so many different projects,” Vetter reflected. “It wasn’t just ‘here’s one project, go dig in, and we’ll see you at the end of it.’ I was working actively with staff and going out on site for many of these projects, and that really enhanced the experience on both ends.”
She underscored the broader significance of global knowledge exchanges. “These kinds of exchanges really improve the local government profession. They help us think differently, challenge assumptions, and ultimately enhance the services we deliver to our communities.”
She also emphasized the importance of translating international learning back home. “When I got back, I created a presentation to share with my council and staff so they could reap the benefits as well. It helps them see what’s possible and inspires different ways of thinking.” For Anthony, a true success of the fellowship was that “Nina’s presence in our office triggered everyone to learn a little more about city management globally.”
As communities worldwide strive for sustainability, resilience, and innovation, exchanges like these underscore the transformative power of shared learning across continents, systems, and solutions.
Watch the full Global Spotlight video interview via the QR code.
Interested in participating in a global knowledge exchange opportunity like this? ICMA members that qualify can apply for the Tranter Leong Fellowship or John Garvey Scholarship, both administered by ICMA’s Global Engagement Committee. Learn more about these opportunities at icma.org/page/tranter-leong-fellowship and icma.org/page/john-garvey-scholarship-fund.
The Power of Grace: Leading While Female
Our leadership doesn’t have to look like theirs to be powerful.
There’s a quiet strength in leading as a woman, especially when no one expects you to lead. I learned that early in life, growing up in Albania during a time when women’s voices were meant to be soft, agreeable, and above all, silent in leadership spaces. But my mother, a schoolteacher with the kind of dignity that doesn’t demand attention but commands respect, showed me what leadership looked like: integrity, resilience, and grace in action.
When I immigrated to the United States in 2000 with two suitcases and a head full of dreams, I didn’t yet know how those early lessons would become the backbone of my career. I didn’t know that years later, I would be navigating boardrooms, budget proposals, and policy decisions—not just as a woman, but as a single mother, an immigrant, and a leader in local government.
And let me tell you, leading while female is a full-body, full-heart experience.
DR. ELDA
SINANI, PHD,
is the director of the office of policy and budget management for Stamford, Connecticut, USA. She also teaches graduate courses at Trinity College in budget management, leadership development, and public policy.
BY ELDA SINANI, PhD
There was a moment early in my public sector career— one I’ll never forget—when I walked into a high-level budget meeting. I was the only woman. The only immigrant. The only single mother. I had stayed up the night before reviewing line items with a baby monitor in one hand and a calculator in the other. I wore a crisp blazer, but inside, I carried the weight of being “the only” in so many ways.
At that table, I was questioned more than once about my credentials, my decisions, even my tone. But what they didn’t realize was that I had come prepared with more than numbers. I came with lived experience—of navigating complex systems, of translating between languages and cultures, of making something out of nothing for the sake of my child and my community. What I’ve learned is this: our leadership doesn’t have to look like theirs to be powerful.
Your story is your strategy. Your challenges are your training ground. And your presence — fully, boldly, unapologetically female — is your power.
As women in local government, we lead with intuition, empathy, and a deep understanding of how policy lands in real life. We know what it means to stretch a dollar. We know how to show up even when we’re tired, even when we’re overlooked. We know how to build bridges—not because it’s trendy, but because we’ve lived on both sides of them. Being a mother, especially a single mother, didn’t make
me less of a professional. It made me more intentional. My time became sacred, my purpose more focused. I stopped chasing titles and started building impact. I didn’t just want a seat at the table; I wanted to reshape the table entirely.
To every woman reading this who’s ever felt unseen, underestimated, or unheard: you belong here. You don’t need to ask for permission to lead.
Your story is your strategy. Your challenges are your training ground. And your presence— fully, boldly, unapologetically female—is your power.
Today, as I mentor young women and speak in rooms that I once only dreamed of entering, I carry with me the voices of those who paved the way, as well as the responsibility to widen the path for those who follow. Because leadership isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room. It’s about being the most authentic one.
And when we lead from that place of truth, resilience, and heart, we don’t just lead while female. We lead while whole.
To help ICMA members experience the difference that attending the ICMA Annual Conference has made for so many, ICMA offers the opportunity to apply for a scholarship to support your conference attendance.
EARLY CAREER PROFESSIONALS
ICMA members with three years or less experience as a full-time local government employee.
WORKPLACE DIVERSITY
ICMA members who are from historically marginalized or underrepresented populations. SMALL COMMUNITY EMPLOYEE ICMA members serving in small communities with limited financial resources. (no minimum population) EDWARD O. STENE
student members, who are full-time first year graduate students.
Taking Professional Development to the Next Level
ICMA’s growing membership of local government professionals across the globe is truly what makes the association what it is today.
ICMA’s 14,000-plus members from around the world joined ICMA for various reasons, including networking opportunities, ethics advice, professional development, timely resources and content, stateof-the-art in-person events, and more. ICMA members gain unparalleled value from being a part of this community of local government professionals dedicated to good governance. Hear from two ICMA members about why they are ICMA.
Kate Fitzpatrick, ICMA-CM Town Manager, Needham, Massachusetts, USA
I joined ICMA early in my career because I wanted to be associated with the premier voice for local government managers. Over the years, ICMA has provided me with access to information, networking, and volunteering. Without question, what has kept me associated with ICMA throughout my many years in local government has been the opportunity to access high quality leadership development programs. These opportunities have helped me create a cadre of lifelong relationships with people who love their work and share my passion for it.
I applied for the Credentialed Manager status as soon as I was eligible, more than 20 years ago. I proudly maintain the Credentialed Manager status and remain a member of ICMA because I believe that professionally managed local governments are critical to the future of our country. Professionally trained managers enhance the effectiveness and value of local government for its residents. ICMA’s Voluntary Credentialing Program ensures that I get the most out of my limited professional development dollars. The program helps me pause, reflect on, and document what I learned, how my perspective may have changed, and what new approaches I might try. Local government managers are the front line of democracy—and I feel more prepared knowing that ICMA is there for me.
Marc Landry, ICMA-CM, MBA
Director
of Regional Projects, Southeast Regional Service Commission, New Brunswick, Canada
Seventeen years ago, I joined ICMA to strengthen my professional development and learn from the best local government leaders and practitioners from around the world. Today, I can confidently say that being part of ICMA has been instrumental to my growth and success. Membership provides access to an incredible range of resources, including leading practices, case studies, and innovative solutions from across the globe. Just as important, ICMA has connected me with a strong network of peers, mentors, and leaders who are driving exciting projects and initiatives. These relationships have not only expanded my knowledge but also inspired new ideas and collaborations.
Throughout my journey, I have had the privilege of serving on the ICMA Executive Board, participating in several committees, and engaging in leadership development programs. Each of these experiences has broadened my perspective and provided unique opportunities that have helped shape my career.
Another valuable asset of ICMA is its Voluntary Credentialing Program. This program encourages members to set a personalized professional development plan each year, allowing for regular reflection and realignment of goals. By consistently evaluating my progress and focusing on targeted areas for growth, I’ve been able to sharpen my skills and better serve my organization and community.
For those who have not yet become ICMA members, I wholeheartedly encourage you to join. ICMA offers an unmatched community of support, learning, and inspiration for anyone passionate about advancing local government leadership around the world.
These ICMA members have found value in an array of different areas and enhanced their careers as a result. It’s members like you that strengthen the fabric of ICMA every day. So, why are you ICMA?
Learn more about ICMA’s Voluntary Credentialing Program at icma.org/ icma-voluntary-credentialing-program.
Lead Change. Transform Communities.
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2026 ICMA LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE ON RACE, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
Unlock the Power of Inclusive Leadership
Apply for this groundbreaking program, in its 5th year, a 12-to-18-month journey designed for leaders committed to driving meaningful change in their communities.
Why Apply?
Gain Insight: Explore the intersection of race, equity, and inclusion in local governance through expert-led sessions and interactive workshops.
Drive Impact: Equip yourself with practical tools and strategies to address systemic inequities and foster inclusive policies and practices.
Build Networks: Connect with a diverse cohort of leaders from across the nation, fostering collaboration and peer support.
What Leadership Institute fellows have said about this learning opportunity:
“I believe it has made me a better teacher, a better researcher, a better member of our city’s DEI commission, and a better person.”
“It was great to hear different perspectives from the rest of the cohort about the problems they were facing and some of the strategies they implemented.”
Apply Today! Spaces are limited. Visit icma.org/Lead-the-Change to learn more, and complete and submit the application. Application period closes June 30!
icma.org/Lead-the-Change
Special Thanks to Our Supporters
A special thanks to the 2024 supporters and friends of the ICMA Future of Professional Management Fund.
ICMA would like to express its gratitude to the individuals and organizations listed in this special section for supporting the local government management profession by becoming ICMA donors. Their financial support of the Future of Professional Management Fund and other donor-supported professional development scholarship opportunities has helped promote and preserve the profession and, accordingly, strengthened local communities everywhere.
Because of our contributors’ generosity, ICMA was able to continue its mission of advocating for professional local government management by supporting the adoption and retention of the councilmanager form of government, raising public awareness about the profession, and inspiring a new generation of future local government leaders. ICMA is honored by the generosity and commitment of all the donors.
Learn more at icma.org/icma-future-professional-management-fund.
$5,000 to $9,999
Georgia City/County Management Association
North Carolina City and County Management Association
$2,500 to $4,999
Illinois City/County Management Association
Robert J. O’Neill Jr.
$1,000 to $2,499
Norton N. Bonaparte Jr., ICMA-CM
Dr. Edwin C. Daley, ICMA-CM
Lee R. Feldman, ICMA-CM
Sam S. Gaston
James N. Holgersson
Kansas Association of City/County Management
New York State City/County Management Association
Marc Anthony Ott
Tim Schuenke
Virginia Local Government Management Association
Washington City/County Management Association
$500 to $999
Girard H. Beaudin, ICMA-CM
T.C. Broadnax Jr.
John J. Caulfield, ICMA-CM
Pamela Davis
Alexander Diaz
Candice J. Edmondson
Craig Kocian
Missouri City/County Management Association
Monica N. Spells, ICMA-CM
$100 to $499
2 Anonymous Donors
Douglas G. Bach
Sheryl D. Bailey, PhD
Lynn P. Behrns
Teodoro J. Benavides
Martha J. Bennett, ICMA-CM
Janis Bice
David Biggs, ICMA-CM
Wally Bobkiewicz
Tanisha R. Briley
Eric D. Campbell
Scott R. Carney, ICMA-CM
Nathan M. Cherpeski, ICMA-CM
Edward J. Ciecka
Carolyn A Clow
Larry J. Cunningham
Brian K. Dehner
Walter L. Denton, ICMA-CM
Vince DiPiazza
Tracey Dolezal
Lydia E. Du Borg
Timothy J. Eggleston, ICMA-CM
Thomas Fountaine II, ICMA-CM
Anton S. Gardner, ICMA-CM
Jean Garman
Rita L. Geldert
Elizabeth K. Kellar
Philip A. Kiraly
Peter A. Korn
W. Lane Bailey
Jonathan R. Lewis, ICMA-CM
James J. Malloy, ICMA-CM
Stephanie J. Mason, ICMA-CM
Molly Mehner, ICMA-CM
Benjamin Montgomery
Bryan Hyrum Montgomery, ICMA-CM
David E. Moran
Garvin Murray
Jerry Newfarmer
Northwest Municipal Conference
Alison Ortowski
Sara Ott, ICMA-CM
Kenneth W. Parker, ICMA-CM
William Patrick Pate, ICMA-CM
Michael M. Penny, ICMA-CM
John F. Perry, ICMA-CM
George A. Pettit
James S. Phillips
Nat W. Rojanasathira
Margie C. Rose, ICMA-CM
Victoria Runkle
Kathleen F. Rush
J. Scott
Ronald D. Scott
Nat Erskine Smith Jr., ICMA-CM
Glenn F. Spachman
David A. Strohl, ICMA-CM
Eric S. Stuckey
James L. Thomas
Michael C. Van Milligen
Heidi Voorhees
Theodore L. Voorhees, ICMA-CM
Paul A. Wenbert, ICMA-CM
Michael Wilkes
Wisconsin City/County
Management Association
Robert J. Wood
Under $500
4 Anonymous Donors
Jon J. Allen
Scott Althaus
Susan M. H. Arntz, ICMA-CM
John S. Bennie
Julie M. Brenman, ICMA-CM
Barry M. Brenner
Cori Burbach
Evelyn Casuga
Missy Caughman
Julie Couch
Samuel L. Coxson
Daryl J. Delabbio, PhD
Lukas Dziewulski
Ellen S. Foreman
Chantal Cotton Gaines
Ann Gramm
Mary Ellen Gray
Amy C. Hamilton, ICMA-CM
Chris Harrell
Melissa N. Hipp
Brian P. Humphress
Toshio Ichikawa
Genaro C. Iglesias Jr.
Jeremy K. Lucas
Kim Lundgren
Tad McGalliard
Wendolyn McGregor
Liz R. Miller
Nicholas Osborne
Laszlo Palko
Parth Patel
John C. Phillips
Cesar Ricardo Correa, ICMA-CM
Meredith Roark
Dianne S. Robertson
David Rossi
Elizabeth S. Ruyle-Hullinger
Mark L. Ryckman, ICMA-CM
James D. Sandoval
Reina J. Schwartz, ICMA-CM
Justin Smith
Justin Donald Smith
Peter Stilling
Nicole Sullivan
Thomas A. Thomey
Jeanna Troha
Valmarie H. Turner
Village of McFarland
Joe Warren
Kenneth A. Young, ICMA-CM
Inside ICMA
Learn more about ICMA’s commitment to supporting its members and their local governments through our programs and partnerships, professional development, and personal connection.
A Legacy of Support
Sixty years of environmental, energy, resiliency, and economic mobility/ opportunity programs through ICMA
For the past 60 years, ICMA has managed a multitude of programs supporting local leaders, managers, staff, and stakeholders with technical assistance, training, knowledge resources, and peer-to-peer connectivity on environmental, energy, resiliency, and more recently, economic mobility and opportunity.
Much of this assistance has been enabled through partnerships with federal agencies, foundations, corporate sponsors, and other types of external financial assistance.
Some of the association’s first grants to provide technical assistance were received in the 1970s from the newly formed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ICMA used these and other resources to produce technical reports for the Management Information System to help managers with the emerging
and growing responsibilities that environmental compliance required.
From this early legacy of support, ICMA has continued to leverage external funding to support local government leaders and managers with resources, training, and technical assistance on land use strategies, renewable energy, disaster resiliency, and most recently, economic mobility and opportunity.
Economic Redevelopment
Throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s, ICMA held numerous multi-year cooperative agreements with EPA to produce training manuals and guidance documents on brownfields cleanup and redevelopment. A well-regarded resource for many years, ICMA’s Brownfields Redevelopment: A Guidebook for Local Governments and Communities
provided practical programmatic, policy, legal, and regulatory guidance for leaders, managers, and staff in cities and counties. Today, ICMA’s main economic redevelopment program is the National Brownfields Training Conference, a biennial event that attracts more than 2,500 attendees and features 150 learning opportunities. Brownfields 2025 (gobrownfields.org) takes place in Chicago, August 5–8. Since 2003, more than 55,000 people have been trained on effective strategies and approaches for reusing formerly used commercial and industrial properties.
