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.
“It’s just part of the job.”
How many times have you heard this phrase – or said it yourself – when discussing the endless demands of municipal leadership? The late-night calls, the constant vigilance, the personal sacrifices… we’ve accepted these as inevitable costs of serving our communities.
But what if this deeply held belief isn’t just wrong – what if it’s actively undermining your ability to lead effectively?
When Brooks Williams arrived as city manager of Ferris, Texas, bets were literally being placed on how long he would last. The city had churned through 12 city managers in 10 years, and a local magazine had dubbed Ferris “the town where everyone hates each other.”
Today, Ferris is known for something entirely different: being too fast for its private sector partners to keep up.
In this week’s powerful episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, Brooks Williams shares his remarkable journey from banking executive to transformational city manager, offering a masterclass in how to create high-performing municipal organizations that break free from the “we’ve always done it this way” mindset.
“We’ve always done it this way.”
If you’re a city manager, you probably felt your blood pressure rise just reading those words. This simple phrase, whether spoken aloud or silently understood, might be the most expensive sentence in municipal government – costing us innovation, talent, and public trust every single day.
But what if breaking free from this cycle isn’t about implementing new policies or reorganizing departments? What if the key to transformation lies deeper – in the beliefs that drive our organizational behavior?
What does flying Coast Guard rescue missions have in common with running a city? According to Peter Troedsson, City Manager of Albany, Oregon, more than you might think.
In this week’s episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, Troedsson shares how his 30-year military career—including time as a helicopter pilot and commander—shaped his approach to municipal leadership. His insights come at a crucial time when cities face increasing complexity and pressure.
When a city faces its toughest challenges, conventional wisdom tells us to find the smartest solution. But what if the real key isn’t about finding one right answer, but understanding how different minds can work together to create better solutions?
In this week’s episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, we dive deep into the science of collaborative intelligence, exploring groundbreaking insights from Markova and McArthur’s “Collaborative Intelligence” and what it means for municipal leadership.
“If you’re so cautious and worried about losing your job, you’re probably not doing your job.”
These aren’t words you typically hear from a city manager. But Marc Mondell, City Manager of Tulare, California, isn’t your typical municipal leader. In this week’s episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, we dive into what happens when bold leadership meets strategic vision in municipal government.
What makes some city halls feel electric with possibility while others seem stuck in bureaucratic quicksand? How do some municipal organizations consistently drive innovation and excellence while others struggle to maintain the status quo? And most importantly – how can you transform your city’s culture from where it is to where it needs to be?
In this week’s episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, we’re diving deep into Daniel Coyle’s groundbreaking book, “The Culture Code,” and uncovering the invisible patterns that separate high-performing municipal organizations from the rest.
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.
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?
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.
