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.
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.
Welcome back to our exploration of “Thanks for the Feedback” by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen. Today, we’re tackling a challenge that every municipal leader faces: managing the emotional responses that can derail productive feedback conversations. By mastering this skill, you’ll be able to transform potentially explosive situations into opportunities for collaboration and growth.
As we continue our journey through “Thanks for the Feedback” by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen, today we’re diving into one of the book’s most powerful insights: the three distinct types of feedback. Understanding these types is crucial for city managers looking to transform criticism into collaboration and fuel municipal success.
Are you ready to transform the way your city operates, innovates, and serves its citizens? The secret might be simpler than you think: it’s all about mastering the art of constructive conversations through skillful feedback.
In our latest HaltingWinter podcast episode, “Constructive Conversations: Building Stronger Cities Through Skillful Feedback,” we dive deep into how city managers and municipal leaders can harness the power of feedback to create more responsive, efficient, and collaborative local governments.
As city managers and municipal leaders, you’re no strangers to feedback. It comes at you from all directions – council members, department heads, citizens, and staff. But in the whirlwind of daily operations, how often do you step back and consider your relationship with feedback itself? This week, we’re diving into the groundbreaking book “Thanks for the Feedback” by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen, which offers a fresh perspective on transforming criticism into a powerful tool for collaboration and success.
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 words we choose shape the cities we build. This week, we’ve explored Frank Luntz’s “Words That Work” and discovered how mastering the art of communication can transform your leadership impact and community engagement.
Imagine leading your city with words that not only inform but inspire, messages that don’t just communicate but connect, and language that transforms resistance into support. That’s the power of understanding it’s not just what you say, but what people hear that matters.
