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.
Your first 90 days of systematic transformation
“This isn’t going to be another bookshelf program, is it?”
Mark Davis, a veteran department head at the City of Millbrook, voiced what everyone was thinking during their leadership team meeting. After twenty years in municipal government, he’d seen enough leadership initiatives come and go to fill a library.
City Manager Tony Stark understood his skepticism. But he also knew this time was different.
“No, Mark,” he smiled. “This time we’re not buying books. We’re building engines.”
The leadership team gathered early, coffee cups in hand, uncertainty in the air. They’d all been through launches before. But something felt different this time.
Instead of starting with inspirational speeches, Tony pulled out a blueprint.
“This is our leadership development engine,” he explained. “And like any engine, it has specific parts that work together to create momentum. Today, we start building it. Together.”
The energy in the room shifted. This wasn’t another training. This was engineering excellence.
By Friday, subtle changes were already visible:
“I’ve never seen anything take hold this fast,” Mark admitted during their week-one review. “It’s like we’ve been thirsty for this without knowing it.”
The honeymoon ended on Tuesday of week two. A major community crisis hit, and old habits tried to resurface.
But something unexpected happened.
Instead of abandoning their development system for crisis management, the team used it to handle the challenge. The systematic approach they’d been practicing helped them:
“That’s when I knew this was different,” Tony would later say. “Crisis didn’t stop our development – it proved its value.”
By the end of the first month, patterns were emerging:
Sarah in Public Works wasn’t just solving problems – she was teaching her team a new approach to problem-solving.
John in Planning had stopped holding onto his best practices and started actively sharing them across departments.
Even Mark, the initial skeptic, was now leading daily development discussions with his team.
“It’s like watching a garden grow,” Tony observed. “We planted seeds of excellence, but they’re growing in ways we never expected.”
The second month brought a new phase: optimization.
The team had learned:
“We’re not just following a program,” Mark noted during their progress review. “We’re building our own success engine.”
By the ninety-day mark, the transformation was undeniable:
Visible Changes:
Invisible Changes:
Looking back, Tony identified key elements that made their launch successful:
They didn’t just start activities – they built systems:
They celebrated progress deliberately:
They turned obstacles into opportunities:
The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) provides the blueprint, tools, and support to launch your own leadership development engine. But remember – certain high-touch features like executive coaching sessions and on-site workshops are limited in availability and allocated by enrollment date.
Don’t let another quarter pass with good intentions but no implementation. Don’t watch more opportunities slip away while waiting for the perfect moment to start.
→ Schedule a Municipal Development Strategy Session
Learn how MLDC can help you:
→ Dive into the Details and Secure Your Spot
The municipalities that act now will secure priority access to all program features. The ones that wait will still be planning their launch next quarter.
Seth Winterhalter is the President of HaltingWinter Municipal Solutions and creator of the ABCs of Impactful Leadership framework. Through the Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC), he helps municipalities launch systematic excellence that transforms entire organizations.