In 2025, along with the National League of Cities, National Association of Counties, National Association of Development Organizations, ICMA is supporting the International Economic Development Council’s Economic Recovery
Corps (ERC) initiative. ERC is a pilot project to place economic recovery specialists in distressed communities.
More than 60 organizations, cities, counties, tribal communities, development districts, and councils of government are hosting ERC fellows who are focusing their efforts on impactful economic development projects in a jurisdiction or region.
Tapping the Sun
Since 2009, ICMA has partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy to deliver assistance to local governments mostly on solar energy deployments, but more recently on wind and EV charging infrastructure.
The SunShot Solar Outreach Partnership (2010–2016) was an outreach, training, and technical assistance project to help local governments optimize their planning, zoning, permitting,
and inspection practices to foster growth of rooftop solar projects in their communities. More than 3,500 local government professionals were trained on strategies to increase solar deployments in their communities.
Similarly, the Solar@Scale program has helped local governments with strategies, policies, and programs, focusing on larger utility scale or community solar projects on underutilized land and other local government assets. The project, in conjunction with the American Planning Association, produced a highly regarded guidebook for local governments, relevant for any community looking for leading practices on largescale ground-mounted solar developments (icma org/ page/solarscale-guidebook).
SolSmart SolSmart (solsmart.org) is an ongoing effort that recognizes cities, counties, towns, and townships that have created policies and programs that support the growth of local solar markets, jobs, and economic opportunity in their communities. The program has provided technical assistance to hundreds of communities and officially designed more than 550 as “SolSmart.”
Disaster Resiliency and Recovery
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, ICMA led the development and implementation of the Restoration conferences in New Orleans in 2005 and 2006. The events, which provided training and peer
networking opportunities for more than 1,500 attendees, were focused on long-term community and economic restoration in the aftermath of natural disasters. More recently, ICMA supported the Puerto Rico recovery process following Hurricane Maria in 2017. The Puerto Rico Municipal Assessment Project engaged the expertise of Spanish-speaking members, staff, and volunteers from partnering organizations to conduct service and governance assessments of the commonwealth’s 78 municipalities and develop a roadmap toward improved resilience in the future.
In 2019, ICMA and faculty from the University of Georgia and Binghamton University conducted a national survey on the financial strategies and
local government policies and programs in place for post-disaster economic and community recovery.1 The results of the survey were eventually used to create a report on disaster recovery responses by local government funded by the IBM Center for the Business of Government.2 Many local governments have used the results of the survey to benchmark their practices, using the findings of this seminal study as a baseline.
During this same time frame, ICMA commissioned a research program led by ICMA member Dr. Ron Carlee to profile ICMA members that have had to manage a natural or humancaused disaster. A master report3 and a complimentary toolkit resource4 were created to support local government managers.
Economic Mobility and Opportunity
In 2023, ICMA was invited to join a community of practice focused on elevating economic mobility and opportunity (EMO) and was provided funding by the Gates Foundation. Economic mobility and opportunity is defined as the ability of individuals and generations to move up the economic ladder over time, a concept often explained colloquially as “doing better than your parents.”
Because local governments are uniquely positioned to influence conditions
that make it possible for all residents and households to access opportunities and get ahead, ICMA has provided subgrants to 40 member-led communities to advance a local assessment, planning process, or program aimed at boosting upward mobility of residents. Through these relatively modest investments, communities have explored local entrepreneurship, caregiving, and housing affordability as solutions to boost upward mobility for their jurisdictions most socioeconomically challenged populations. ICMA’s resource
Learning in Action
page on EMO can be found at icma.org/emo.
New Worlds of Service?
The past 25 years have brought unexpected and sometimes unfamiliar challenges for local governments to manage. ICMA’s Local Government Reimagined Initiative (icma.org/lgr) provides the framework for innovative research, technical assistance, and training. Cities, counties, towns, and townships will be tested by new opportunities, changing technology, and other developments that are unlikely to be fully covered by education and core management training.
As the second quarter of the twenty-first century begins, ICMA is positioning itself to better meet our members’ needs with more focus on innovation in local government leadership, management, and service delivery.
Making connections through ICMA professional development
When people come together to learn and grow, the connections they make can last a lifetime. ICMA’s professional development team is working on a robust portfolio of programs to help local government professionals connect, share their stories, and work together to build stronger communities.
Lessons from History
In June 2025, ICMA will gather a full cohort on the battleground for the Gettysburg Leadership Institute (icma. org/gettysburg) where modern-day leadership lessons are drawn from the strife our nation experienced more than 160 years ago.
The Gettysburg Leadership Institute is a perennial favorite and has graduated more than
385 participants. Registration is now being accepted for the September cohort.
Members have been asking about another popular program—the Williamsburg Leadership Institute. ICMA is happy to report that this popular program is undergoing a redesign and will be back next spring. The team is also exploring options for additional leadership institutes to be developed across the country.
Equipping the Next Generation
The Leadership ICMA (icma. org/leadership-icma) cohort came together again recently in an online workshop to explore community engagement, one of 12 topic areas they will study in this year-long program of in-person and online
programming. Speaking of leadership, planning is under way for the reboot of the Emerging Leaders Development Institute, slated to relaunch in January 2026 as a six-month experience for early-career professionals. Up-and-coming supervisors honed their skills this month with the six-part Effective Supervisory Practices Training Series based on ICMA’s bestselling book. Budget managers came together for the Budgeting Guide Training Series, based on the fourth edition of ICMA’s Budgeting Guide for Local Governments.
Collaborating for Innovation
ICMA collaborated with the National Civic League to jointly produce the Better Public Meetings Training
Series, a four-part online workshop to promote civility and meaningful dialogue when meeting with the community. ICMA also joined forces with Brian Elms of Change Agents Training to deliver the ICMA Innovation Bootcamp, an intensive online workshop that teaches process improvement and workflow management. Due to their popularity, both programs will be offered again in the coming months.
Connecting at Conference
This summer, ICMA’s instructional designers will be hard at work on microcertifications that we’ll deliver at the start of the upcoming ICMA Annual Conference, October 25–29, in Tampa/ Hillsborough County, Florida, USA. There will be 18
micro-certifications provided on Saturday and Sunday as the conference begins. For a sneak peek at this year’s topics, visit conference.icma.org and look for micro-certificates under the program schedule. Did you know that you can train your team with micro-certifications at your location? Visit icma. org/careers-learning for more information on microcertifications such as Leading with Excellence and Leader as Coach.
A Regional Connection to Members
Regional directors provide a crucial link between members and ICMA leadership, help to address local challenges, and facilitate access to ICMA services.
ICMA is at the core of creating better communities. Serving a member-based organization of more than 13,000 members globally requires an intentional commitment to support and be regularly connected with professional city and county managers and other employees who serve local governments.
One of the ways this is accomplished is through a regional approach to governance and member outreach. Regional directors assume “on the ground” responsibilities within the five ICMA regions in the United States, and an additional regional director serves our international members.
The role of each regional director is to understand issues confronting ICMA members in each respective region and play a supportive role in leveraging ICMA services to help members address these
challenges. Because each regional director brings to the role a successful career in local government and a passion for local service, their thought leadership and professional commitment provides a natural link to the work of ICMA and its goal of serving all members.
Just like in the communities you serve, regional directors, as ICMA staff members, also support the needs of the ICMA executive team, and the elected ICMA Executive Board and its regional vice presidents in the implementation of ICMA’s broad responsibilities and strategic goals. What this means is that regional directors have a critical responsibility for communicating member needs with the leadership team and Executive Board so that ICMA can consistently adapt and provide proactive leadership in an ever-evolving local government environment.
One of the other important responsibilities for regional directors is to stay closely connected with the leadership of the state associations within each region. This is typically accomplished by attending state association conferences and participating in state association board meetings. Every state association has a strategic alliance with ICMA and represents an important connection to the profession and with the alignment and coordination of relevant member services. This includes such activities as complying with the ICMA Code of Ethics, professional training opportunities, supporting the needs of members in transition, advocating for the profession, supporting the career development needs of emerging leaders, and many more. The regional directors can play an important role in building
collaborations between states on the work being done to identify and build on best practices and successful strategies.
Regional directors are critical players in helping individual members connect with ICMA in supporting their needs at every stage of their career. This includes helping members find opportunities to serve the profession either on ICMA committees, special project task forces, or ultimately serving on the Executive Board. The regional directors play a very active role in the annual regional nominating process for the selection of Executive Board members.
At the end of the day, the role of an ICMA regional director is simply to support the needs of ICMA members and to help them utilize their ICMA member benefits in meeting their community challenges and professional goals.
MY ADVICE FOR MANAGERS IN TRANSITION
Being in between jobs is never easy, but these best practices can put you on the path to your next local government position.
BY DR. IAN COYLE, ICMA-CM
Recently, I had the opportunity to address the ICMA Members in Transition (MIT) program. Unique to ICMA from what I can see, the MIT program is a membership offering that provides personal and financial support for members who have been fired, forced to resign, or otherwise involuntarily separated. ICMA provides access to support services from ICMA leadership, senior management staff, senior advisors, and other members.
Monthly, those who wish to participate hop on a call and talk through strategies, leads, and best practices with respect to the job hunt, as well as network in a collegial gathering and safe space to have candid conversations. Sometimes there is a guest speaker. ICMA staff produces an agenda and leads the discussion, and participation is active and steady.
Best Practices While in Transition
I presented some information on what I see as best practices to consider while in a state of employment transition. These were built off a foundation of my local government career but also from my years of consulting experience, primarily through the lens of an executive recruitment consultant. Here were some of my suggestions:
Volunteer. Sign up for boards or committees or ask for opportunities to participate in some way in a local government nearby.
Consider an interim assignment. These are sometimes available in local governments and while interim in nature, could be a resume gap filler or even a springboard to a permanent position.
Network. I have written a lot about networking and the power of networking. Through connections I got wind of the county administrator position I held for 16 years. You have to keep networking.
Get involved with associations. A powerful tool for networking is the work of associations. ICMA, the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), the new American Association of Municipal Executives (AAME), and others are groups for like-minded public administrators to connect with one another. There may also be opportunities for association engagement on matters like governance, task forces, and committees.
Make connections with recruitment firms. I speak only for myself, but I know I value the outreach from managers in transition advising me of their job search. Get on people’s radar.
Consider alternatives. As I told the group, I am a champion of local government management, but I understand that people need to make a living. Thus, I suggested that if opportunities do not present themselves in local government, consider career options that have transferable characteristics, like vice president positions in higher education, executive director positions at nonprofits, etc.
Don’t forget about counties. As a longtime county administrator, it still amazes me when municipal managers don’t think of their county counterparts as viable professional management options. There are department head and director positions available at the county level, too. With 3,500+ counties in United States, opportunities abound.
Find speaking engagements. With conferences and training seminars seemingly omnipresent, seek out opportunities to stay engaged professionally through participation in panels. Moderate a session, suggest a topic and deliver a presentation on it, etc.
Get out of your head (OOH). This is a concept I teach and preach for my Mindful Public Management program. Help others, exhibit empathy, show compassion, call a friend, write to someone, reconnect with an out-of-touch colleague, etc. It’s amazing the way life works when we stop thinking solely about ourselves.
Craft Your Story
Another piece of advice I shared with the group related to the thorny issue of a recent resignation, termination, or separation. It’s likely in the news, I can Google it, there’s at least some public
ICMA’s Members in Transition (MIT) Program
This program (icma.org/mit) supports ICMA members who have been fired, forced to resign, or involuntarily separated from local government service, offering them resources and encouragement as they seek new opportunities in the field.
Recognizing that such terminations are frequently unrelated to job performance but instead are a result of shifting political landscapes or governing bodies, ICMA provides members with a pathway to continue advancing their careers. Through workshops, networking opportunities, and tailored assistance, the program underscores ICMA’s dedication to empowering our members during times of transition.
• ICMA waives dues payments for MITs for up to three years.
• MITs have access to varied support services from ICMA leadership, senior management staff, and other members. ICMA senior advisors, for example, are retired CAOs who have experienced many of the frustrations that MITs may be dealing with and offer complimentary and confidential counsel.
• MITs are encouraged to join the monthly meeting, a video call providing relevant information for those seeking employment.
• MITs can access the publication, A Member’s Guide to a Career that has Ups and Downs and Detours, which includes tips on how to prepare for, prevent, and navigate transition.
• MITs can use ICMA’s Career Center, where an editable Model Employment Agreement and the ICMA Job Hunting Handbook are available.
• MITs receive discounted rates for services from a preferred provider of online reputation management services, which can help prevent and repair threats to an MIT’s online reputation and create a positive web presence.
• MITs receive unlimited access to all webinars priced at $149.
• To facilitate networking with their fellow managers and to promote professional development while in transition, registration fees are waived for specific conferences. The registration fee for the ICMA Annual Conference is not only waived for the MIT, but complimentary registration is also extended to the MIT’s partner. For this event, the MIT also has access to a travel and housing stipend. For those who are unable to attend the event in person, archived virtual conference materials are provided free of charge after the event.
Members who are interested in the program can contact membership@icma.org.
record of it, and so forth. I simply recommend having answers at the ready.
What is your story? Why did you leave your last job? Secure references and recommendations—ideally from the same place that was the origin of the stories—to combat the negativity and to help frame your cause as a professional. Develop a profile or portfolio of successes. Consider a testimonial video with peers, colleagues, subordinates, bosses, and community leaders in the communities you’ve served in to display your chops and come across as a confident candidate.
Maintaining Your Position
Lastly, the MITs asked me to name the top three things I attributed to my long tenure as county administrator. When you finally find yourself in a good position, how do you stay there? I added one, and they were:
1. Being up front with your council/board that you are nonpartisan and apolitical.
2. Communicating regularly and substantively with our board. No surprises.
3. Conducting an orientation/training/ acclimation-type meeting with all new board members to explain your role as CAO and the composer/conductor relationship in the council-manager form of government.
4. Promoting a positive, proactive spirit of community engagement. Get out in the community and out in front of issues. Connect with residents. It makes the board look good, too.
Experiencing a job displacement may be one of the toughest times of your career, but taking a proactive approach is the best way to land your next position as quickly as possible.
DR. IAN COYLE, ICMA-CM, is founder/president of Pracademic Partners (ian@pracademicpartners.com).
THRIVE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 2025 COACHING PROGRAM
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
New Job Overnight: How to Make the Successful Transition
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15
Mastering Your Growth: Proactive Career Development Strategies
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19
Trends Transforming the Workforce: What You Can’t Afford to Overlook
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Don’t miss out on these FREE 2025 coaching webinars.
REGISTER TODAY!
Additional free coaching resources at ICMA Coaching:
• Access digital recordings on ICMA’s Learning Lab
• Career Compass monthly advice column
• CoachConnect for one-to-one coach matching
• Live speed coaching events, talent development resources, and more. Join our list for coaching program updates and more. Email coaching@icma.org.
“Selfie-Less” Leadership Development and Self-Reflection
History can bring self-awareness to the modern, self-centered leadership industry with programs like ICMA’s Gettysburg Leadership Institute.
BY DOUGLAS NEWMAN
Leadership: what used to describe a behavioral trait is now an overused marketing term and the title of an entire industry. In a time of “selfie leaders” (those who humble-brag while posting images of themselves “leading” as an example of their credibility) and an endless sea of consulting firms that teach the newest leadership principles by self-proclaimed experts, the “leadership Industry” has morphed into a convoluted smorgasbord ranging from legitimate mentors to dazzling selfpromoters with dubious substance and credentials.
The double-edged sword of social media sometimes undermines a leader’s positive intent to show transparent communication to their community or stakeholders. Leaders can send a counterproductive message when promoting servant leadership when they post the random picture of doing line-work purely as a photo opp. In an attempt to show that they are connected to their lower-level employees, the leader runs the risk of sending the exact opposite message. The invaluable hardworking but unglamorous and under-sung line staff, especially the nose-to-thegrindstone veterans, may see this as “look at me leadership” rather than what it was intended to be: a genuine example of a leader trying to connect with lower-level staff. It is hard for the follower to appreciate the imperative leadership qualities of humility and authenticity
when leadership “experts” are promoting their craft through selfies showing themselves gazing off into the distance at a sunset or coastline with a dramatic look of introspection, accompanied by a quote such as “leaders need to take time out to take care of themselves.” Or, a photo of their latest educational accomplishment with a statement about the value of being a “lifelong learner.”
A leader should consider that their behavior sets the expectations for the future leaders within their organization. Will those future leaders place a higher value on self-promoting social media posts rather than placing positive attention on others? If you are familiar with the work of James Collins and his book Good to Great, these little traits make all the difference in being a humble, effective, selfless leader…and follower. Collins dubs this type of aspirational leadership “levelfive leadership.”1
To be fair, we have all done it—but there is a fine, bright
line between the desire to promote your organization, showcase your team, or highlight your professional experience, and coming across as self-absorbed. There are circumstances where promoting your personal brand is good business and necessary for gaining and maintaining clientele and public trust. But, for those who are in positional authority management— particularly publicly funded or government positions—a delicate balance exists between publicly supporting your organization and generating an appearance, actual or perceived, of external self-gratification over your commitment as a leader to the team you lead. It is in this balance where a leader navigating the current selfie-landscape should ask themselves: Does your existing reputation need selfpromotion? If the answer is yes, is focusing your efforts external to your team the best course of action to improve it?
The higher that one rises in their organization the less
honest and trusted feedback they receive; no one is telling the emperor they have no clothes. So, where can the well-intended leader find an outlet for self-awareness? In a crowded field of innovative leadership development, which incorporates charismatic and enthusiastic leadership and consulting, there is an often-overlooked leadership laboratory that provides endless guidance without confusing the message with sensationalism: history. Leadership examples provided through the study of history—especially American history—are honest, blunt, inspiring, and sometimes painful, but without an agenda. We all have an ego, but as history has shown us, effective leaders need a manageable one. Every cell phone has a camera and immediate access to social media. The temptation is ever-present for the modern leader, regardless of career level, to document their own successes. There have been leaders throughout history with massive egos, often to their
detriment. However, these historical leaders did not have a camera and a Wi-Fi connection in their back pockets, or britches or gowns, depending on what time in history. Perhaps nineteenth century egocentric leader Napoleon did not commission the famed portrait of himself crossing the Alps, but he could not resist using the image for his own self-promotion.2 We may never lead an army over the highest mountain range in Europe to conquer the Austrians, but we can learn from historical leaders who have been viewed as putting their own persona above others.
Napoleon may belong to Europe, but Americans are fortunate to live in a country with an endless leadership heritage. It is at historical sites and memorials where the nexus of meaningful, deeply impacting leadership development and history exists. Such sacred places are where pure selfless leadership, exemplified by true sacrifice is memorialized, such as the
An American Civil War battlefield cannon in Gettysburg National Military Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Ground Zero at the World Trade Center site, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Gettysburg battlefield. It is here, on such hallowed ground, where “selfie leadership” seems foreign, and even obscene.
With countless historical events that provide excellent examples for leadership, the Civil War is unique in American history. Our country literally tore itself apart. One can easily apply the colossal leadership trials of the Civil War to any modern organization during the present-day, volatile environment. There were a multitude of issues converging simultaneously that apply today: race and equality, extraordinary political division, economic concerns, resource allocation challenges, organizational management and mismanagement, interpersonal relationship complexities, and perseverance through unsurmountable odds.
The Civil War may seem too complex a topic in which to find practical, present-day leadership lessons, particularly those of individual self-awareness. This is why, of the many case studies of the period, Gettysburg is exceptional. The chaotic, crisis leadership environment created at the Battle of Gettysburg— including the events leading up to the battle—provides an outstanding opportunity to apply historical events to today’s challenging and stressful leadership landscape. Gettysburg is a true crisis leadership laboratory and is frequently used for its leadership lessons within the corporate
world, public sector, and the military.
What was once a mechanism to improve business and government management has evolved into a business of its own. “Leadership development” has become nebulous in its definition, application, and practice. Scholars of organizational leadership and management sciences have criticized modern leadership development programs as superficial and ineffective, failing to make a significant, long-term positive impact in today’s—and tomorrow’s— leaders.3,4 Within this confusing landscape of quick-fix, “one size fits all” leadership development and consulting, is an often overlooked but omnipresent vessel that can provide stoic leadership lessons for improvement and inspiration—history.
ICMA’s Gettysburg Leadership Institute (icma.org/ gettysburg), supported and facilitated by the Gettysburg Foundation, is an example of a leadership development and improvement program utilizing an actual event in American history with the sincere intention of creating ethical, introspective, longlasting, authentic change within local government leaders for the greater good—and was the
inspiration for this article.
If you need a selflessleadership example of ethics in the face of pressure, look no further than President Abraham Lincoln’s position leading up to Gettysburg. Tens of thousands of Americans had been killed and there was a growing movement in the North to end the war.5,6 A loss at Gettysburg could have led to the end of the Union, the preservation of the institution of slavery in the southern states, and possibly its spread in future western states. In 1863, with an election looming a year away, Lincoln was under an unimaginable amount of public and political pressure to end the bloodshed. To compound Lincoln’s already unbelievable situation, he was grief-stricken after the death of his 11-year-old son five months prior, with whom he was extremely close.7
The Confederacy knew that the Lincoln administration was under this enormous stress, and they sought to capitalize upon it. Two bloody years into the war, the South had won the majority of major combat engagements in the Eastern Theater and was gaining Northern political momentum for their cause: to form a new nation through a peace settlement. However, being outnumbered and under-resourced, in June
1863, the Confederacy sought an audacious opportunity to end the war on their terms by invading the North in Pennsylvania. They had hoped, with a major victory in northern territory, there would be foreign recognition of the Confederacy, and that the Union would either capitulate to a settled peace agreement or that Lincoln would be so politically damaged he would lose the 1864 election, allowing a new rival president to seek peace over the preservation of the Union.8
Lessons in history can remind the modern leader to prepare for the unexpected. And while the South had begun their bold invasion of the north, neither the Confederate Army of 75,000 soldiers nor the 88,000-strong Union Army expected to clash in the small, picturesque Pennsylvania farming community during the hot summer of 1863.9 To compound the already dynamic and ambiguous leadership landscape, after two years of replacing numerous ineffective commanding generals, Lincoln named a new commander to take charge of his enormous army just three days before facing the most audacious and successful general of the Confederacy, Robert E. Lee— the very man that Lincoln initially offered command of
On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of a military cemetery.
all federal forces to upon the onset of the war. All of this was occurring while an equally monumental campaign was being waged 1,000 miles to the west of Gettysburg in Vicksburg, Mississippi, by Union General Ulysses S. Grant.10,11,12,13,14
Over a three-day period, the Civil War’s deadliest single battle unfolded. Union forces prevailed, handing the South arguably their most devastating defeat. While the war raged on for another two years after the battle, Gettysburg is widely recognized as one of the most consequential turning points of the war. It is hard for modern American society to fully comprehend the devastation and loss that occurred. There were more than 51,000 casualties—dead and wounded—and the stakes were never higher for our nation.15 This single event provides countless examples—both good and bad—of command and control, communication, strategic planning, political influence, individual initiative, stress management, creative thinking, interpersonal conflict, resource management, tactical operations, risk taking, and most of all, selfless leadership and followership.
The Confederate Army never again saw victories—
politically or tactically—on the same scale as it did prior to Gettysburg. The battle was impactful enough that five months afterward it became President Lincoln’s inspiration behind one of the most famous speeches in American history, the immortal Gettysburg Address. In that speech, he offered that this nation was “…dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal,” and that our nation, along with its principals, “…shall have a new birth of freedom,” presumably from the sin of slavery and the roots of division. It is important to remember, almost a year prior to uttering these words, and against significant resistance, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which his political rivals strongly opposed. Furthermore, during this time he was working tirelessly to gain the votes in Congress to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment, abolishing slavery in our country.16,17
To be clear, the overwhelming majority of us are not operating in a high-risk, life-or-death leadership environment as presented in Gettysburg. However, leadership in any form is serious
business; the business of caring for and influencing people while accomplishing an organizational mission. The examination of our own leadership behaviors through the lens of historical events can be a vehicle for valuable self-evaluation. A look at pivotal historical events involving ordinary people, who became extraordinary leaders in the moment, allows for both humble self-awareness and encouragement.
Encouragement to the modern leader that, whatever the current challenge, someone in history has “been there and done that.” The women and men who set these examples during the seminal events in American history did so under unbelievable odds, in astonishing conditions, and without taking selfies… something that the modern leader, regardless of the industry, might want to consider before making that next social media post.
ENDNOTES
1 Collins, J. (2016). Good to great: Why some companies make the leap and others don’t. Instaread.
2 First Consul Crossing the Alps via the Great Saint Bernard Pass. (n.d.) Fondation Napoléon, Retrieved June 26, 2024 from https://www.napoleon.org/en/history-ofthe-two-empires/images/the-first-consulcrossing-the-alps-via-the-great-saintbernard-pass/
3 Day, D. V., & Kragt, D. (2023). Leadership Development: Past, Present and Future. The SAGE Handbook of Leadership, 164.
4 Beerel, A. (2021). Rethinking leadership: A critique of contemporary theories. Routledge.
5 Hoke, J. (1887). The Great Tradition of 1863: Or, General Lee in Pennsylvania. WJ Shuey.
6 Weber, J. L. (2011). Lincoln’s Critics: The Copperheads. Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, 32(1), 33-47.
7 Burlingame, M. (2017). Abraham Lincoln and the Death of His Son Willie. When Life Strikes the President: Scandal, Death, and Illness in the White House, Oxford University Press.
8 Ibid, 4.
9 Millett, A. R., & Maslowski, P. (1994). For the common defense. Free Press.
10 American Battlefield Trust. (n.d.). Gettysburg. Retrieved June 26, 2024 from https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civilwar/battles/gettysburg
11 U.S. Library of Congress. (n.d.). Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation, Retrieved June 26, 2024 from https:// www.loc.gov/collections/abrahamlincoln-papers/articles-and-essays/ abraham-lincoln-and-emancipation/.
12 McPherson, J. M. (2003). Battle cry of freedom: The Civil War era. Oxford University Press.
13 Ibid, 8.
14 National Parks Service. (n.d.). Hooker takes command. Retrieved June 26, 2024 from https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/ hooker-takes-command.htm.
15 American Battlefield Trust. (n.d.). George B. McClellan. Retrieved June 26, 2024 from https://www.battlefields.org/ learn/biographies/george-b-mcclellan
16 U.S. Library of Congress. (n.d.). The Civil War in America December 1862–October 1863. Retrieved June 26, 2024 from https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/ civil-war-in-america/december-1862october-1863.html.
17 Ibid, 8.
ADDITIONAL REFERENCES
McPherson, J. (2018). To Conquer a Peace: Lee’s Goals in the Gettysburg Campaign. Historynet, Retrieved June 26, 2024 from https://www.historynet.com/ conquer-peace-lees-goals-gettysburgcampaign/
Reardon, C. & Vossler, T. (n.d.). The Gettysburg Campaign. Center of Military History United States Army.
DOUGLAS NEWMAN is assistant chief of police for Fife, Washington, USA.
Building a DashboardPublic as an ICMA Local Government Management Fellow
Key takeaways from an impactful project in Cedar Park, Texas BY CHANCE
The role of an ICMA Local Government Management Fellow presents a unique challenge: stepping into a new organization, quickly understanding its operations and initiatives, and making a tangible impact within a limited timeframe.
As a fellow, I was tasked with creating the first-ever public dashboard for the city of Cedar Park, Texas, to communicate organizational performance and progress on priorities outlined in the strategic plan. This was an entirely new experience for me, but my success in this initiative boiled down to two key factors: (1) securing
a champion and executive buy-in, and (2) building strong relationships.
The Importance of Having a Champion and Executive Buy-In
Having a champion— someone in a leadership role who understands the value of your project and ensures it remains a priority—is
WOOD
essential when starting any new initiative. My champion was one of the city’s assistant city managers. Together, we outlined the project scope, identified priorities, and strategized on how best to advocate for the initiative.
When you’re new to an organization and spearheading a project, your champion will be instrumental in helping you navigate internal politics and ensuring support from staff.
With leadership’s support, the dashboard project gained legitimacy and encouraged participation from departments. Without executive sponsorship, efforts to standardize data collection or streamline reporting could have received resistance and stalled. Securing early support from senior leadership provided me with the authority needed to be successful, bring departments together, and ensure that quarterly updates were submitted on time.
The Importance of Discovery Meetings
Another crucial step in integrating into an organization is learning how
By integrating information across departments through a public dashboard, we created a more holistic approach to performance management that better reflected the interconnected nature of city services.
it operates. For my public dashboard project, discovery meetings with department heads and frontline staff provided invaluable insights into the city’s strategic priorities and the key performance indicators that mattered most.
When I began, I relied heavily on department heads, as they were the subject matter experts. Through these meetings, I discovered that before this project, quarterly strategic goal and capital project updates were tracked on an Excel spreadsheet with inconsistent levels of detail. Updates required constant follow-ups and reminders as deadlines approached. While the dashboard was designed for public transparency, one of the biggest internal benefits of these discovery meetings was recognizing the need to streamline the city’s reporting process.
Sunset over Bushy Creek Lake Park in Cedar Park, Texas
Chance Wood (middle) presenting the dashboard to the Cedar Park City Manager’s Office. Left to right: Chris Copple, assistant city manager; Brenda Eivens, city manager; Yoko Matsumoto, assistant city manager; and Beau Falgout, assistant city manager.
In some cases, critical information—such as accomplishments, roadblocks, or next steps—was missing, and late updates were common. From the start, I sought to understand existing workflows and update procedures while providing departments with an opportunity to contribute to process improvements. Thankfully, they were eager to collaborate and saw the value in making their jobs easier. By engaging with department heads and staff early, I was able to map out update efforts, identify gaps, and highlight information more clearly and transparently. More importantly, these meetings helped establish relationships and trust, making it easier to navigate challenges later when I needed information.
Without this foundational step, the dashboard project could have easily become just another version of the old Excel spreadsheet.
Collaborating with Other Departments
Each department has its own methods for tracking performance data and reporting progress. Consolidating this information into a centralized system requires consistent communication and cooperation. Build upon the relationships and connections you developed during the discovery meetings. By engaging directly with department heads and staff, I was able to bridge gaps between siloed data sources, get insight into their workflow, and develop a more comprehensive view of
citywide performance.
