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, career paths are rarely straight lines. Some of the most impactful city managers never set out to lead cities at all—they simply said “yes” when opportunity knocked.
This week on The HaltingWinter Podcast, Seth Winterhalter sits down with Nichole Rutherford, City Manager of Coos Bay, Oregon, for a conversation that reveals how unexpected opportunities and the courage to embrace them can lead to extraordinary leadership journeys.
As a city manager, you stand at the helm of a complex organization, navigating the choppy waters of public opinion, political pressures, and community needs. When projects fall behind, when departments clash, or when resources run thin, where do you look for solutions?
If you’re like most municipal leaders, you’ve experienced the frustration of finger-pointing, the burden of siloed departments, and the challenge of creating lasting change in bureaucratic environments.
But what if there was another way?
It’s Wednesday morning, and you’ve just learned that a major infrastructure project is six months behind schedule and significantly over budget. Your council is demanding answers, residents are flooding social media with complaints, and your project team is pointing fingers in every direction. In this moment, you face a critical leadership balancing act – taking full ownership while simultaneously empowering your team to be part of the solution.
In our latest episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, we’re thrilled to bring you a conversation that captures the essence of visionary municipal leadership. Episode 152 features Danielle Dulin, City Manager of Manhattan, Kansas, whose journey from rural farm life to city management offers powerful insights for leaders at every level.
“There’s no shortage of content. There are so many different departments, so many things we’re doing that affect almost every aspect of residential life.” – Michael Paulhus, Town Manager, Plainville, CT
What do biology, the Peace Corps, wealth management, and TikTok have in common?
For most city managers, probably nothing. But for Michael Paulhus, Town Manager of Plainville, Connecticut, these diverse experiences have shaped an extraordinary approach to municipal leadership that’s putting his community on the map.
As city managers and municipal leaders, you face a unique set of challenges that private sector executives rarely encounter. You balance political pressures, public scrutiny, and community needs—all while trying to create organizations that serve effectively and sustainably.
That’s why I’m excited to announce the launch of our new podcast series exploring Simon Sinek’s “Leaders Eat Last” through the lens of municipal leadership. In this five-part journey, we’ll uncover how Sinek’s revolutionary insights can transform city government from the inside out.
It’s Monday morning, and you’re walking through city hall. In one department, employees are freely sharing innovative ideas for improving community services. In another, team members are collaboratively solving a complex infrastructure challenge. At the department head meeting, your leaders are openly discussing both successes and setbacks, knowing they can count on mutual support rather than criticism.
What does it take to lead a city of 120,000 residents with a budget of nearly $400 million and 1,100 employees? How do you balance the competing demands of elected officials, department heads, and citizens while maintaining your own sense of identity and purpose?
In episode 149 of the Halting Winter podcast, Seth Winterhalter sits down with Zach Walker, City Manager of Independence, Missouri to explore these questions and more. Their conversation reveals insights that resonate far beyond city management, touching on universal leadership challenges we all face.
This week on the HaltingWinter Podcast, we’re diving into a helpful approach to municipal leadership using the insights from “The Power of Full Engagement” by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz. If you’re a city manager or administrator feeling constantly drained despite what you believe is effective time management, this episode could transform your approach to leadership.
As a municipal leader, you intimately understand the weight of constant demands. From pre-dawn emergency calls to late-night council meetings, your schedule resembles a game of Tetris where the pieces never stop falling. Yet despite masterful calendar management and impeccable organization systems, you still find yourself depleted when your city needs you most.
Here’s why: You’ve been solving the wrong problem.
