Municipal Leaders: Develop Faster, Lead Stronger, Build Better
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What do Amazon, Chick-fil-A, and your local public works department have in common?
Ideally—more than you think.
In this week’s episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, Christopher Gilbert, City Manager of Springfield Township, Ohio, offers a fresh, practical, and surprisingly vulnerable look at what it takes to lead a municipality where customer service isn’t just a department—it’s a culture.
Spoiler: it’s not about slogans or scripts.
It’s about how people feel—residents and employees alike—when they interact with your organization.
Chris doesn’t sugarcoat it: when most people walk into a city or township office, they’re not doing it for fun. They’re frustrated. Confused. Trying to navigate systems they don’t understand.
What they need in that moment isn’t efficiency alone—it’s empathy.
“If someone’s coming into our building, chances are it’s not their best day. We have an opportunity to make it better.”
That’s the lens Chris uses to lead. And it’s why he believes customer service isn’t a job title—it’s a culture.
One of the most powerful moments in the conversation is when Chris turns the mirror inward.
We can’t ask our front-line teams to show care, respect, and patience to the public… if they’re not experiencing those same things internally.
“We need to treat our employees with the same intentionality we expect them to offer our residents.”
That one insight alone should shape leadership strategies in city halls across the country.
Great external service starts with great internal culture.
Chris also reminds us that most of what public servants do will never be recognized. That can be hard. But it’s also what makes the work so meaningful.
He talks about embracing the “invisible victories” of local government:
This is the soul of public service. And it’s why culture matters so deeply.hilosophy rooted in humility, clarity, and long-term impact.
Subscribe to The HaltingWinter Podcast and share this episode so more people can hear these inspiring and insightful stories.
The HaltingWinter Podcast celebrates and elevates the people who power local government. Through in-depth conversations with leaders from cities, counties, and communities of all sizes, host Seth Winterhalter explores the journeys, challenges, and innovations happening in municipal leadership across America.
