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Welcome to the third episode of our podcast series, “The Municipal Tightrope: Taming the Three-Headed Snake.” After exploring the challenges faced by city managers, we now turn our attention to the strategies and approaches that successful municipal leaders use to overcome these obstacles.
Over the past week, we’ve delved deep into Brené Brown’s “Dare to Lead,” exploring how its four key skills apply to the challenging world of city management. As we wrap up this series, let’s bring these threads together and envision what truly daring leadership can look like in our municipalities.
Let’s recap the four crucial skills we’ve explored:
We’ve journeyed through vulnerability, values, and trust in our exploration of Brené Brown’s “Dare to Lead.” Today, we tackle the final crucial skill: Learning to Rise. The ability to bounce back from setbacks is the crescendo that brings the entire symphony of leadership together…and as someone who’s tasted the dirt at the bottom of the valley, I’m rooting for your bouncebacks to be far higher than you can even imagine.
Brown describes ‘Learning to Rise’ as the ability to get back up after a fall, face hurt in a way that brings more wisdom, and reset faster after disappointments. For city managers, this skill is not just beneficial—it’s essential. In the unpredictable and often harsh world of municipal leadership, setbacks are not a possibility; they’re a certainty.
For a city manager, learning to rise might look like:
Welcome back to our podcast series, “The Municipal Tightrope: Taming the Three-Headed Snake.” In this second installment, we dive deeper into the challenges that make city management one of the most demanding jobs in public service.
Building on our introduction to city managers, this episode explores the obstacles and dilemmas that these municipal leaders face daily. Drawing from our extensive interviews with nearly 50 city managers across the United States, we uncover the real-world challenges of running a city.
In our journey through Brené Brown’s “Dare to Lead,” we’ve explored vulnerability and living into our values. Today, we tackle the third crucial skill: Braving Trust. From the lens of my experience as a leader and executive coach, I’ve observed trust functioning as the fulcrum upon which the entire balance of effective city management teeters.
Brown defines trust as “choosing to make something important to you vulnerable to the actions of someone else.” As a city manager, trust is the invisible thread that weaves together your team, your relationship with elected officials, and your connection with the community. It’s not just about being reliable; it’s about creating an environment where risks can be taken, difficult conversations can be had, and innovation can flourish.
For a city manager, braving trust might look like:
Are you a city manager, leader, or HR director feeling overwhelmed by the demands of municipal governance? You’re not alone. The unique challenges of public service can leave even the most dedicated leaders feeling drained and discouraged. But what if there was a way to reignite your passion, energize your team, and transform your city’s operations?
Let’s face it: burnout is the silent epidemic sweeping through city halls across the nation. You’re likely facing:
In our last post, we explored the power of vulnerability in city management. Today, we’re diving into the second skill Brené Brown highlights in “Dare to Lead”: Living into Our Values. In my own leadership journey and now as an executive coach working with city managers, I’ve seen firsthand how clearly defined and consistently applied values can transform leadership and organizational culture. Sadly, I’ve also seen how the values that hang from the wall alongside the mission statement are often mere words, never used to foster a thriving culture or drive desired results.
Brown defines values as “a way of being or believing that we hold most important.” In city management, your values are your north star, guiding decisions and actions even in the stormiest political waters. They’re not just words on a plaque in City Hall; they’re the principles you embody every day, in every interaction and decision.
For a city manager, living into your values might look like:
Welcome to the premiere episode of our new podcast series, “The Municipal Tightrope: Taming the Three-Headed Snake.” In this five-part journey, we’ll be exploring the complex and often overlooked world of city management.
In our inaugural episode, we introduce you to the dedicated professionals who keep our cities running smoothly: America’s city managers. Drawing from interviews with nearly 50 city managers across the United States, this episode offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of municipal leadership.
As city managers, you’re often expected to have all the answers, to be infallible decision-makers steering municipalities through calm and stormy seas alike. But what if I told you that the key to more effective leadership lies not in perfection but in vulnerability? This might sound counterintuitive, but it’s a core principle in Brené Brown’s groundbreaking book, “Dare to Lead.”
Brown defines vulnerability as “the emotion we experience during times of uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure.” She argues that far from being a weakness, vulnerability is our most accurate measure of courage. It’s about showing up and being seen, even when there are no guarantees.
In the context of city management, vulnerability might look like:
As we conclude our week-long journey through my top six Patrick Lencioni books for city managers, we arrive at perhaps the most provocatively titled: “Getting Naked.” While the title might raise eyebrows in city hall, the concept of vulnerable leadership it promotes could revolutionize how we approach public service and city management.
In “Getting Naked,” Lencioni advocates for a radical approach to client service based on transparency, vulnerability, and total commitment to the client. For city managers, our “clients” are our citizens, elected officials, and city employees. Let’s explore how Lencioni’s principles can transform our approach to public service.
Lencioni identifies three fears that prevent us from being vulnerable. Let’s examine each in the context of city management:
