Introducing: The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) - Save 50% During Launch Phase

The Leader’s Lens

Every week, you’ll get insights and actionable steps to help you navigate personal growth and professional success.

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Over the past three days, we’ve explored the concepts of internal and external self-awareness from Tasha Eurich’s “Insight” and their application to municipal leadership. Today, we’re focusing on how these self-awareness skills contribute to work-life integration – a critical aspect of sustainable leadership that bridges the Awareness and Balance components of my ABCs of Impactful Leadership framework.


Over the past two days, we’ve explored Tasha Eurich’s “Insight” and delved into internal self-awareness. Today, we’re shifting our focus to external self-awareness – a critical skill for navigating the complex web of relationships in municipal leadership. This concept bridges the Awareness and Cultivation aspects of my ABCs of Impactful Leadership framework.


Yesterday, we introduced Tasha Eurich’s book “Insight” and its relevance to municipal leadership. Today, we’re diving deeper into her thoughts on internal self-awareness, a crucial component of the Awareness pillar in my ABCs of Impactful Leadership framework.

Understanding Internal Self-Awareness

Internal self-awareness involves clearly seeing your own values, passions, aspirations, fit with your environment, reactions, and impact on others. For city managers, this isn’t a maybe—it’s a critical skill for navigating complex political landscapes and making decisions that align with both personal and community values.


As city managers and municipal leaders, your ability to lead effectively hinges on the depth of your self-awareness. This week, we’re diving into Tasha Eurich’s groundbreaking book “Insight,” which offers valuable lessons that align with the A-Awareness aspects of my “ABCs of Impactful Leadership” framework.


As we conclude our journey through the ABC’s of Municipal Leadership, you’ve gained valuable insights into the challenges facing city managers and strategies to overcome them. But knowledge without action is like a map without a traveler – full of potential, yet unfulfilled. Today, we’re focusing on turning these insights into tangible improvements in your personal and professional life, and exploring how an executive coach can be your guide on this transformative journey.


As a city manager, you’re not just overseeing operations—you’re a master craftsman, carefully cultivating a workplace ecosystem that can elevate your municipality from functional to exceptional. Your role is to shape, nurture, and refine the culture within city hall, knowing that the environment you create internally will directly impact the quality of service your city provides externally.

Let’s explore three essential elements of this craft that can foster a municipal workplace defined by employee engagement and collaborative achievement: Captivating Communication, Dynamic Collaboration, and Enthusiastic Culture.


As a city manager, your unique role can often feel like walking a high-wire tightrope while attempting to fend off a three-headed snake; each head—elected officials, department heads, and citizens—demanding your attention and often pulling you in conflicting directions. In this precarious position, finding balance isn’t just a desire—it’s your anchor to sustainable leadership and personal sanity.

Mastering the art of balance is crucial, not only for your well-being but also for the long-term success of your city. Let’s dive into the three pillars of balance that can revolutionize your leadership approach: Avoiding Burnout, Setting Boundaries, and Work-Life Integration.


As a city manager, you’re at the helm of a complex organization, navigating the choppy waters of public opinion, political pressures, and community needs. Amid the daily challenges of municipal leadership, awareness isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a crucial skill that can make or break your effectiveness as a leader. Let’s dive into the three key areas of awareness that can transform your leadership: Self-Awareness, People-Awareness, and Language-Awareness.


As a city manager, you stand at the helm of a complex organization, navigating waters that can become treacherous in an instant. Your role is unique, demanding, and often misunderstood. You’re expected to be a visionary leader, a master of operations, a political diplomat, and a community champion – all rolled into one. But in the whirlwind of responsibilities, three critical challenges often emerge that can make or break your success and, by extension, the prosperity of your city.


As we conclude our journey through Greg McKeown’s book, Essentialism, it’s time to bring all the pieces together. Over the past week, we’ve explored powerful concepts that can transform your approach to leadership and management. Now, let’s focus on how to implement these ideas in your day-to-day work, creating lasting change for you, your team, and your city.

The Essentialist Journey: A Recap

Before we dive into implementation, let’s quickly revisit the key principles we’ve covered: