Municipal Leaders: Develop Faster, Lead Stronger, Build Better
Every week, you’ll get insights and actionable steps to help you navigate personal growth and professional success.
In the world of municipal leadership, knowledge is crucial – but connection is transformative.
When we launched the Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC), we knew we wanted to create more than just another professional development program. We envisioned a community where city leaders could grow together, share experiences, and build lasting relationships.
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:
“I don’t have time for professional development.”
It’s a common refrain among city managers, and understandably so. Between council meetings, community crises, budget challenges, and departmental oversight, finding time for leadership development can feel impossible. But what if the path to transformative growth didn’t require hours of your already-packed schedule?
Picture yourself in your office at city hall on a typical Tuesday morning. Your inbox is overflowing with urgent requests, three department heads are waiting for critical decisions, and the mayor just texted about an emerging community crisis. Meanwhile, you’re trying to maintain focus on the long-term strategic initiatives that will shape your city’s future. Sound familiar?
This is the daily reality for city managers across the country – a complex dance of immediate demands and strategic vision, political navigation and organizational leadership, personal well-being and public service. But what if there was a framework specifically designed to help you not just survive these challenges, but transform them into opportunities for growth and impact?
As we approach the final days of 2024, I’m reminded of Stephen Covey’s profound insight about proactive leaders: “They pick up the phone while others are letting it ring. They act while others are being acted upon.”
This principle has never been more relevant for municipal leaders. In my conversations this week alone, I’ve heard two distinct perspectives:
“I need to wait until the new budget cycle to think about development.”
“I can’t afford another year of reactive leadership.”
One of these leaders will transform their municipality in 2025. The other will be having the same conversation next December.
The decorations are still up, the leftovers are still in the fridge, and that familiar post-Christmas contemplation sets in. As municipal leaders, this quiet moment between Christmas and New Year’s offers us a rare gift – the space to think beyond the urgent and consider the ultimate.
Stephen Covey challenges us to “begin with the end in mind.” But let’s be honest: When was the last time you had the clarity and space to truly envision your leadership legacy?
As I sit here on Christmas Eve, I’m reminded of a conversation I had last week with a city manager. “Seth,” he said, his voice tired, “I just want time to focus on what actually matters. Everything feels urgent, but I’m not sure it’s all important.”
His words echo Stephen Covey’s profound insight: “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” Yet for most municipal leaders, this feels like an impossible dream – especially during the holidays when personal and professional demands collide with even greater intensity.
Let’s be honest about leadership development. Most of us treat it like a crash diet – intense bursts of learning followed by long periods of nothing. We attend a conference, get fired up about new ideas, then return to the daily grind where those insights slowly fade away.
Sound familiar? You’re not alone. As someone who works with municipal leaders across the country, I see this pattern constantly. But here’s the truth: sustainable leadership growth isn’t about occasional sprints – it’s about building a reliable learning engine that runs consistently, even in the midst of chaos.
Being a municipal leader can feel like being on an island. You carry the weight of community decisions. You navigate complex political waters. You balance countless competing priorities. And too often, you do it all alone.
Here’s what nobody tells you in leadership training: the “lone wolf” approach to leadership isn’t just inefficient – it’s outdated. The most successful leaders I work with have discovered a powerful truth: real growth happens in community.
We all know the script: “Leaders are readers.” It’s written in every leadership book, preached at every conference, and probably pinned somewhere on your office wall. But let’s be honest – between council meetings, crisis management, and countless emails, when exactly are you supposed to find time to read? And even when you do, how do you turn those insights into real change?
As someone who coaches municipal leaders across the country, I see this struggle constantly. The intention is there, but the execution? That’s where things fall apart.
