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.
In 1962, a twenty-four-year-old named Phil Knight had no money, no team, and no business plan…just a conviction he couldn’t shake that he could build a better running shoe. Shoe Dog, his 2016 memoir, tells the story of what came next: a company that nearly collapsed more times than it succeeded, before becoming Nike.
It’s not a typical leadership book. There’s no framework, no five-step model. It’s an honest, often uncomfortable account of what it actually takes to build something that matters—the uncertainty, the financial terror, the team built on belief rather than résumés.
That honesty is exactly why it’s the next book in this summer’s MLDC series, Stories That Shape Leaders. This week, our members are working through five ideas pulled directly from Knight’s story…what it means to lead from a calling, how to build a team around shared belief, how to keep moving when the destination isn’t clear, the danger of growth without margin, and why public service is never just administration.
If you lead a city, a county, or a department, you already know what it feels like to operate without certainty. Knight’s story doesn’t give you easy answers. It gives you something more useful: an honest look at what it costs to keep going anyway.
Want the full breakdown translated specifically for local government leadership? Join us at HaltingWinter.com/MLDC.
The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) is a professional growth community exclusively for city/county managers, administrators, and local government leaders. Each week, we explore insights from transformative books and apply them specifically to the unique challenges of municipal leadership. Join Seth Winterhalter, Host of The HaltingWinter Podcast, and leaders from across North America to build stronger cities through stronger leaders. Learn more at HaltingWinter.com/MLDC.
