Municipal Leaders: Develop Faster, Lead Stronger, Build Better
Every week, you’ll get insights and actionable steps to help you navigate personal growth and professional success.
Episode 314 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
There’s a quiet reality unfolding in local government right now.
Leaders are stepping into some of the most demanding roles in public service…far earlier than ever before. And many of them know it.
Episode 313 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Most local government leaders aren’t struggling because they lack effort. They’re struggling because they’re leading inside a system that was never designed to create clarity.
Every year, budgets are built. Conversations happen. Numbers move. And by the end of it, millions—sometimes billions—of dollars are allocated across an organization.
But step back for a moment and ask a simple question: What are we actually funding and why?
Think about the most capable person on your team. The one with the most experience, the best judgment, the deepest knowledge of how your organization actually works.
Now ask yourself honestly: how much of their day do they spend waiting for direction from above?
Episode 311 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Artificial Intelligence is quickly becoming the dominant conversation in local government.
But most leaders are asking the wrong question.
It’s not “Should we use AI?”
It’s “What will we do with the time it gives us?”
Episode 310 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
What if leadership in local government isn’t about the position you hold…but the impact you make?
In Episode 310 of The HaltingWinter Podcast, Benjamin Bitter, City Manager of Maricopa, Arizona, offers a perspective that cuts through a lot of the noise in today’s leadership conversations.
You’re preparing for tonight’s council meeting. The budget proposal faces serious opposition. Your heart rate climbs. Your palms sweat. You mentally rehearse defenses against every possible attack.
You’ve prepared thoroughly. You know the numbers. But you’re consumed with one question: “How will I look if this goes badly?”
Episode 308 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
What prepares someone to become a city manager?
For Jessica Leavins, it wasn’t a straight line…it was a calling.
Episode 307 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
What does shoveling horse stalls have to do with becoming a city administrator?
More than you’d think.
You’re three weeks into budget season. Your inbox has 247 unread emails. The council wants updates on five different initiatives. Your assistant manager needs decisions on two personnel matters. Public Works is waiting on approval for the street project. And the community group that’s been calling daily just scheduled themselves on next week’s agenda.
You’re doing everything. And somehow, nothing’s moving forward.
This is exactly why we’re spending this week on “The One Thing” by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan inside the Municipal Leadership Development Circle.
Episode 305 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Most cities talk about culture. Very few engineer it.
In Episode 305 of The HaltingWinter Podcast, I sit down with Ken Striplin, City Manager of Santa Clarita, California, a leader who has spent more than 30 years inside one organization, rising from intern to city manager.
