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.
When was the last time you heard someone in your organization say, “Well, that’s just politics” or “You can’t fight city hall”? These aren’t just casual comments – they’re windows into the cultural beliefs that shape your municipal organization’s reality every day.
As we continue our exploration of “Change the Culture, Change the Game,” today we focus on perhaps the most crucial element of cultural transformation: the role of leadership in shaping and sustaining cultural beliefs. For city managers, this challenge is uniquely complex, requiring navigation between elected officials, department heads, employees, and the public.
Why investing in people is your smartest financial decision
“So let me get this straight,” Councilmember Thompson leaned forward, glasses perched on the edge of his nose. “You want to invest in leadership development during a budget crunch?”
City Manager Stephanie Murray had expected this question. After fifteen years in municipal management, she knew that development budgets were always the first target when money got tight.
But this time, she was ready.
“Actually,” she smiled, pulling out a single sheet of paper, “I want to show you why we can’t afford not to.”
Imagine sitting in your weekly department head meeting. Public Works is clashing with Planning over project timelines. Parks and Recreation feels overlooked in the budget process. And IT keeps mentioning how “nothing ever changes around here anyway.” Sound familiar?
As a city manager, you might be tempted to address these challenges through new policies, reorganized reporting structures, or enhanced communication protocols. But according to Connors and Smith’s “Change the Culture, Change the Game,” these surface-level solutions miss the deeper truth: organizational results flow from a pyramid of influence that begins with beliefs.
“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?
As a city manager, you’ve likely heard the phrase “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” But between the walls of city halls, where bureaucracy often reigns supreme and change moves at a glacial pace, transforming organizational culture can feel like trying to turn a battleship with a paddle.
This week, we’re diving deep into Roger Connors and Tom Smith’s groundbreaking work, “Change the Culture, Change the Game,” and exploring how its principles can revolutionize municipal leadership. While the private sector often dominates conversations about cultural transformation, the stakes are arguably even higher in public service, where cultural effectiveness directly impacts community wellbeing.
A journey from where you are to where you could be
It’s December 2024. You’re sitting in your office, looking back on another year of:
Now imagine it’s December 2025. You’re in that same office, but everything feels different. Your municipality has transformed. Excellence isn’t just a goal – it’s becoming your standard operating procedure.
Let me take you on that journey.
Hello, Impactful City Leaders!
Welcome to this week’s edition of “The Leader’s Lens!” The most innovative cities aren’t just hiring smart people – they’re mastering how different minds work together. This week, we’ve explored how understanding and leveraging collaborative intelligence can transform your municipality’s effectiveness.
This week, we’ve explored how collaborative intelligence can transform municipal leadership. But here’s the challenge: How do you take these powerful insights and turn them into tangible changes in your organization? Today, we’re getting tactical – providing you with a plethora of concrete tools and practical strategies to make collaborative intelligence work in your municipality.
How to transform pockets of excellence into systematic success
Sarah leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples in frustration. Through her office window, she could see the usual morning rush in City Hall’s parking lot. As Public Works Director, she’d built one of the most efficient, innovative departments in the region. Yet right now, that success felt more like a burden than an achievement.
“Another department wants to ‘pick your brain,’ Sarah?” her assistant asked, noticing her expression.
“Planning this time,” Sarah sighed. “They’re struggling with the same project management issues we solved two years ago.”
And therein lies the puzzle that keeps her up at night: Why, in an organization where everyone worked under the same roof, did each department seem to operate on its own island? Why did the same problems pop up across departments, each team struggling to find solutions that already existed down the hall?
This isn’t just Sarah’s story. It’s playing out in municipalities across the country.
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” This famous quote from Peter Drucker could be adapted for municipal government: “Infrastructure determines innovation.” You can have the smartest people, the best intentions, and a clear vision for collaboration, but if your systems and structures don’t support collective intelligence, transformation will remain elusive.
