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.
What happens when a high-achieving municipal leader hits the wall of complete exhaustion? For Charlie Bush, City Administrator of Sedro-Woolley, this crisis became a catalyst for transforming not just his health, but his entire approach to leadership.
In this week’s powerful episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, Charlie shares his remarkable journey from a driven young intern handling citizen complaints in Glendale, Arizona, to a seasoned leader who’s discovered the delicate balance between impactful service and personal well-being.
“With all due respect, City Manager…”
Those words echo through council chambers, and you know what’s coming next won’t feel very respectful at all. Your controversial recommendation about the new development project has just sparked a heated debate. In this moment, your response will either escalate the tension or create a path toward understanding.
And how to finally create a culture of lasting transformation
The Sad Reality: Another leadership training concludes. Participants leave energized, armed with new ideas and ambitious plans. Fast forward three months – nothing has changed. Sound familiar?
As a municipal leader, you’ve likely experienced this cycle: Training. Temporary excitement. Return to status quo. Not only is this pattern frustrating, it’s costing your municipality more than you realize.
You’re about to walk into a meeting with your public works director. Performance issues need to be addressed. Your heart rate increases slightly. You’ve rehearsed this conversation a dozen times in your head, but you know how defensive they can get. You take a deep breath and reach for the door handle.
Sound familiar?
Whether it’s a difficult performance conversation, a heated council debate, or a community forum on a controversial development project, your success as a city manager often hinges on these tension-filled moments.
Picture this: You’re sitting in a council meeting, tension crackling through the air. Department heads advocating for critical funding on one side. Council members pushing back hard on budget constraints on the other. And there you are, in the middle, knowing your next words could either bridge the gap or widen it.
Sound familiar?
Picture this: You’re sitting in a council meeting, tension crackling through the air. On one side, department heads argue for critical funding. On the other, council members push back on budget constraints. And there you are, in the middle, knowing your next words will either bridge the gap or widen it.
Sound familiar?
As a city manager, you don’t get to choose whether to have tough conversations. They’re built into the fabric of your role. What you can choose is how you handle them – and that choice makes all the difference between a thriving city organization and one stuck in endless conflict.
Hello, Impactful City Leaders!
Welcome to this week’s edition of “The Leader’s Lens!” In our journey to build stronger cities through stronger leaders, one truth stands out: the way we handle feedback shapes the cities we build. This week, we’ve explored “Thanks for the Feedback” by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen and discovered how mastering the art of feedback can transform your leadership impact and organizational culture.
Imagine leading your city with the ability to turn even the toughest criticism into fuel for growth, creating an environment where constructive conversations flourish, and building a feedback loop that drives continuous improvement. That’s the power of understanding that feedback isn’t just about receiving information – it’s about creating opportunities for collaboration and innovation.
Welcome to the final installment of our week-long journey through “Thanks for the Feedback” by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen. Today, we’re putting theory into practice by providing you with a comprehensive toolkit to construct a robust, collaborative feedback loop in your municipality. This loop will be the engine of continuous improvement, driving your city towards excellence in service and governance.
Welcome to day four of our deep dive into “Thanks for the Feedback” by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen. Today, we’re focusing on a game-changing skill for city managers: becoming a masterful receiver of feedback. This ability can turn even the most challenging criticism into valuable insights for your municipality.
Ever wonder how early life experiences shape effective leadership? In our latest episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, we explore how small-town values translate into big-city success.
Meet Austin Bleess, City Manager of Jersey Village, Texas, whose leadership journey began as an eight-year-old paperboy trudging through Minnesota’s sub-zero winters. Those early morning routes taught him persistence—a quality that would later help him secure over $30 million in grants for his community.
