Introducing: The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) - Save 50% During Launch Phase
Every week, you’ll get insights and actionable steps to help you navigate personal growth and professional success.
This week, we’ve explored Daniel Coyle’s “The Culture Code” through the lens of municipal leadership. We’ve discovered how psychological safety unleashes innovation, how strategic vulnerability builds trust, and how shared purpose drives performance. But here’s the question that matters most: How do we turn these insights into actual change in your city hall?
Today, we’re getting tactical. No more theory. No more concepts. Just practical, actionable steps you can take in the next 30 days to begin transforming your municipal culture.
Focus: Psychological Safety
Start your week by changing how you run meetings. Instead of diving into agenda items, begin with: “Before we start, what should we be discussing that we haven’t been?” Then wait. The silence might feel uncomfortable. That’s normal. Your patience here signals that it’s truly safe to speak up.
Implement the “Three R’s” response to every idea or concern raised:
Observe one meeting without participating. Note who speaks, who doesn’t, and why. Use these insights to adjust how you create space for all voices.
Meet individually with three team members. Ask one question: “What would make it easier for people to speak up here?” Take notes. Look for patterns.
Reflect on what you’ve learned. What surprised you? What needs to change? Draft three specific adjustments for next week.
Focus: Building Trust Through Openness
Start your week by sharing something you’re working to improve about your leadership. Be specific. Be honest. Watch how this opens the door for others.
Choose one significant decision you’re facing. Walk your team through your thinking process, including your uncertainties. Show them how you navigate complexity.
When something goes wrong (and something always does), gather your team. Share three things:
Have a “no agenda” conversation with each department head. Ask about their challenges. Listen more than you speak.
Reflect on the week’s interactions. Where did vulnerability strengthen relationships? Where might you need to adjust your approach?
Focus: Making Mission Matter
Begin every meeting this week with a two-minute story about real impact. Show how your city’s work changes lives.
Help each department create their own purpose statement that connects to the city’s mission. Make it practical. Make it real.
Gather your team. Draw actual lines showing how different departments’ work affects community outcomes. Make the invisible visible.
Change how you recognize good work. Move beyond metrics to meaning. Share specific examples of how work mattered to real people.
Survey your teams: Can they connect their daily tasks to community impact? Use the feedback to adjust your purpose messaging.
Focus: Making It Stick
Gather your leadership team. Review the changes you’ve implemented. What’s working? What isn’t? What needs to adjust?
Identify three new habits that have emerged. Discuss how to reinforce them. Plan how to spread them.
Remove one barrier to the cultural change you want to see. It might be a policy, a practice, or a pattern that no longer serves.
Share your vision of where this cultural journey leads. Be specific about what changes. Be clear about what matters.
Plan your next 30 days. What needs to continue? What needs to change? What needs to start?
Every day, ask yourself:
Every Friday, reflect:
Track these indicators:
Ready to take your cultural transformation to the next level? The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC), launching January 2025, provides the structure, support, and accountability you need to create lasting cultural change.
Join a community of municipal leaders committed to building stronger cultures and stronger cities. Get daily guidance, peer support, and expert coaching to help you implement these changes effectively.
Seth Winterhalter is President of HaltingWinter Municipal Solutions, dedicated to making stronger cities through stronger leaders. Through executive coaching, consulting, and the Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC), HaltingWinter helps city managers and municipal leaders transform their leadership impact and their organizational culture.