Collaboration also allowed departments to see the broader impact of their work beyond their individual areas and how it fits into wider city initiatives. For instance, the parks and recreation department’s strategic initiatives directly influenced those of the engineering and capital projects department. By integrating information across departments through a public dashboard, we created a more holistic approach to performance management that better reflected the interconnected nature of city services.
Additionally, working together provided an opportunity to build a shared sense of ownership over the dashboard. Rather than seeing it as a top-down reporting tool, departments viewed
Achieve Compliance and Build Resident Trust
Powering and Empowering Government
Like your community, your website is an actively growing and changing entity. To ensure that as you add and update content, links, forms, documents, files, and tools, your website remains accessible to every community member, you need integrated quality assurance and web governance tools. No matter the size of your team and budget, we have easy-to-implement and maintain tools to empower your content creators.
it as a resource that could improve their own decisionmaking processes and internal tracking. This buy-in was essential for maintaining engagement and ensuring that updates remained timely and accurate.
Lessons for Future Fellows
For Local Government Management fellows and others embarking on similar projects, here are a few key takeaways from my experience.
1. Secure a champion and executive buy-in. What you do at an organization as a fellow is important. If leadership gives you a project, you need to gain their support of your approach to ensure your project has legitimacy in the
ICMA’s Local Government Management Fellowship
The Local Government Management Fellowship (LGMF) is a highly competitive career development opportunity that places fellows in full-time local government managementtrack positions shaped by direct mentorship under senior government leaders and rotational assignments. Fellows are given the opportunity to assume real responsibility, thrive in an environment that recognizes potential, and gain unique exposure to local government. Finalists are selected based on academic performance, demonstrated leadership potential, commitment to public service, communication skills, initiative, creativity, and positive attitude. Finalists then interview for 12-month fellowship appointments at local governments across the United States.
The LGMF continues to provide a groundbreaking career entry opportunity for fellows and provide communities with impactful change. Over the past 20 years, the program has generated 425 fellows, more than 35 who have taken on a chief or assistant chief administrative officer role, and alums who have continued a mentorship cycle through hosting fellows.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible to participate in the Local Government Management Fellowship, an applicant must:
• Be a recent graduate or student enrolled in a public administration, public policy, or related field master’s degree program.
• Satisfy all of the requirements for their degree program by August 31 of the year of the fellowship.
• Have no formal local government management work experience.
• Be eligible to work in the United States.
• Complete the LGMF application by the closing date.
Salary and Benefits Packages
Salary and benefits packages for fellows vary based on a number of factors and are determined by the host city. Both will be discussed with fellows at the end of the interview process, if they are to be offered a position with the host city.
ICMA Benefits
Those individuals placed in an LGMF host community receive:
• Complimentary ICMA membership for two years.
• Complimentary registration to the ICMA Annual Conference.
• Scholarship funds to support travel and registration to an ICMA Local Government Reimagined Conference.
• Complimentary access to ICMA’s Management Assessment.
• Complimentary subscription to PM Magazine. Learn more at icma.org/lgmf.
eyes of staff and fosters department participation.
2. Invest in discovery meetings. Building relationships and understanding organizational priorities early on lays the foundation for success. Talking with department heads and staff allowed me to get to know them and their roles, which gave me the best insight into what was important to them as I slowly began to understand processes in the organization.
3. Ensure alignment with strategic goals.
A dashboard should not just collect data—it should tell a compelling story that reflects the city’s mission and objectives. Lean on your project champion and department heads to better understand their needs and help you find the alignment with your project and how it connects to the broader organizational goals.
4. Showcase internal value. While public-facing dashboards are important for transparency, their biggest impact often lies in improving internal reporting and decision-making. Sell staff on how you are helping to make their job easier.
With this approach even a Local Government Management fellow can drive meaningful improvements in an organization. The experience of building a public dashboard reinforced the importance of patience, persistence, and adaptability—skills that will serve me well in any future local government role.
CHANCE WOOD served as a 2024-2025 Local Government Management Fellow for Cedar Park, Texas, USA. Following the fellowship, he accepted a permanent role as a utility analyst for the Cedar Park Department of Public Works.
Don’t Abandon the Profession in Retirement
How to stay engaged and put your years in local government to good use.
BY ROD GOULD, ICMA-CM, DR. FRANK BENEST, ICMA-CM, AND JAN PERKINS, ICMA-CM
etirement brings with it a new phase in life after a long tenure as a city or county management professional. You have earned the new discretionary time that comes with retirement thanks to your local government service over decades. Good for you! And now you have numerous choices for what is likely to be many years of active life ahead of you.
Upon retirement, some people completely walk away from any local government involvement. They have had enough of city council and governing board meetings, budgets, angry residents, and difficult-to-solve and often conflict-ridden challenges. For some of our colleagues,
retirement is a time to focus on deferred art or music interests, try out new hobbies, get serious about physical fitness, or engage in volunteer activities that give back in a new way as well as provide positive social interaction.
Retirement from a full-time city or county position is also a great opportunity to stay engaged in making our local governments better, but in a different way. There are many reasons to do this.
• You have built a body of knowledge over your career that can be valuable to those who follow.
• You have a network of colleagues and experts who are people of character and well worth staying
in communication with as friends.
• You firmly believe in the council-manager form of government and local representative democracy and want the best for communities to thrive in unsteady times.
• You enjoy encouraging and supporting the next generation of local government professionals.
• You still have plenty of energy and can’t play pickleball all day.
If any of these descriptions apply to you, consider how to stay involved in making a difference in our local government profession. We recommend the following options, in order of time commitment from least to most.
Join an ICMA or state association committee or taskforce.
Your expertise and career perspective can be of use to our professional associations. You will meet other professionals and make new friends. The time commitment is not heavy.
Guest lecture in MPA classes.
You will interact with young people making their way in the local government world and provide real life lessons in the art and practice of local government management. The professors are eager to have you in their classes and many lectures can be delivered remotely. The time commitment is quite manageable as you
Retirement is a great opportunity to stay engaged in making our local governments better, but in a different way.
develop your talks and give your lectures. Be prepared for interactive sessions as the norm.
Write articles for professional journals and magazines.
Various professional publications are looking for well-written articles on local government, including PM Magazine. If you enjoy writing, you can tap into your knowledge base and offer articles on best practices and techniques or new ways of thinking about common problems. The time commitment is up to you to decide how often you write and when.
Some of our colleagues have taken the additional step of writing books about the profession, both fiction and nonfiction. There are a variety of means to get such books published. These works become resources for those in the profession as well as MPA
programs. Clearly there is a greater time commitment to writing books than articles.
Become a coach, mentor, or senior advisor.
Coaching, mentoring, and advising are different things but share the same goal of helping professionals achieve their potential in their work. ICMA and various state associations have coaching and advising programs. Learn more about the ICMA Coaching Program and register as a coach at icma.org/coachconnect ICMA senior advisors work in conjunction with their state associations to provide members with confidential professional and personal support and advice. Senior advisors also help communities interested in creating a professional local government management position, including adoption of the council-manager government. Learn more at icma.org/senior-advisors. You will build trust with the professionals you coach, mentor or advise and help them find their own answers to their pressing public administration problems. Training is available to help you become confident in coaching and mentoring. The time commitment is not heavy. The chance to make a difference is significant.
Join a city/county commission, advisory board, or ad hoc advisory committee. Volunteer your expertise and deep knowledge of
municipal or county affairs to help your local government as a citizen advisor on policies and programs. These posts usually meet monthly (although planning commissions can meet more often). There is reading to do
between meetings, but it’s not burdensome.
Become a trainer.
Some of our colleagues have developed part-time work as trainers of local government officials, both elected and
appointed. You will need teaching, presentation, facilitation, and some graphic design and technology skills, but this work can be very stimulating. You may choose to go it alone, in which case you are entirely responsible for
marketing and administration, or you can work through a firm or government association, which helps with both. The time commitment varies with the workload you can generate and take on.
Serve on a nonprofit board.
Although not strictly related to local government, local nonprofit service builds community as was your goal as a city or county manager. Your skills in meeting management, budgeting, operations oversight, and planning make you an ideal candidate for many nonprofit boards. The time commitment varies with the organization and board but generally fits very well with retired life.
Volunteer in a city or county department. There are loads of
opportunities to help in meaningful ways in police, health, community service, cultural and fire departments, and libraries alongside regular employees. You get to assist line workers directly in the provision of critical services and can tailor your time commitment to meet your retirement needs. You often interact with the public and are a force multiplier for your city or county.
Teach a public administration class. Most MPA programs like to incorporate adjunct professors to balance the teaching of academic professors. The students seek practitioners as professors as you can demystify how things are really done as opposed to theory and research studies. Helping the next generation(s) get a foothold in local government or prepare for promotion is very satisfying for some retirees. The upfront work of developing a syllabus, course outline, or teaching plan can take significant effort, but after offering the class once or twice, the preparatory works becomes fine tuning. There will be papers and tests to be graded and ad hoc oneon-one vocational counseling, but it is very manageable while enjoying retirement. Increasingly, courses are offered remotely.
Become a local government recruiter/ search consultant.
As a former executive, you interviewed many dozens of people for various positions. You also have knowledge of the responsibilities of many city and county positions, and you know a thing or two about
people. These attributes could make you an effective recruiter or search consultant. You would have the chance to help fill key roles with qualified and motivated people. The time commitment would vary with the number of searches you undertake at a time, but there is generally flexibility to take time off for travel and family.
Become a local government consultant. Either join a firm or offer your services solo. Consulting will engage skills you developed over your career and allow you to assist local governments and professionals without taking on full- or even parttime duties. There are dozens of needs for consultants to advise, assess, backstop staff, train, and facilitate in local governments. Know your strengths and interests. Do you listen well? Can you deliver in
an organized way? You control how many engagements you undertake and must do some marketing. Note: you will not be paid to simply provide your opinions on public policy or administrative matters. You will need to write and analyze well and use current technologies to meet client expectations.
Take on
interim/acting roles. This is very similar to the work you retired from, but for a limited period. Most interim/acting assignments run for three to six months. You receive a full salary. Everyone knows that you are there temporarily, yet you can help set the stage for the next executive by making needed changes and charting the way forward for the permanent city manager or county executive. This is a very real
ENCORE CAREER RESOURCES
Visit icma.org/encore for several “how-to” papers developed by the Cal-ICMA Encore Committee:
• “So, You Want to be an Interim Manager?”
• “So, You Want to be a Consultant?”
• “So, You Want to be a University Professor?”
• “So, You Want to be a Non-Profit Executive?”
Two helpful PM articles:
• “Encore! Encore! Creating a Fulfilling Next Life Phase”
• “Navigating Your Retirement Journey— Insights and Tips from Partners”
service and can be intense. The time commitment while in such a role may be much the same as how you worked before retirement, or you may set some boundaries. It is a serious chance to make a short-term difference and use your skills and experience to better local government.
In Conclusion, Don’t Fade Away
You have developed considerable skills, knowledge, relationships, and perspective over your years as a city or county manager. Consider undertaking these types of part-time roles to continue your service while reaping the benefits of retirement. You will enrich your next phase experience while benefiting others and our profession.
ROD GOULD, ICMA-CM, is chairman of the board of HdL Companies, a former ICMA Executive Board member, retired city manager, Raftelis Senior Advisor, and supporter of all those who toil in local government service. (rodgould17@gmail.com)
DR. FRANK BENEST, ICMA-CM, is a retired city manager and currently serves as a local government trainer and ICMA’s liaison for Next Generation Initiatives. (frank@frankbenest.com).
JAN PERKINS, ICMA-CM, vice president of Raftelis, a local government management consultant and facilitator, former city manager, and a believer in good government and in the city management profession. (jperkins@raftelis.com)
The Prescription for Curing Leadership Malpractice
Diagnosing and treating toxic leadership traits
BY PATRICK IBARRA
Taking control of uncertainty and successfully steering the organization and community through frequent bends in the road is the fundamental leadership challenge of our time. And it calls for a distinctly different type of leadership than traditionally expected. The advantage now goes to those who don’t just learn to live with change, but who create change and fashion themselves as catalysts. The most effective leaders anticipate where their workforce is headed and see changes before others do.
Over the years, I have had the good fortune of partnering with leaders, both elected and appointed, from communities of all sizes across the nation, helping them realize their potential, individually and collectively. Consequently, I have come across a number of leaders who are incredibly capable, possessing high character, and demonstrating the courage and conviction required to make the tough decisions with compassion and empathy as their guide.
“Leadership can come from anywhere. Most often it comes from the ground up, but it can come from any direction, not just the top down.”
– Mark Twain
Leaders traffic in trust and trust is the currency in all our relationships. Trust is also fragile and difficult to restore when it’s violated. It is my opinion that leadership has less to do with titles and everything to do with behavior/performance.
Concurrently, I have also worked with several people in leadership positions, including during my 15 years in city management, that are either totally unqualified or lack sufficient self-awareness to execute their role effectively. For these types of leaders, building relationships is not a priority and their focus is more on exercising power and less on cultivating influence. I refer to the practices used by those types of people as leadership malpractice.
• Back in my day everything was better.
• Young people today don’t have the same work ethic as my generation.
• I have an open-door policy.
• My employees only see me when there’s a problem.
• You’re on a need-to-know basis and right now, you don’t need to know.
• If you don’t like it here, there are other people who want your job.
• Leave your personal life at home.
• I need you here every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Here are the most common phrases associated with those who commit leadership malpractice, at least according to my unscientific approach. (While reading these you might want to admit that at some point, you’ve said them, too. I know I have.)
• Our people are our most important asset.
• I’m too busy to complete your performance appraisal. You’re doing fine. Don’t worry about it.
• There are no 5-level performers here because if someone receives a 5 rating they’ll stop working hard.
• Don’t come to me with a problem unless you have a solution.
• You need to be a better team player.
• I’ll do it for you just this one time, but don’t tell anybody.
• We’re a family here.
• They have a nice personality, so they’ll do well here.
• You want me to improve our performance? Then I need more employees, equipment, technology, facilities, and a larger budget.
• No news is good news.
• I just returned from a conference and have an idea for us to do something new and improved.
• It’s my way or the highway.
• Don’t question what I told you.
• You don’t need to know the reason behind it, just do it.
• Know your place.
• He’s worked in government, so he’ll work out well here.
• Why can’t your wife go pick up your sick child at school?
• I don’t want to train employees, they might leave.
• You haven’t been here long enough or done the job well enough to be promoted.
• I don’t have time; I’m in meetings all day
• We tried that once and it didn’t work.
• The governing body won’t let us.
• That employee is in a union, so he’s untouchable,
• We’ve always done it that way.
• We use only best practices.
“Leaders are made; they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price that all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”
—Vince Lombardi
Leadership malpractice refers to failures or negligence by leaders that result in harm to their organizations, teams, or stakeholders. This concept draws parallels to professional malpractice in fields like medicine or law, where a deviation from accepted practices causes damage. Examples of leadership malpractice include people with: Low Self-Awareness. Proven time and again is that a high degree of self-awareness is essential to being successful in so many professions, and in life, for that matter.
Stale Mindset. There are those people whose mindset hasn’t evolved over time and live in a world that no longer exists. As I like to say, they’re driving around with a VCR in their passenger seat searching for Blockbuster Video, or they believe no great music has been released since they graduated from high school. (Okay, well, that may be true.)
Failure to Adapt. Clinging to outdated practices or resisting necessary change. Their favorite phrases are “we’ve always done it that way” and its companion, “this is the way we’ve always done it.” It’s extremely difficult to fix today’s problems with yesterday’s solutions.
Remember, not everyone is for progress, especially those who stand to gain by maintaining the status quo.
Shifting Priorities. Every week there’s a new priority, which results in change fatigue among staff. When everything is a priority, nothing is a priority.
Wasting Talent: Failing to utilize the skills and potential of team members effectively. They tend to hire clones of themselves, believe that training employees will only lead to those employees leaving the organization, and promote technical proficiency over potential.
Lack of Empathy.
Ignoring the well-being and needs of employees or stakeholders. Treating people like objects is a habit for people who commit leadership malpractice.
Poor Decision-making. Making choices without adequate information, foresight, or consideration of consequences. They oversimplify just about every situation and relegate decision-making to common sense. My observation is if common sense was common, more people would have it.
Erosion of Trust. Leaders traffic in trust. Poor leaders
act in ways that undermine confidence in their leadership ability, such as being dishonest or inconsistent.
Steering instead of Guiding. Classic micromanagers (by the way, no one ever says “that person is a great micro-manager”) who over manage and under lead. They often say to themselves, “if I want something done right around here, I have to do it myself.”
Being Busy as Opposed to Being Productive. In today’s workplace, there is tremendous pressure for everyone to be busy, which candidly isn’t hard to achieve, but being productive, well, that’s another dimension altogether.
The consequences of leadership malpractice can be severe, leading to low morale, reduced productivity, poor hiring decisions, unhealthy workplace culture, departure of talented employees, and even organizational failure. You lead people, you manage things like equipment, technology, buildings, fleet, programs, services, and operations. Employees don’t want to be managed; they want to be led.
Figure 1 shows a quick list for you to refer to as you continue your career. When
you have a moment, dig a bit deeper on the Leadership column and do some selfreflection. Remember, no one can give you permission to be a leader, and until you see yourself as one, no one else will.
Right now, write down how you would describe yourself without using these words: your name, job title, or the specific roles you have at work or at home. As you do, think of yourself as a set of capabilities instead of a series of functions/roles. My point here is for you to acknowledge that you are so much more than the roles you play. Maybe you jotted down some of these capabilities:
• Passionate about public service.
• Inspired by other people who choose to try to leave the world a little better than they find it every day.
• Guided by values- and principles in the choices you make and the actions you take.
• Seeking to make a difference and not just a living.
• Models a culture of smart, prudent risk-taking.
• Constantly curious and wanting to discover and explore new things, new people, and new places.
• Uncompromising about treating others with respect.
• Ambitious but not at the expense of others.
• Vigilant about your professional development while recognizing that growth and comfort don’t co-exist.
• Consistently reinforce your brand through your actions, conveying that you’re a builder of others, helping them pursue their potential. (Keep in mind,
Figure 1. Management versus Leadership
Management Leadership
Doing things right
Efficiency
Outputs
Process and policy
Compliance
Plumbing
Telling
Insist
Conformity
your brand isn’t just a logo; it’s your reputation.)
I contend that leaders are the protagonists of their organization, and the antagonist is doing nothing, maintaining the status quo. Here is my prescription for avoiding or curing leadership malpractice, intended for you to better execute your role as a modern leader serving as the CEO—chief example officer. Think of these as a series of “One Minute Leader” tips, tools. and techniques.
1. To be credible, you must be believable, and in order to be believable, people must trust you. Leaders traffic in trust.
2. You understand that your open-door policy means venturing out of your own office/workspace. Employees feel more comfortable opening up in their world and not yours. To be approachable, you must be accessible.
3. You make decisions with courage, compassion, and conviction, and live with the consequences. It’s easy to simply be liked as a leader: let employees
Doing the right things
Effectiveness
Outcomes
People and purpose
Commitment
Poetry
Teaching
Inspire
Creativity
do what they want. It’s much more difficult to be respected. Leaders effect positive outcomes, which doesn’t mean every situation is stress-free. Far from it.
4. The linkage between a particular type of personality and high performance is thin at best. Focus less on personality and more on performance. We’ve all known people that were outgoing that were not necessarily strong performers.
5. You recognize the major difference between power, which is associated with status, and influence, which is the result of building healthy relationships.
6. Relationships are established and maintained by listening, so you practice listening to understand instead of listening to reply.
7. Successful leaders wander and wonder so you wander around and wonder about things because you’re curious. When we are curious, we view tough situations more creatively
and have fewer defensive reactions to stress.
8. You avoid narrow identity claims associated with a specific feature (“we provide services”) or an identity that becomes meaningless because it’s too generic (“we are a government agency.”) Instead, you understand that local government is defined as a set of capabilities in its pursuit as a facilitator for a better quality of life. You emphasize that you, and the members of the governing body, and your workforce are all community builders.
9. Operating from an abundance of mindset (as opposed to scarcity), you regularly seek opportunities to demonstrate support for your staff and frequently offer praise and recognition.
10. You’re a catalyst for doing things differently and doing different things. Never satisfied with the way things are, you operate from the premise that change is a process, not
an event, and enlist others in the pursuit of “getting better all the time.”
11. You always deliver bad news in person, like when an employee wasn’t selected for a promotion. You don’t stand behind policies but lead through your principles. Integrity is one of the pillars of your moral compass.
12. You don’t unconditionally accept mistakes from yourself or others, but you realize mistakes are part of learning and that a great way to not make mistakes is not try anything new. Not trying is not an option. Mistakes by others are a teachable moment for leaders to learn more about themselves.
13. Knowing that in your role you’re on a big stage with an intense spotlight and a loud microphone, you realize that values matter now more than ever, so you deliberately insert words like pride, courage, commitment, and character into daily conversations and act accordingly.
14. A healthy workplace culture creates emotional energy for your employees. You cultivate a workplace culture that makes sure the penalty for making mistakes is not greater than the penalty for doing nothing. These leaders realize that growth and comfort don’t co-exist, but that creativity and discipline do, in their efforts to nurture and cultivate potential solutions.
15. Every organization is perfectly designed to get the results it gets. Whatever
your organization is accomplishing, it’s on purpose. Effective leaders link the results they’re driving for with the goals of the organization. Measuring outputs assuming their results is mistaken. Government is designed to achieve social outcomes, not just more outputs.
16. You serve in a democratic institution run by elected officials, so assuming that you can escape politics is a non-starter. Effective leaders navigate a political terrain full of subtleties and nuances and without being deferential, keep their integrity intact. It’s called judgment.
17. Is your organization changing as fast as the world around us? If not, it’s time to speed it up. High-performing leaders recognize that the merit of an idea has little to do with its success. Organizations
have tons of great ideas discarded to the cemetery. Become fluent in change and shepherd new ideas into your organization’s DNA by being purposeful, deliberate, and intentional.
18. Recognize that mindset is as critical as skillset, so you strive to build a collective leadership capability. No matter how smart, accomplished, or charismatic they are, high-performing leaders understand that they will achieve their objectives only through mutual accountability and collective ownership of their organization’s future challenges. They also understand that high-value employees want to take part in a leadership capability that is distributed throughout the organization rather than concentrated only on the executive level.
19. Recognizing your role as a teacher and that you’re not the audience for your message, you continually seek opportunities to engage employees in broadbased discussions about strategies, opportunities, and purposes.
20. Conversations are the oxygen of priorities, so you’re disciplined about establishing direction and sustaining progress without being too easily distracted.
21. Focus your employees on being results-centric instead of rules-centric. Granted, rules and regulations have a place in the delivery of good government but sometimes the process becomes more important than the outcome.
22. You are vigilant about being curious—asking questions of yourself and others—to keep your
approach fresh and to stay relevant. As the saying goes, change before you have to instead of because you have to.
23. You build a vibrant talent factory. An organization with a vibrant, forwardlooking talent strategy has a built-in engine for growth, performance, and renewal. Such a talent strategy will include the scanning capability to examine skills requirements in a turbulent economic environment. It will have the capacity to turn that scanning capability into an effective talent-acquisition strategy. Continuous, on-going learning for employees at all levels will be the norm and is intended to help employees realize their potential. Ask yourself this question: what if you don’t invest in your employees and they stay?
24. Do you “require” employees to bring a solution when they present a problem? Sounds good in theory, doesn’t it? Immediately revise this unwritten practice because every time an employee encounters a problem, they feel obligated to bring forward a solution. But when they don’t have one, guess what? They don’t bring you the problem. Creativity is today’s currency for success so you engage your employees in a collaborative discussion about the problem and seek to co-dissect it to determine what can be implemented to mitigate or fix the issue.
25. Leadership teams are always places of intense
debate. The hallmark of a well-run team/group is conversations happen in the room and not in the hallway. If too many occur in the hallway, then trust is absent. The composition of any leadership team is a delicate balance between continuity and change, between preserving institutional memory and infusing fresh perspectives. Selecting new leaders is an enjoyable part of building a leadership team. Keep in mind that your executive leadership team is the equivalent of the board of directors for your organization while your governing body is the board of directors for the community.
26. Whatever you tolerate you advocate so you never do your employee’s homework. Instead, you co-create reasonable performance expectations with members of your staff, assist them in their pursuit of achieving those expectations, and hold everyone accountable, including yourself.
27. People don’t wash a rental car because it’s not theirs. Effective leaders enlist employees in the organization’s journey and emphasize that participation breeds commitment, helping employees have “skin in the game.”
28. Best practices often masquerade as innovation. Research and development is a priority for you because the community you serve isn’t static; it’s highly dynamic. What got you/it here won’t get you there. You explore the
next practices to address emerging trends and help policy makers differentiate between issues they can manage and problems they can solve.
29. Workplace culture is the equivalent of a thermostat, so you avoid turning it up too hot, which
continue to be successful by choice and not by chance. Keep in mind that valuable leaders strike a healthy balance between securing compliance and enlisting commitment from organizational members in their collective efforts to build a high-performing organization, and ultimately, a
“I’m not sure what a team is. I think it’s a bunch of people who get together and then they all do their own thing.”
—The
movie Office Space
wears people out, or turning it down too cold, which creates a feeling of immunity among people. Without a doubt, people need to be a bit uncomfortable to stay relevant because comfort can breed complacency.
30. As a leader with empathy, you operate from the platinum rule: treat others as they like to be treated. My opinion: I think the golden rule in the workplace is the height of selfishness and rarely works.
So, there you have it, my prescription to avoiding or curing leadership malpractice designed to help you transition, maybe transform your approach, and when practiced will ensure you
stronger community. These types of leaders are successful in large part to their ability to recognize that trust is the currency by which they engender followers. Relying on trust as the primary lubricant in fostering good relationships, these leaders galvanize their workforce to achieve record results and move forward in all directions.
PATRICK IBARRA
is a former city manager with more than 15 years in local government and the last 23 years as a consultant. He and his consulting firm, the Mejorando Group, are passionate about unleashing human potential. (patrick@ gettingbetterallthetime.com)
Combatting Chronic Organizational Distress
Employees are overwhelmed and stressed out, and productivity has plummeted.
The solution lies in how leaders retool their organizations.
BY DR. FRANK BENEST, ICMA-CM
Dear Frank:
I am the HR director of a large suburban city government. I have been tasked by the city manager and the executive team to help our employees deal with a lot of stress and anxiety that are hurting organizational productivity.
Our employees are feeling overwhelmed and stressed by ever-increasing demands, new initiatives, a fairly large number of vacancies, and difficulties in filling positions. Our latest employee survey indicated a significant amount of job dissatisfaction among employees across many organizational units. Work-life balance is a top concern. We have even witnessed a growing number of mental health issues.
I am working with our training manager in HR to develop training sessions to help employees better manager their time, set priorities, balance work-life responsibilities, and focus on wellness and self-care. However, what we are planning seems inadequate. Can you suggest how we should respond?
My response:
Most local government leaders are witnessing an escalating incidence of employee uncertainty, anxiety, stress, feelings about being out of control, and growing dissatisfaction with their jobs. While offering employee training sessions on time management, work-life balance, and self-care may somewhat ameliorate the situation, it will not fix the problem. The big problem is not employee distress; it is organizational distress.
By focusing on employees and their inability to handle ever-increasing stress and anxiety, we are blaming the victims and focusing on the symptoms, not the causes of organizational distress.1
Chronic distress now being experienced by many local government employees is an organizational challenge and thus requires an organizational response. Therefore, I am going to suggest some organizational responses to chronic distress.
What are the sources of organizational distress?
It’s reported that 71% of professionals and knowledge workers have experienced burnout; over half more than once. This problem is worse in the public sector, especially local government, because demands keep coming from the public, as well as elected officials, regardless of resources or our capacity to respond.2
There are many sources of distress:
• Constant new demands from elected officials and the public.
Figure 1.
• Ever-changing priorities from the governing body and top management.
• New initiatives.
• Introduction of new technologies or ways of doing work.
• Unfunded mandates.
• Staff churn and unfilled vacancies, causing even more work for those remaining.
• Unrelenting criticism of local government executives and employees from elected officials as well as the public.
• Long commutes in high-cost regions.
• Difficulty in juggling responsibilities to care for children or elders.
To exacerbate the situation, employees feel overwhelmed by all their “busyness.” They spend most of their day rushing from one meeting to another, jumping on and off the phone, and plowing through endless emails. At the end of the day, they are frustrated that they did not get any high-impact work done or address any key project.3
As one example, we are overwhelmed with meetings. Employees spend an average of 10 hours a week in meetings and say that 43% of the meetings are a waste of time. Mid-managers report that all their unproductive busy-work leaves them with only six and a half hours a week to do their actual work.4
What is the paradox of increased workloads?
Knowledge workers, including many local government employees, reported a 31%
increase in their workloads over the past year. The paradox is that increased workloads have not translated into higher productivity. Part of the reason is that only 51% of completed work by knowledge workers is considered high impact.5 Consequently, the United States was only tenth in the world in gross domestic product per employee hour worked.6
What are the negative impacts?
Figure 1 shows a simple depiction of how chronic organizational distress happens and creates negative impacts.
What is the difference between good and bad stress?
Not all feelings of stress experienced by employees are the same. Some stress is good. Eustress is defined as moderate
levels of psychological stress that is beneficial for the experience. Healthy doses of stress energize and motivate us, challenge us, and promote our learning. If we do not feel any stress, it is difficult to perform and achieve our desired results.7
Too much or prolonged stress creates bad stress. Distress is defined as emotional, social, physical, or spiritual pain or suffering that may cause a person to feel sad, afraid, depressed, anxious or lonely. People who are distressed may not be able to manage or cope with normal work or personal activities and responsibilities.
What is chronic organizational stress?
What many local government
agencies are experiencing is chronic organizational distress. Chronic organizational stress is when employees are feeling anxious and distressed by the conditions outside of themselves with little control over these stress drivers. Most importantly, these drivers of stress are persistent and cumulative.
Why
confront the problem now?
This problem of stressed employees struggling with overwork has become more and more apparent for a number of years. It is natural for residents to want local governments to provide more services and address new problems, and elected officials want to respond to these expectations and
demands. However, local government organizations have increasingly lacked the capacity to respond. The Great Recession resulted in the elimination of a number of positions and the pandemicrelated revenue losses and other impacts wreaked havoc on organizational capacity.
To make matters worse, new adaptive problems just keep on coming. Chief executives in local governments have tried to accommodate these new demands with inadequate resources. There is little unused organizational capacity to address additional challenges. As previously mentioned, these efforts to respond have led to chronic organizational distress. Moreover, when employees see this inability on the part
of chief executives to say “no,” they are disheartened and the problem is exacerbated. Simply put, executive leaders can no longer ignore the problem of mounting organizational distress. We must directly confront it.
Why are employeefocused solutions inadequate?
Providing employee training and wellness resources is helpful but inadequate. Certainly, training and other employee-focused solutions may help people better manage their time, use stress-reduction techniques, prioritize wellness and self-care, and generally promote work-life balance. For example, self-care strategies (healthy diet,
exercising, sufficient sleep) help employees better cope and become more resilient. However, these efforts do not get at the root causes of chronic organizational distress, which hurt the well-being of employees and undercut performance and productivity.8
There is no magic bullet. However, local government leaders can retool the organization in various ways to combat organizational distress and enhance culture.
What are helpful organizational strategies?
Certainly, the chief executive needs to model helpful behaviors so that others can minimize their distress. The city or county manager must set boundaries and norms about when he or she can be scheduled and reached and other times when family and other pursuits take precedence.
If a leader is always everywhere and everything to everyone, they are not minimizing the stress on the organization. They are nurturing it. Beyond modeling, there are a number of efforts that organizational leaders can undertake to better insulate employees and enhance organizational performance.
1. Visibly confront the lack of capacity.
Chief executives can no longer ignore organizational distress and must now confront it head on. In one-to-one meetings with governing board members and at governing board meetings, budget hearings, and community meetings, executives must
diplomatically yet assertively confront reality:
• 90–95% of available resources are already committed to ongoing service delivery.
• There is no available unused capacity to respond to new demands without decreasing the quantity or quality of services, eliminating some service altogether, or deprioritizing or delaying some work.
• Possible one-time grants or other one-time monies will not solve the challenge of maintaining the new service once it is launched.
Chief executives must also use their annual performance review as an opportunity to enroll the governing board in efforts to minimize organizational overload.
The governing board and service user groups must right-size their expectations of the organization if it is to fulfill its ongoing mission. Realistic expectations require difficult trade-offs. If the governing board does not make the trade-offs, their policy responsibility falls to staff. The governing board is then abdicating its policy role.
These are difficult and risky conversations with elected officials and stakeholder groups. This kind of leadership from the chief executive obviously requires courage. However, this is the role and responsibility of the chief executive.
2. Conduct a conversation with the executive team about your culture of overwork.
To start this journey of organizational revitalization, you must first set aside some time with your executive
team to discuss your culture of overwork. If the demands keep coming and your organization is not responding except by adding more work to everyone’s plate, your top leadership is contributing to the distress.
As indicated, employee workloads are increasing, overwork is creating employee distress, and productivity is plummeting. So, the initial questions for the executive team include:
• “Are we concerned about chronic organizational distress?”
• “Are we committed to respond?”
• “What are some initial ideas on how we as an organization can respond?”
3. Ask questions and listen to employees.
Ignoring people’s emotions makes things worse. Leaders need to acknowledge what people are feeling.
Before undertaking any organizational improvement initiatives, it is therefore wise to conduct some listening sessions with employees across the organization, asking what conditions are leading to distress, and hearing their suggestions on how the organization can respond. The mere act of asking these questions and listening to staff demonstrates that leaders are aware of the problem and truly care about employees.
To augment what you hear from employees, top management can collect certain quantifiable data, such as the time allocated to all re-occurring meetings, total hours required by managers and their direct reports to conduct performance evaluations, and employee
engagement and job satisfaction scores from employee surveys. This hard data can help focus attention on the negative impacts of overwork and your “busyness” culture and help compel the organization to respond.
As a follow-up to these listening sessions and the collection of other data, it is critical to provide ongoing feedback to employees on the themes that surfaced and some initial organizational actions in response. Because organizational distress is persistent, it is important to conduct regular “temperature checks” with employees (for instance, pulse surveys) and quarterly check-in meetings with mid-managers.
4. Instigate conversations about purpose.
More demands, more work, and more activity simply overwhelm us. Obviously, the organization needs a set of a few well-defined priorities and managers need to help direct reports focus on high-impact work. However, while prioritysetting may help contain the overwork, it does not make the work meaningful. Purpose makes the work meaningful and provides energy.
Because it is sometimes difficult for employees to see the connection between their work and community benefit, top managers must intentionally conduct conversations with all levels of staff that emphasize the big positive differences that the organization is making in the lives of the people being served. We need to relentlessly highlight the positive impact on children, youth, seniors, and families as a result of our public safety, community
service, library, infrastructure, and utility work.
In focusing on the “why” of our work, leaders can invite internal and external customers to visit staff meetings and talk about the positive impact that the local government agency has made for them. At team meetings, leaders can also ask team members to share a story of how their work made a positive difference for an internal or external customer. These efforts put a human face on the results of our work and promote meaning.
5. Shift your leadership style.
A lot of anxiety is related to the highly complex and longterm adaptive problems (such as homelessness, affordable housing, traffic congestion) thrown at us. There are simply no right or wrong answers for
these adaptive issues. Instead of directing and controlling or “managing” staff who are assigned to address these adaptive challenges, leaders may be more successful if they provide autonomy to employees as they pursue solutions.
Leaders must still articulate the purpose and meaning of these efforts, as well as provide the general direction, the authority to make decisions about their work, and the necessary resources (such as time, budget, and training). If employees are then empowered to “figure it out,” they will tend to be more engaged and self-motivated and own the project.9
As Daniel Pink notes in his book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motives Us, autonomy (along with purpose and mastery) is a great self-motivator.
6. Re-examine organizational policies and practices.
Leaders need to put into place or adjust certain policies or practices to ameliorate the causes of the distress. For instance, do you have an annual priority-setting session with your governing board in order to identify only a few priorities and key projects for the year for which you and the organization will be accountable? Do you communicate what work must be deprioritized or delayed if the governing board wants to add a new priority?
Since governing boards typically throw new projects at departments throughout the year, another helpful practice is to intentionally include in any department work plan for the coming year a 10–15% margin of unused capacity.
Recognizing the new remote and hybrid world
of work, agencies need to re-evaluate how they measure employee productivity. Instead of measuring input (time in office, hours worked), we need to focus on individual and team output (deliverables, results).
Yet another example is to modify policies and practices related to vacations. Some organizations now strongly encourage or require staff to take their vacation time so they can recharge. In addition, HR may encourage all employees to schedule summer vacations in January or February, rather than wait until a few weeks in advance when calendars are cluttered with meetings and other work responsibilities. Planning early forces teams to map out how to meet deadlines and delegate tasks so people do not feel compelled to work during vacations.
To support employees in using their vacations to recharge, some agencies provide staff with vacation checklists with include two vacation “transition” days, one before vacation and the other the first day back in the office. The intent is that the employee uses the time to disconnect and then reconnect.10
What other changes in policies and practices would help?
7. Reform meetings and other time- and energy-draining activities. Most local government staff are overwhelmed with unproductive internal meetings that consume all their time and energy. Since the pandemic, there has been a staggering 192% increase in weekly meetings, making it difficult to complete key projects.11
To underscore the cost of meetings, some organizations embed a cost calculator in their employee calendar app. The calculator spits out an estimate price of the meeting by factoring in the number of attendees, the average compensation for their roles, and meeting length.
Some agencies have conducted meeting audits, doing an inventory of all their standing meetings, eliminating some, and/or reducing the frequency that these meetings are held. Other organizations have stipulated that meetings can only last 45–50 minutes (giving staff time to prepare for the next meeting). Moreover, meetings have been re-focused not on updates (which can be done by email or on some online platform) but rather on one key decision.
Administrative reports and other low-value administrative tasks can be identified and eliminated or reduced in frequency. In other words, the aim is to cut out “stupid work.”12
The other big time and energy drainer is the annual employee performance review. Organizations save thousands of hours of productive time by eliminating annual performance evaluations and relying on well-conducted one-on-one conversations between managers and their direct reports.
What activities in your organization take up time and energy yet add virtually no value?
8. Institute “intentional scheduling.”
Intentional scheduling by work groups can help mitigate distress. For example, instead of a weekly staff meeting taking 60–90 minutes, a work group can schedule each Monday morning a 15–20 minute “huddle” in-person or virtually. Each team member can briefly identify one priority for the week, one challenge that may hinder them, and any help they need. The frequency of regular staff meetings can then be reduced. Another scheduling device is a Wednesday or Friday “no-meeting” practice so people can reflect, plan, and focus on a key priority without interruption or distraction. Since many organizations now allow hybrid work, it is wise to schedule team activities when team members come to the office. The onsite should become the new offsite. In other words, instead of having employees do work in the office that can be done at home, onsite
activities should provide “moments that matter.” These onsite activities may include consensus decision-making, collaboration across units, mentoring, onboarding, training events, project kickoffs, team development, and social bonding.13
Leaders must actively set expectations and standards if intentional scheduling is to become the norm in the organization.
9. Foster a culture of learning.
Yes, we in local government make mistakes, hopefully well-intentioned mistakes. If we are trying to actively push our local government agendas forward, there will be errors. Oftentimes, we are criticized by governing board members and community members for those errors and we can thus become easily demoralized.
To help mitigate the effects of this constant criticism on staff, it is helpful for senior management to emphasize organizational learning. For example, are we constantly searching for best practices in the field? Do we go to professional gatherings in order to identify innovations and better ways to do our work? Are we conducting post-action meetings or debriefings of key experiences and projects and then sharing these learnings throughout the organization? Are we celebrating failures that lead to better future actions?
Well-intentioned mistakes are to be embraced if they promote real learning.
10. Promote workplace belonging and community. A key element of an energizing and enriched employee experience is a sense of
belonging and community. Belonging can help insulate employees from a certain amount of distress.
Employees want to feel that organizational leaders and fellow employees care about them and support them, that they are valued and appreciated, and their opinions count.
To promote belonging in the workplace, leaders should focus on any number of positive “micro-interactions,” such as greeting everyone upon getting to work or arriving early to a meeting so you can chit-chat about non-work topics.14
Leaders can also institute organizational practices that create community, such as:
• Incorporating “connection” exercises at the beginning of team meetings. (For example, share one personal or work joy and one personal or work challenge.)
• Starting team meetings with a “shout out,” acknowledging progress on project goals or small wins.
• Creating thank-you celebrations at the completion of major efforts, such as the council’s approval of the annual budget.
• Instituting peer coaching and other peer support programs.
• Providing “buddy” programs for new hires.
11. Upskill managers. Any organization improvement effort requires the active engagement and support of mid-managers. Positive organizational change happens (or not) in the middle.
The problem is that managers are particularly
burned out. Gallup found that managers are more likely to be distressed and burned out than their employees. This higher prevalence of distress and disengagement is a result of growing workloads, staff vacancies, unclear expectations, and competing priorities. It is no wonder that managers are stressed out given all the new responsibilities heaped on top of the old responsibilities.15 If we want managers to adopt new styles of managing and leading (for instance, communicating purpose, focusing on learning, promoting employee autonomy, providing coaching, and promoting belonging), executives must model new ways of leading. Top management must also free up the time and energy of mid-managers and help train, upskill or reskill, and reward
managers in these new ways. As part of this effort, senior managers must find ways to help mid-managers connect with each other and support each other.
So, if we want to combat chronic organizational distress, we must engage and support mid-managers in their critical roles.
What can you control?
If you take your leadership role seriously, a key challenge that must be addressed is combatting chronic organizational distress. It negatively impacts just about everything, including employee engagement, job satisfaction, employee wellbeing, and most importantly, individual, group and organizational performance. You do not have a magic wand and cannot control how your governing board or the public
behaves. However, there are things you do control. You can decide to relentlessly focus on a few priorities, examine workloads, reduce meeting overload, eliminate “stupid work,” engage everyone in intentional scheduling, promote learning and belonging, and help reskill managers. You may not be able to do all of this, but you can do some of this. Most importantly, you can model certain behaviors. You can begin by asking yourself:
• How am I showing up at work?
• How am I interacting with others?
• Am I acknowledging what others are feeling?
• How am I promoting connection with others?
• What am I asking others to focus on?
• How can I better support others?
As a leader of the organization, department, unit or team, you may not be able to eliminate all of the anxiety and stressful feelings. However, there are plenty of ways that you as a leader can combat chronic organizational distress.
ENDNOTES
1 Evan Milberg, “Brigid Schulte on How to Overcome ‘Greedy’ Work Culture in U.S.,” ICMA SmartBrief, Sept 25, 2024.
2 Dan Rockwell, “Fatigue: 3 Dangers-3 Unexpected Gifts,” Leadership Freak, July 31, 2024.
3 Brigid Schulte, Over Work— Transforming the Daily Grind in the Quest for a Better Life, 2024.
4 Brigid Schulte, “The Quest to Imagine a Workplace that (Actually) Values Work-Life Balance,” Behavior Scientist, Sept 24, 2024.
5 Dexter Tilo, “How Much Are Organizations Losing from Unnecessary Work?” Human Resources Director, Oct 11, 2024.
6 Ibid, note 1.
7 Dan Rockwell, Leadership Freak, “Moving from Distress to Eustress,” June 5, 2020.
8 Ibid, note 1.
9 Naphtali Hoff, SmartBrief, “How Employee Empowerment Can Boost Retention and Foster Loyalty,” Nov 8, 2024.
10 Ibid, note 4.
11 Jennifer Moss, “Let’s End Toxic Productivity,” hbr.org, Nov 13, 2024.
12 Ibid, note 1.
13 Brian Elliott, sloanreview.mit.edu, “Hybrid Work: How Leaders Build In-Person Moments That Matter,” Aug 1, 2024.
14 Dylan Taylor, “Micro-Interactions and Their Cumulative Impact on Organizational Success,” chiefexecutive.net.
15 Jennifer Robison, “The Antidote to Manager Burnout,” gallup.com, Jan 22, 2022.
DR. FRANK BENEST, ICMA-CM, is a retired city manager and currently serves as a local government trainer and ICMA’s liaison for Next Generation Initiatives. (frank@frankbenest.com).
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Strong Duos Make Strong Communities
We’re not exactly Batman and Robin, but the best manager–assistant duos share the same essentials: trust, timing, and the ability to handle chaos without needing to say a word.
BY JENNIFER REICHELT, ICMA-CM
Assistants are experts in reading the room. A council meeting runs long. A resident brings up a lastminute complaint. The city manager glances your way, and without missing a beat, you’re pulling up background details, texting a department head, or sliding a note across the dais. It’s quiet, fast, and instinctive—like a kind of local government telepathy. It’s not quite mind reading, but it’s close—one of those special powers you develop in the assistant seat.
administrator of Yuma, Arizona, USA, and serves on the boards of Arizona Women Leading Government and Arizona City/County Management Association.
I’ve worked in local government for more than 20 years, with about half that time spent in the deputy or assistant role. I often tell people I have the best job in the organization—and I mean it. As the assistant, I get to wear many hats and take on a wide variety of projects without carrying the political weight that comes with having seven bosses. I have one: the city manager. My primary responsibility is to help them lead effectively.
In the spirit of my upcoming Comic-Con trip, I’ve woven in a few superhero metaphors—because in local government, strong duos don’t wear capes, but they do make cities stronger.
The Power of Partnership
City/county management is not a solo act. While the CAO may wear the cape, the assistant is right there— solving problems, shaping priorities, and keeping the mission moving behind the scenes.
Throughout my career, I’ve worked with several city managers, each with their own leadership style, strengths, and quirks. What makes the relationship work isn’t that we’re the same—it’s that our differences complement each other. Like any great superhero team, we bring distinct skills to the table. One may be more visible, but both play critical roles.
A strong partnership invites diverse perspectives. It allows for candid conversations, respectful pushback, and shared accountability because there’s trust at the core. And that trust isn’t automatic. It’s built over time through honesty, consistency, and a shared commitment to the mission.
Even when we take a different path than I might recommend, I value being part of the discussion. That’s where the real impact happens—when you’re part of the solution, not just the execution.
Communication Is Everything
Even the best superhero teams don’t succeed on instinct alone—they stay in sync through constant communication.
In Yuma, the city manager and I operate with an open-door policy—literally and figuratively. We talk throughout the day and carve out regular time to align priorities, identify concerns, and make sure we’re leading with one voice.
That rhythm builds trust. I’m empowered to lead cross-departmental efforts, respond to issues, and manage initiatives. He trusts me to act, and I trust him to back me up, and that includes council interactions. I frequently follow up on requests or help move initiatives forward, but I’m always careful to keep him in the loop—summarizing conversations, flagging concerns, and ensuring there are no surprises. It’s not just a courtesy; it’s how we maintain alignment.
We also rely on shared tools: joint agendas, planning documents, and quick text check-ins. It’s not about formality; it’s about staying informed and showing up as a unified team.
Complementary Roles, Shared Responsibility
A strong partnership isn’t about doing the same things—it’s about doing different things in service of the same mission. In Yuma, our roles reflect that balance. The city manager brings an engineering background and deep institutional knowledge, which make him especially effective with council, regional partners, and infrastructure-heavy departments.
My background leans toward internal operations, like human resources, IT, communications, economic development, and strategic planning. I’m also more extroverted, which complements his analytical style.
We don’t try to mirror each other; we rely on each other. He leads where his strengths shine, and I step in where mine do. That kind of flexibility builds momentum and sends a message to the organization: leadership doesn’t have to look one way—it just has to be aligned.
Managing Up and Out
The assistant role lives in the middle— strategic and operational, internal and external, visible and behind the scenes. That kind of trust isn’t automatic. It’s earned by showing you can lead, support, and adapt—often all in the same day. The projects I lead—whether it’s implementing SeeClickFix, developing a community outreach plan, or coordinating a council retreat—aren’t just
“Having a trusted and effective deputy is instrumental in managing a complex organization. A great deputy seems to read your mind—they know when to act without needing formal direction. When that happens, you know you’re in rhythm. That kind of partnership allows the manager to focus on broader policy challenges and makes the entire organization more responsive to the community.”
—Jay Simonton, Administrator, Yuma, Arizona, USA
city manager, they often come to me for guidance—how to approach council on an issue, brainstorm ways to engage the public, or move a complex project forward. They know our leadership is aligned, which gives them the confidence to ask hard questions, float new ideas, and trust they’ll get honest, thoughtful feedback.
One of my favorite developments has been joining the city manager on his twice-yearly visits to every department— where we meet with all employees, not just leadership. At first, he went alone. Now we go together. It’s a simple shift, but a powerful one that shows collaboration, reinforces trust, and reminds staff that leadership is listening.
That’s the heart of managing up and out: being the bridge. Sometimes you’re the strategist. Sometimes the translator. Sometimes just the steady presence in the room. But always, you’re helping the team stay grounded and moving in the same direction.
Making the Invisible Visible
The best manager–assistant partnerships are often invisible to the public, but their impact is felt in every smooth budget process, successful project launch, and wellexecuted council retreat.
tasks. They reflect a relationship built on trust and transparency.
We talk often and I keep him in the loop—especially when I engage with council, work with directors, or represent the city in the community. It’s not about asking permission; it’s about staying aligned. No surprises. No confusion.
Last year, I asked to be included in executive session discussions—not to speak, but to stay informed. If a councilmember had a question or if I needed to step in while the manager was away, I wanted to be prepared. He supported that request. It was a small change but a meaningful sign of confidence.
Managing out matters too. While most department directors report to the
Over the years, I’ve seen both strong and struggling partnerships. The difference? Intentional effort. These relationships don’t just happen; they’re built through time, trust, and the courage to have honest conversations.
Earlier in my career, I worked for a manager who’d never had an assistant before. He didn’t quite know how to use the role, and I didn’t know how to shape it. Eventually, I initiated the conversation—honest, uncomfortable, but necessary. It opened the door to new responsibilities, professional growth, and ultimately, a nudge toward my next career step when he saw I was ready. Sometimes the partnership just doesn’t work, and that’s okay. Every experience teaches you something—about leadership and about yourself. But when it does work, it’s a force. Like the best superhero teams, it’s not about who gets the credit; it’s about having each other’s back, staying missionfocused, and being stronger together than either of you could be alone.
“Hey AI, Write a Report on Innovation in Local Government”
A gamechanger for local governments, tasking an AI chatbot with research and writing projects saves you time and trouble, at least for the first draft.
BY WWW.CLAUDE.AI, AS DIRECTED AND APPROVED BY MARC PFEIFFER
The original plan for this month’s article was to write about innovation in local government, a topic that has attracted attention in local government circles nationally. While it is still the topic, I’ve decided to approach it in a different way—through role-playing.
In this scenario, I play the role of a township administrator. My elected officials have asked me about the topic. They have requested a report describing what innovation means in this context and would like recommendations on how we can be more innovative.
As an administrator, I’m pretty busy. Since I have a new assistant who has shown good research and writing skills, they get to do the project. What follows are my instructions to my assistant, the report I got in return, and some followup questions and answers.
MARC PFEIFFER, an ICMA Life Member, is a marginally retired New Jersey town administrator and state agency manager. He is currently a senior policy fellow and assistant director at Bloustein Local, a unit of the Center for Urban Policy Research at Rutgers University. (marc.pfeiffer@ rutgers.edu)
In case you hadn’t guessed, my assistant is an AI chatbot: www.claude.ai. Claude responded to my prompt in about 40 seconds from the time I pressed the enter button. I reviewed the report as if a human assistant had prepared it and found no substantial reason to edit the content, though I did format it. I spent less than half an hour reviewing and formatting it.
My Request
You are the assistant township administrator in a municipality. I am the township administrator, your supervisor. I’d like you to research and draft a report for our elected officials and me. I want to explain what innovation means to municipal government, particularly when it comes to using digital technology. It should also suggest steps to introduce innovation in their organization. That will be followed by do’s and don’ts about introducing innovation to a municipal organization. Wording should be plain language with a minimum of technology jargon so non-technology individuals can easily understand it.
Claude’s Response
I understand you need a report explaining innovation and digital technology in municipal government, written accessibly for elected officials. I’ll write this from the perspective of assistant township administrator, focusing on practical implementation and clear language.
Executive Summary
This report explains how innovation and digital technology can improve our municipal operations, better serve our residents, and make more efficient use of taxpayer resources. It provides practical guidance for implementing innovative approaches in our township.
Part 1: What Innovation Means for Our Municipality
Innovation in municipal government means finding new and better ways to serve our community. While this often involves technology, innovation is primarily about improving how we work and deliver services to our residents. Think of innovation as upgrading from a paper map to a GPS system—it’s not just about new technology, but about making navigation easier and more reliable for everyone.
Today’s residents expect the same convenience from their local government that they get from online shopping or banking. They want to apply for permits, pay taxes, or report issues without coming to town hall during business hours. Digital technology helps us meet these expectations while often reducing costs and staff workload.
Part 2: Practical Benefits of Innovation
When we talk about innovation in our township, we’re looking at real improvements such as:
1. Resident Service Improvements
• Allowing residents to submit forms and payments 24/7 through our website.
• Enabling mobile apps for reporting potholes or damaged street signs.
• Providing real-time updates on snow plowing or road work.
2. Operational Efficiency
• Reducing paper usage and storage needs.
• Automating routine tasks so staff can focus on complex issues.
• Improving communication between departments.
3. Cost Savings
• Decreasing processing time for permits and licenses.
• Reducing printing and mailing costs.
• Minimizing duplicate data entry and associated errors.
Part 3: Recommended Steps for Implementation
1. Start with Assessment. First, we should review our current processes and identify where improvements would have the biggest impact. For example, which services generate the most resident complaints or require the most staff time?
2. Choose Strategic First Projects. Begin with improvements that offer quick wins and clear benefits. A good example might be digitizing our most commonly used forms or implementing an online payment system for property taxes.
3. Build Internal Support. Success requires buy-in from both staff and elected officials. We should involve employees in identifying problems and suggesting solutions, as they know our processes best.
4. Implement Gradually. Roll out changes in phases, starting with pilot programs when possible. This
allows us to learn from experience and adjust before full implementation.
5. Measure and Communicate Results. Track specific metrics (like processing time or resident satisfaction) to demonstrate success and justify further innovations.
Part 4: Do’s and Don’ts for Innovation Implementation
Start Small: Begin with manageable projects that show clear benefits. Success builds confidence for larger initiatives.
Involve Staff Early: Employees who help shape changes are more likely to support them. Their practical experience is invaluable for successful implementation.
Plan for Training: Provide thorough training and support for staff as they learn new systems. This investment pays off in reduced errors and faster adoption.
Communicate Clearly: Keep everyone informed about what’s changing, why it matters, and how it will help. Use concrete examples that relate to daily work.
Don’t Rush Implementation: Moving too quickly can overwhelm staff and residents, leading to resistance and mistakes.
Don’t Ignore Feedback: Both positive and negative feedback provide valuable insights for improving our approach.
Don’t Forget About Security: Always ensure new digital systems protect sensitive information and comply with relevant regulations.
Don’t Assume One Size Fits All: Remember that different departments and resident groups may need different solutions or approaches.
Conclusion
Innovation in municipal government isn’t about chasing the latest technology trends. It’s about finding better ways to serve our community and make our operations more efficient. By taking a thoughtful, measured approach to innovation, we can improve services while being responsible stewards of public resources.
Our success depends on choosing the right projects, involving our staff appropriately, and implementing changes at a pace that allows for proper adoption and adjustment. With careful planning and execution, innovation can help us better serve our residents while making our operations more efficient and cost-effective.
I’ve prepared this report with a focus on practical implementation and clear language. Would you like me to adjust any particular sections or add more specific examples? I can also provide more detail about any specific aspect of innovation implementation that you feel would be particularly relevant for our township.
My Thoughts on Claude’s Work
I wasn’t done yet. I had some questions about the report. I wanted to know why Claude formatted it the way it did and why it limited the report to about 800 words. You can see that unedited exchange in the sidebar.
I had some other questions and comments for Claude, primarily focused on finding additional resources to learn more about the topic, and I requested possible vendors to contact. Space limitation prevents those from being printed here, but you can view them at go.rutgers.edu/pm-ai-innovation.
If this were real life, as administrator I would have spent an hour or so editing the report to fine-tune it for our municipality. I would have included examples of our current practices regarding digitalization and outlined any issues with it. I could have asked Claude to reformat it in a narrative style, asked for it to be longer with more detail, or made any other similar request. But as a generic overview, I thought it was very well done.
The process highlights how a chatbot can be used to do a good first draft of a research project. If research can be done online, a chatbot can help pull it together. As an author, doing it this way saved me several hours of web research and creative writing. It also served as a valuable example of why having a “human in the loop” to add context and reliability is critical.
Style and Formatting
Claude, why did you choose to keep it at around 800 words as opposed to something longer?
Let me explain my thought process about the report’s length. In my role as assistant township administrator, I carefully considered the audience and purpose when determining the length. Elected officials and senior administrators often need to process large amounts of information across many different areas of municipal operations. They frequently read reports between meetings or other commitments. An 800-word report hits a sweet spot for several reasons:
First, it’s long enough to cover the essential concepts and provide concrete examples, but short enough to be read in one sitting— about 3-4 minutes for most readers. This makes it more likely the officials will read and absorb the entire document rather than just skimming it.
Second, research in public administration shows that decision-makers tend to engage better with concise reports that make their key points efficiently. The 800-word length allows us to maintain a clear narrative thread without losing the reader in excessive detail.
Furthermore, given that this report serves as an introduction to innovation and digital technology, it needs to spark interest and provide a foundation for further discussions rather than overwhelm with technical specifics. The current length allows each section to provide enough context for understanding while leaving room for follow-up questions and deeper dives into specific areas that interest our leadership team.
Would you prefer a longer version that goes into more detail in certain areas? For instance, we could expand the implementation steps or add more specific examples from other municipalities. I’d be happy to revise the length based on your knowledge of our officials’ preferences and needs.
Free Ethics Webinar Series for ICMA Members
Connect with expert speakers on the ethical issues shaping local government today.
ICMA is offering an ethics webinar series exclusively for members. Attend live or watch later on-demand at learninglab.icma.org.
Local Government’s Commitment to Democracy
Friday, June 27 • 1:00–2:00 ET
Local government is on the front lines of democracy every day, and for more than 100 years, this profession has existed to ensure the values of good government. It is messy and there have been, and will continue to be, periods when the principles of democracy are challenged.
Each interactive session includes live Q&A so you can get your questions answered. In addition, ICMA ethics staff are available for a confidential conversation on a variety of issues a member may face. Ethics staff have fielded many questions on these topics and these webinars are a way to reach members who may experience the same challenges in their local government service. New sessions will continue to be added. Learn more and register at icma.org/events or by scanning the QR code.
Balancing Political Neutrality with Personal Advocacy
Friday, June 13 • 1:00–2:00 ET
This webinar is designed for members who are considering how to engage on issues of personal interest. How do you serve the best needs of the entire community without undermining public trust while being true to yourself?
There are many considerations to determine your ethical path, and this webinar will go in-depth on what the Tenet 7 guideline in the ICMA Code of Ethics requires and what questions to ask yourself before engaging in issues of personal interest, along with advice from members who have been there and done that.
The speakers include:
• Kate Fitzpatrick, town manager, Needham, Massachusetts
• Bill Fraser, town manager, Montpelier, Vermont
• Melissa Wiley, deputy town manager, Erie, Colorado
• Moderator: Karen Daly, ICMA Life Member
The Partnership for Public Service surveyed Americans for their 2024 report, “The State of Public Trust in Government,” where only 29% say democracy is working in the United States today compared with 68% who say it is not, and only 15% believe the government is transparent.
Local governments are committed to democratic (with a small “d”) principles to do our part in advancing public trust. This webinar features Elizabeth Doll, director of politics, Braver Angels, in a fireside chat format to offer actionable strategies to help local governments build public trust in democracy.
Ethical Leadership in Communications
Held live on May 30, Now available on-demand at learninglab.icma.org
Incivility wreaks havoc on organizational culture, and it requires us to step back and assess how to effectively and ethically communicate. This webinar will focus on ways to engage with elected officials, organizational employees, community members, and other stakeholders.
