what every city manager wants in a public works director

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WHAT EVERY CITY MANAGERWANTS IN APUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR

“TO BE OUTSTANDING – GET COMFORTABLE

WITH BEING UNCOMFORTABLE.” – ALRIK

KOUDENBURG

Extraordinary Public Works

Director

Highly Strategic

Technically Competent

Strong

Leader

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Director

Highly Strategic


Strong

Leader

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Director

Highly Strategic


StrongLeader

LEADERSHIP IS TOUGH

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LEADERSHIP PERSPECTIVE

Leadership is NOT equivalent to managing well

Public works professionals have always been great managers – they need to be great leaders

Tendency towards technical solutions

Refocus on adaptive solutions

Embrace the role of community leader

LEADERS

Know their strengths and develop them

“I’ve never met an effective leader who wasn’t aware of his talents and working to sharpen them.” – Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Wesley Clark, in the New York Times Magazine

Source: Strengths Based Leadership; Rath and Conchie; Gallup Press, 2008

LEAD YOUR TEAM

Be willing to do what you are asking your team to do

Be available and helpful

Make the difficult decisions

Hold staff accountable

Develop talents on your team

Get out of the way

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REALITY-BASED LEADERSHIP

CY WAKEMAN

Suffering is optional

Joy or misery is a choice

People spend 2 hours per day in BMW mode

Happiness is based on amount of accountability you take for your circumstances

Don’t allow stepping down instead of stepping up – “What did you do to help?”

THE HAPPINESS ADVANTAGE

SHAWN ANCHOR

Research indicates that happiness precedes important outcomes and indicators of thriving

You choose whether you have a good day or a bad day or whether you view your day as successful or not

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LEADING TO ENGAGEMENT

Trust Engagement 1 in 2 vs. 1 in 12

Compassion Caring is noticed

Stability 9 x more engagement with confidence in

financial futureHope

69% vs. 1% engagement – feeling enthusiastic about the future

Source: Strengths Based Leadership; Rath and Conchie; Gallup Press, 2008

WHERE DO YOU START?

Allocate time to “get off the dance floor and onto the balcony” See your environment from different

perspectivesBuild relationships everywhereRelearn managerial habits

Stop solving everyone else’s problems Guide and coach – but don’t DO Practice empowering behavior Learn to tolerate some failure Ask “why?” as often as you can

TRAITS OF LEADERSHIP

Confidence

Approachable

Integrity

Decisive

Good listener

Removes barriersCharles Joyner, President –Survival Sciences, LLC

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CHARLES JOYNER

Focus on mission; Focus on people

Never make it personal; Never take it personally

If at any point you start thinking about you, then you are not being a great leader

When bad things happen in your career –ask “What role did I have in this and how do I get better?”

THE EXTRAORDINARY PUBLIC

WORKS LEADER

Strategic thinkerMedia savvyAt the policy table In touch with the communityPolitically astuteEmbraces change – “the new normal”Facilitator, not regulatorBuilds relationshipsTechnical skills are the beginning –

not the end

“LEADERSHIP IS NOT MAKING A LIST OF

WHAT SOMEONE ELSE SHOULD DO.” – SUE

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Director

Highly Strategic


Strong

Leader

POLITICS DEFINED

Poly = Many

Tics = Small Biting Insects

HOW DOES POLITICS AFFECT YOU?

Priorities shift constantly

Loyalties shift constantly

You are exposed to crazy people

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Citizens don’t understand logic and don’t want to

Public good vs. individual harm


You get lots of advice from “experts”

CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCES OF

YOUR ACTION OR INACTION

Will the customer go over your head ?

Will you get overruled anyway ?

How important is this issue in the big picture ?

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DON’T BURN YOUR BRIDGES

You don’t know what the future holds

Relationships and loyalties change over time

ALWAYS BE PROFESSIONAL

Elected officials have long memories

You never know who might be an elected official in the future

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!

Especially if you or your staff makes a mistake

Resist the urge to blame who is really at fault

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PICK YOUR BATTLES CAREFULLY

BE PLEASANT

STRATEGIC THINKING

Think about what you put in writing

You may read it in the newspaper tomorrow !

Think about what you are bringing up during election season

Think ahead

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SOCIAL MEDIA

ALWAYS BE ALERT AND PAYING

ATTENTION

Change is a constant

Be aware of relationships, loyalties, issues

Anticipate what will go wrong – get ahead of issues


Director

Highly Strategic


Strong

Leader

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WHAT IS A CITY MANAGER WORRIED

ABOUT?

Elected officials are well-perceived in the community

Employees believe they are treated fairly and trust their Leadership Team

Residents have trust, faith and hope in our performance as city leaders

High quality execution of projects and programs commensurate with resources

THE EXTRAORDINARY DIRECTOR

Handles the stuff they can handle –increasing their capacity with time

Anticipates train wrecks and provides timely warnings

Has a strong awareness of the things a city manager must worry about

Avoids delegating up

Is highly strategic – thinking and actions

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WORK-IN-PROGRESS DIRECTOR

Only looks at the view from their department

Encourages their problems to become the city manager’s problems

Is the focal point of media storm, political controversy, highly unhappy residents

Is surprised by train wrecks

HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE

Can the city manager delegate media relations to you?

How much time does the city manager spend on your personnel issues?

How often are citizens unhappy with your department and go around you to the city manager or the Mayor/Council?

Do other departments want to work with you or go around you?

HOW TO GET BETTER

Read and Learn Emotional Intelligence Strengths Based Leadership Reality Based LeadershipSome great YouTube videos

The Happiness Advantage Self-monitor your behavior and results Find good mentors

Especially those that will challenge and not just validate your behavior

THINK before you open your mouth

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EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Knowing your emotions

Managing your own emotions

Motivating yourself

Recognizing and understanding other people's emotions

Managing relationships, i.e., managing the emotions of others

Source: Daniel Goleman

“In my 1998 book Working with EmotionalIntelligence, I proposed that EI-based abilities more often than IQ-type abilities or technical skills are the discriminating competencies that predict who among a group of very smart people will lead most ably.” – Daniel Goleman

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

USE YOUR SENSES

Listen MUCH more than you talk

Watch what’s going on around you

Observe body language

Observe relationships

Use common sense

Think before you speak

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THINK BEFORE YOU TALK

Media Relations

Customer Service

When I open my mouth - how can I make the organization look good?

KNOW WHEN TO SHUT UP

If you are in a hole, stop digging

LOOK AT POLITICS DIFFERENTLY

It is the best system in the world

So what if it can be annoying?

Elected officials are also just trying to do their jobs to the best of their abilities

They have to respond to constituents

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DO YOU DRIVE THE BMW?

KNOW YOUR CITY MANAGER

Left brain or right brain?Personality type?What makes that person proud, angry,

annoyed, happy?Big picture thinker, operational expert?How do you fit?

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KNOW YOU

Left brain or right brain? Personality type?

Understand how best to relate Big picture thinker, operational expert? How do you fit? Ask…

Am I helping or making situations more difficult?

How can I fit better? How can I be more effective?

Be receptive to modifying your behavior to get better results

what every city manager wants in a public works director

Government & Nonprofit