Introducing: The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) - Save 50% During Launch Phase
Every week, you’ll get insights and actionable steps to help you navigate personal growth and professional success.
Welcome to this week’s edition of “The Leader’s Lens!” This week at HaltingWinter Municipal Solutions, we explored Peter Drucker’s timeless wisdom from “The Effective Executive” through the unique lens of municipal leadership. If you enjoyed Monday’s public content, consider joining the Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) to access the complete five-part series, including four additional deep-dive articles and the full podcast exploration. MLDC members receive weekly insights from influential leadership books all year long, translated specifically for municipal context. [Learn More Here]
When you think of the typical career path to city administration, you probably don’t envision thirty years of Friday night football broadcasts, owning the local newspaper, and having family roots that stretch back to 1895. But for Monte Walker, City Administrator of Howe, Texas, this unique combination of experiences created a leadership perspective perfectly suited for guiding his hometown through transformative change.
It’s 7:30 AM. You’re already at your desk, coffee in hand, reviewing the stack of reports due for tomorrow’s council meeting. Your calendar shows back-to-back meetings until 5 PM, including a sensitive personnel issue, a budget review, and a community group presentation. Your phone buzzes – the public works director needs an urgent decision about equipment repairs. Welcome to another day as a city manager.
In this constant whirlwind of demands and decisions, one question becomes critical: Are you being effective?
Are you trapped in the productivity paradox? As municipal leaders, you might often pride yourself on being the first in, last out, and handling multiple crises simultaneously. But what if this dedication to productivity is actually holding you back from true leadership effectiveness?
In this week’s episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, Seth Winterhalter challenges our fundamental understanding of municipal leadership with insights from Peter Drucker’s “The Effective Executive.” Through a compelling story of a city manager caught in the productivity trap, we explore why doing things right isn’t the same as doing the right things.
Hello, Impactful City Leaders!
Welcome to this week’s edition of “The Leader’s Lens!” This week at HaltingWinter Municipal Solutions, we explored the transformative power of emotional intelligence in municipal leadership through Daniel Goleman’s groundbreaking book. The insights couldn’t be more timely as city leaders navigate increasingly complex stakeholder dynamics and organizational challenges.
What happens when you grow up in a family where public service runs deep? For Martha Bennett, City Manager of Lake Oswego, Oregon, watching her father’s career in city management wasn’t what initially drew her attention – in fact, she was so determined not to follow in her dad’s accounting footsteps that she almost missed her calling in municipal leadership altogether.
In this week’s episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, Martha shares her unique journey from a “city hall kid” to becoming one of Oregon’s most respected municipal leaders. Her story offers invaluable insights for anyone invested in the future of local government leadership.
Right now, something extraordinary is happening among municipal leaders across the country. City managers, department heads, and municipal leaders are gathering in a unique digital space, marking the beginning of a transformative journey together.
As you read this, the inaugural members of the Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) are:
As a city manager, you face moments every day where technical expertise alone isn’t enough. That contentious council meeting, the frustrated department head, the concerned community group – these situations demand a different kind of intelligence. One that determines whether you merely manage challenges or truly lead through them.
That’s why this week’s episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast is crucial for your leadership journey. We’re exploring Daniel Goleman’s groundbreaking work on “Emotional Intelligence,” specifically through the lens of municipal leadership where the stakes are high and the pressures are constant.
Imagine: It’s 7:30 PM at your latest council meeting. A routine agenda item has unexpectedly erupted into a heated debate. Council members are growing frustrated, citizens in attendance are getting restless, and your staff is looking to you for direction. In this moment, your technical expertise isn’t what matters most – it’s your emotional intelligence.
Hello, Impactful City Leaders!
I hope you enjoyed rest and rejuvenation over the past week with Christmas and New Year’s. There’s nothing better than the sight of smiles and sounds of laughter from my children – the best rejuvenation elixir and motivator as we launch into the new year. While I’ve been preparing for the exciting launch of the Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC), this week’s newsletter highlights some of our best content from 2024 that you might have missed.