We will specifically address local government strategies when someone has bad facts as well as provide examples of what a good communications plan entails if the organization is smaller and does not have a public information officer.
The speakers include:
• Scott Andrews, ICMA-CM, county manager, Dona Ana, New Mexico.
• Marylou Berg, author of the communications chapters in ICMA’s book, Effective Supervisory Practices: Better Results through Teamwork, sixth edition.
• Doug Matthews, ICMA-CM, assistant city manager and CAO, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
• Dr. Kimberly Nelson, distinguished professor of public administration and government, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill.
An advisee’s experience navigating the local government profession with the guidance of an ICMA senior advisor.
BY ROSANNA BAYON MOORE
While our articles on the ICMA Senior Advisor program are typically written by senior advisors themselves, this month’s article is from the “customer’s perspective.”
Rosanna Bayon Moore, now the city administrator of Piedmont, California, was city manager of Brawley, California, when she worked with senior advisor Gary Brown.
I have benefited from many conversations with seasoned city managers over the years. Sharing space with peers is incredibly valuable, in a nascent career and every step along the way. The honest truth is that no book can teach what you live and experience in local government management. Advice is hard to come by because the dynamics of our profession are beyond description on the outside. It’s a maze of the often convoluted and indecipherable unless, that is, you have the good fortune of having a senior advisor nearby who understands the ecosystem. Tapping that deep well is a gift when the stars align.
Gary Brown re-introduced the Senior Advisor Program to Imperial Valley, California, in 2014. Gary brought ICMA to our doorstep with a special combination of humor and humility. He made the 120-mile trek from Imperial Beach for in-person meetings, even through the scorching summer months. Although it was an inconvenient and timeconsuming journey, Gary bridged the distance. He sought to get to know people in a place where face-to-face interactions mean everything. Gary was present consistently. He built trust and showed us through lively reports and thoughtful conversation that ICMA was at our fingertips. Although travel to national conferences isn’t always accessible in resourcechallenged communities, Gary perfected the art of channeling ICMA through the Senior Advisor program.
ROSANNA
BAYON
MOORE is the city administrator of Piedmont, California, USA.
As a senior advisor, Gary has been a thought partner and confidante as I navigated difficult management topics and pivotal career decisions. He approached these subjects with care and delivered straight talk when I needed it most. Our conversations weren’t always comfortable, but they were honestly indispensable. The input was solicited because the rational mind knows that blind spots can be reduced when addressed.
A senior advisor shares perspective and insight from decades of experience, curates ICMA resources, provides warm handoffs and nearly immediate access. Not only have I grown from a healthy relationship with a senior advisor, but so have many others.
“Gary is an inspiration. He cares for the profession and is an excellent listener,” said Marcela Piedra, city manager of Rohnert Park, California, USA. “He offered great advice, especially as I was transitioning into a new community as a new city manager.
Esperanza Colio, a city manager in transition, said, “Gary connected me with other city managers who have had similar experiences on the job. I am so grateful for his support navigating this chapter.”
Alexis Brown, deputy city manager of Malibu, California, USA, said, “Gary was a trusted sounding board I could always count on. His steady guidance and depth helped shape the way I approach leadership today.”
The Best Attributes of a Senior Advisor
What can an advisee expect to get out of their senior advisor relationship? The following are what I consider the top qualities and key strengths of a senior advisor:
• Shares the joy of service and feeds minds with local government discussion topics.
• Helps to build community in person, establishes rapport and connections with local government professionals collectively and individually.
• Regularly reinforces the availability of the ICMA services, resources, and network.
• Monitors local media for relevant topics, follows up with resources, and facilitates introductions to other local government professionals who have encountered similar challenges.
• Is highly responsive in time-sensitive situations.
My heartfelt appreciation goes out to Gary Brown and all senior advisors for the important work they do and the invaluable guidance and support they provide to others in the profession.
2025 ICMA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
The 2025 International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Annual Conference will be held at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida. Tampa’s got buzz, and it’s not just from the Cuban coffee. This city blends waterfront views with business savvy, powered by powerhouse sectors like tech, healthcare, finance, tourism, alongside Florida’s largest port. From the Riverwalk to the bay, Tampa pulses with multicultural energy, vibrant neighborhoods, and a skyline that keeps climbing. It’s not just growing, it’s thriving with style! Tampa’s economy is founded on a diverse base that includes tourism, agriculture, construction, finance, healthcare, government, technology, and the Port of Tampa, which is the largest port in Florida. Tampa has evolved into a multicultural, diverse business center with sustainable communities for its residents.
Local government managers play a vital role in shaping the communities they serve by overseeing a wide range of services, from infrastructure to education to public safety, managing the budget and planning for the future. The 2025 ICMA Annual Conference is an opportunity for everyone in local government, anywhere in the world, to come together.
What’s waiting for you in Tampa
Professional development opportunities for every career stage.
Networking opportunities with local government professionals and service providers from around the world.
Dynamic keynote speakers with diverse backgrounds will spark new ideas, shift perspectives, and leave you feeling inspired.
Products and services from solution providers in the Exhibit Hall.
New tools and techniques presented by experts in the local government management profession.
A place where local government leaders and professionals from all backgrounds can stand together as a profession.
REGISTRATION INCLUDES
General Sessions, 160 Education Sessions, Skill-Building Workshops, Discussions and Product Theaters
An Exhibit Hall featuring more than 150 companies showcasing the latest and greatest in local government innovations, attendee engagement opportunities, and much more!
Peer-to-Peer Networking
Exhibit Hall Grand Opening Reception
Attendee Lunches and Refreshment Breaks (Mon/Tue)
Team/Group Discounts of 15% for Four or More Attendees
EDUCATION TRACKS
The 2025 ICMA Annual Conference education sessions are organized into tracks aligning with the 14 Practices for Effective Local Government Management and Leadership. Each practice is represented in at least one track.
Tracks include:
Empowering Future Civic Leaders
Explore effective programs and initiatives designed to engage youth and cultivate the next generation of local government leaders in various cultural and political contexts.
Addresses Practices: 2) Community Engagement, 6) Strategic Leadership, 13) Human Resources Management and Workforce Management, and 14) Communication and Information Sharing
Enhancing Community Engagement and Public Trust
Uncover innovative methods to strengthen resident participation and build trust through new approaches to community engagement and transparent governance, considering varied democratic traditions and community structures internationally.
Addresses Practices: 2) Community Engagement, 3) Equity & Inclusion, 9) Community and Resident Services and 14) Communication and Information Sharing
Ethics and Governance in a Complex World
Strengthen governance and uphold ethical standards in an increasingly complex and globalized world.
Addresses Practices: 1) Personal and Professional Integrity, 6) Strategic Leadership, and 14) Communication and Information Sharing
Fiscal Innovation and Sustainable
Economic Development
Explore the future of local finance and economic development with innovative strategies for growth and resilience, diverse economies, and governance systems globally.
Addresses Practices: 7) Strategic Planning, 8) Policy Facilitation and Implementation, 9) Community and Resident Service, 10) Service Delivery, and 12) Financial Management and Budgeting
Future of Work in the Public
Sector
Prepare for the evolving workforce by exploring trends in hybrid work, talent recruitment and retention, and employee well-being.
Addresses Practices: 4) Staff Effectiveness, 6) Strategic Leadership, 8) Policy Facilitation and Implementation, and 13) Human Resources Management and Workforce Engagement
Mindfulness and Self-Transformation in Public Leadership
Discover practical approaches to enhancing leadership skills and maintaining well-being in public service roles, considering diverse cultural perspectives on leadership and work-life balance.
Addresses Practices: 5) Personal Resiliency and Development, and 6) Strategic Leadership
Modernizing Public Infrastructure Through Technology
Modernize public infrastructure by integrating cutting-edge technology and innovative approaches to asset management. Explore how technology integration can transform public infrastructure to meet future community needs across different resource settings and urban-rural contexts.
Addresses Practices: 7) Strategic Planning, 9) Community and Resident Service, 10) Service Delivery, 11) Technological Literacy, and 12) Financial Management and Budgeting
TOP 5 REASONS TO ATTEND
1 2 3 4 5
The ICMA Conference is the foremost professional development opportunity for local government managers.
Top rated educational sessions
Worldrenowned speakers
Meet and mingle with the people who “speak your language” and face the same day to day challenges that you face.
World-class Exhibit Hall with innovative products and service providers to make your job easier.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
For schedule updates, please visit conference.icma.org. All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time and are subject to change.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25
7:00 am – 5:00 pm Registration Open
7:00 am – 5:00 pm The Bay Attendee Lounge Open
8:00 am – 5:00 pm ICMA Micro-Certification Sessions*
9:00 am – 1:45 pm Art of Assistant Leadership Sessions
9:00 am – 3:00 pm Headshot Lounge Open
9:00 am – 3:30 pm Mobile Workshops*
10:15 am – 11:15 am Education Sessions and Discussions
12:45 pm – 4:15 pm Education Sessions and Discussions
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Sporting Events*
6:30 pm – 9:00 pm Opening Party at Splitsville/Sparkman’s Wharf*
9:00 pm Open for Exhibitor/Sponsor/Affiliate Events
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26
6:45 am – 5:30 pm Registration Open
6:45 am – 5:30 pm The Bay Attendee Lounge Open
8:00 am – 11:30 am Sporting Events*
8:00 am – 12:00 pm ICMA Micro-Certification Sessions*
8:00 am – 1:00 pm Headshot Lounge Open
9:00 am – 10:00 am Regional Meetings
9:00 am – 12:15 pm Mobile Workshops
10:15 am – 12:30 pm Education Sessions and Discussions
1:30 pm – 3:30 pm Opening General Session
3:30 pm – 6:00 pm Headshot Lounge Open
3:30 pm – 6:00 pm Exhibit Hall Grand Opening Reception
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm Product Theater Sessions in Exhibit Hall
6:30 pm Opening Evening for Exhibitor/Sponsor/Affiliate Events
MONDAY, OCTOBER 27
7:00 am – 5:00 pm Registration Open
7:00 am – 5:00 pm The Bay Attendee Lounge Open
7:45 am – 9:45 am Education Sessions, Discussions, Skill-Building Workshops
8:00 am – 9:45 am Exhibit Hall Open
10:00 am – 11:30 am General Session
11:30 am – 3:00 pm Exhibit Hall Open
11:30 am – 1:30 pm Exhibit Hall Lunch
11:45 am – 1:15 pm SheLeadsGov Luncheon*
12:00 pm – 2:45 pm Product Theater Sessions in Exhibit Hall
12:45pm Passport to Prizes Live Drawing in the Exhibit Hall
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm General Session
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm Education Sessions and Discussions
6:30 pm – 9:00 pm Closing Party at the Florida Aquarium*
9:00 pm Open for Exhibitor/Sponsor/Affiliate Events
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29
7:30 am – 11:45 am Registration Open
7:30 am – 11:45 am The Bay Attendee Lounge Open
8:00 am – 10:15 am Education Sessions, Discussions, Skill-Building Workshops
10:30 am – 11:45 am Closing General Session
As of 5/15/2025 * Additional fee applies
EXHIBIT HALL
ICMA exhibitors will be eagerly awaiting your arrival in Tampa, ready to share the latest products and services that will help you solve organizational challenges, develop leadership skills, advance your career, and find inspiration to create a lasting impact in your community. When planning your schedule, be sure to allow for time in the Exhibit Hall to experience the following:
• Meet with over 150 exhibiting companies!
• Sunday Evening Exhibit Hall Grand Opening Reception
• Light Breakfast Bites and Coffee on Monday morning
• Lunch on Monday and Tuesday
• Refreshment Breaks on Monday and Tuesday afternoon
• Product Theater Presentations
• Attendee Relaxation Lounge
• Pawsitivity Park
• And More!
To view a current list of exhibitors, please visit conference.icma.org.
REGISTRATION
PLEASE NOTE! All attendees must first register for the conference before being able to book and reserve an ICMA Annual Conference hotel room. After registering, attendees will have access to securing a hotel room with discounted rates in the ICMA room block. Reservations are accepted on a first-come, firstserved basis beginning when housing and registration open on Wednesday, June 25 at 12 noon EST. Please do NOT contact the hotels directly.
Registration Rates: In-Person
September 17)
September 18)
Group Registration
Team registrations are available for groups of four or more attendees. Each participant will receive 15% off their applicable registration rate. For more information, please visit conference.icma.org/registration.
CONFERENCE HOTELS
Hotel Room Rate Distance from Convention Center
Aloft Tampa Downtown
$199 Single/Double 3 blocks
*The Barrymore Hotel Tampa Riverwalk $207 Single/Double 10 blocks
*Courtyard by Marriott Tampa Downtown $267 Single/Double 8 blocks
Embassy Suites Tampa Downtown $289 Single/Double Connected
*Hampton Inn by Hilton Channel District $199 Single/Double 10 blocks
*Hampton Inn Ybor City
$169 Single/Double 2 miles
*Hilton Garden Inn Ybor City $219 Single/Double 2 miles
Hilton Tampa Downtown
$269 Single/Double 3 blocks
*Home2Suites by Hilton Channel District $225 Single/Double 10 blocks
*Hotel Flor $239 Single/Double 8 blocks
*Hotel Haya
Hotel Tampa Riverwalk
$245 Single/Double 2 miles
$210 Single/Double 3 blocks
Hyatt Place/Hyatt House Tampa Downtown $279 Single/Double 6 blocks
JW Marriott Tampa Water Street
*Le Meridien Tampa Downtown
Reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Wednesday, June 25 at 12:00 noon EST, when housing and registration open. ICMA will send more information as the date approaches. Please do NOT contact the hotels directly. For a detailed listing and descriptions of all ICMA conference hotels and a map of the hotels, please visit conference.icma.org/hotel-and-travel See you in Tampa!
$252 Single/Double 6 blocks
*Residence Inn by Marriott Tampa Downtown $279 Single/Double 6 blocks
*Springhill Suites by Marriott Tampa Downtown $199 Single/Double 9 blocks
Tampa Marriott Water Street
$340 Single/Double Across the street
$280 Single/Double Across the street
Westin Tampa Waterside $249 Single/Double 1 block
*ICMA will provide complimentary shuttle service between these hotels and the Tampa Convention Center (TCC).
Partner with ICMA
Megan Sherman
Senior Manager, Conferences and Sponsorships msherman@icma.org
You must first register for the 2025 ICMA Annual Conference before you secure a hotel reservation. Exhibit at ICMA Contact: ICMA@corcexpo.com 312-265-9648
General Conference Inquiries conferenceteam@icma.org
conference.icma.org facebook.com/ICMAORG
Budgeting is one of the most important responsibilities that local government managers undertake every year. The new book, A Budgeting Guide for Local Government, Fourth Edition, provides new tools and methodologies to produce effective budgets that yield the desired results.
Learn more at icma.org/budgetingguide.
ICMA CAREER GUIDES
ICMA’s Career Guides are local government professional toolkits to help you thrive, from finding a position to succeeding as a first-time manager, or how to break into the profession from another field, and preparing the next generation through internships and Fellowships. icma.org/careerguides
Last year, GFOA’s Jobs Board was viewed more than 200,000 times. When you post your carefully crafted job ad, you ’ re putting it in front of an engaged and highly qualified audience eager to take the next step in their careers Submit your ad today!
