Civic Unrest

The unrest of 2020 showed that even the most well-managed organizations don’t always get to set the agenda. Public management requires constant management of the tensions and opportunities in which one person or group might benefit more than another. Whether or not it’s something they can control, cities and counties are the most accessible face of government and are held accountable for everything that affects their jurisdiction. Officials must do the right thing, but that’s not enough. They must also hope other officials in other jurisdictions do the right thing or else everyone pays the price for mismanagement.

Local government should start with true public engagement to understand the points of conflict, separating them into things within their control and things they can’t control. Rather than fighting about things they can’t control, they can accept that bearing the load for other people is the price of being the symbol of government. Avoiding the fight also avoids damaging relationships and opportunities for progress. The extra energy can be used to focus on one of the aspects that are actually within the local government leader’s control.

People will always want and deserve the fastest and most comprehensive set of improvements. If that’s practical, it’s the best option. If it’s not realistic, though, I recommend making whatever level of progress that’s possible for your community. Even slow, discrete changes bend the curve toward progress. The worst scenario would be to find yourself in exactly the same place in the future.

Government is supposed to be reliable, consistent, and accurate. The trade-off is that this makes government slow to change. This is frustrating to everyone outside of government who wants to quickly fix things and move on to the next issue. The events of 2020 weakened people’s aversion to change. Longstanding issues that couldn’t be implemented because of organizational inertia have their best chance in 2021. Labor groups and residents are looking for leadership and willing to compromise on traditions they thought they couldn’t live without. Instead of setting the goal of restoring things to 2019 standards, you have the opportunity to reimagine the organization and the entire servicedelivery model. It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity that shouldn’t be squandered. Our organizations can come out of this better than they came in.

Leadership matters. The people in our communities count on us to provide that leadership even when we lack formal authority. If you see a leadership void in your community, don’t be afraid to fill it. Even if it’s “not my responsibility,” your residents will be well served knowing that you’re willing to rise to the occasion in times of crisis.