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Every week, you’ll get insights and actionable steps to help you navigate personal growth and professional success.
As we continue our exploration of my top six Patrick Lencioni books, crafting their insights specifically for city managers, today we turn to “The Ideal Team Player.” While this book wasn’t written with government organizations in mind, its principles offer valuable guidance for building high-performing teams in city management.
Lencioni identifies three essential virtues that make someone an ideal team player: Humble, Hungry, and Smart. Let’s examine each through the lens of city management:
In city government, humility is crucial. It’s about putting the city’s needs above personal recognition.
City Management Context: Humble leaders in city government give credit to their teams and elected officials, admit mistakes while taking ownership of failures publicly, and are open to ideas from all levels of the organization and the community.
Action Step: In your next staff meeting, start by acknowledging a recent mistake and what you learned from it. Encourage your department heads to do the same.
Hunger in city management translates to a strong desire to serve and improve the community.
City Management Context: Hungry city employees go above and beyond their job descriptions, actively seek solutions to city challenges, and intentionally look for ways to enhance public services.
Action Step: Implement a system to recognize and reward employees who demonstrate initiative in improving city services or operations.
In Lencioni’s context, smart refers to emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills, which are vital in the politically charged environment of city government.
City Management Context: Smart city leaders navigate complex stakeholder relationships effectively, communicate clearly with diverse audiences, and manage conflicts constructively.
Action Step: Offer emotional intelligence training for your leadership team, focusing on scenarios specific to city government interactions.
In the public sector, where hiring processes can be rigid, focus on these virtues in your interviews:
Conduct a team assessment based on these three virtues:
As a city manager, model these virtues yourself:
By focusing on cultivating humble, hungry, and smart team players, you can create a city government that is more collaborative, innovative, and responsive to community needs. This approach can help break down silos between departments, foster a culture of continuous improvement, and enhance public trust in local government.
Remember, the goal isn’t perfection, but progress. Every step towards embodying these virtues is a step towards more effective city management and better service to your community.
As you reflect on these virtues, consider: Which of these does your team excel at? Where is there room for improvement? What’s one step you can take this week to foster these virtues in your organization?
Your role in cultivating these virtues is crucial. By consistently working to develop humble, hungry, and smart team players, you’re not just improving your team’s effectiveness – you’re laying the groundwork for a more dynamic, responsive, and successful city government.
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.