Small Budget, Big ThinkingHow to Lead in Times of Expanding Challenges

and Declining Resources

Have You Ever Had…..• Too much money in your budget?• Employees that are 100% competent, happy and

eager to make your job easy?• Citizens that are always gushing with praise for

your performance?• Elected officials that want to give more money to

public works and less money to fire & police?• The perfect balance of sun, rain, cold and warm

weather?• All of this at once for a sustained period of time?

Of Course You Haven’t

• Public works is always challenging• Managing people is always challenging• Public sector work is always challenging

So What Has Really Changed?

• Just that you have been sucked into the vortex of depressed and pessimistic public servants

Now is a Time for Extraordinary Creativity and Opportunity

Change Your Thinking and Attitude

• Chance to demonstrate leadership• Chance to change things that have needed

changing for years• Chance to elevate the public works profession• Chance to develop new relationships and

networks• Chance to experiment• Chance to learn

"People in good moods are better at inductive reasoning and creative problem solving.“

--From Emotion, Disclosure, and Health, 1995 Salovey, Mayer, Goldman, Turvey, and Palfai

Motivation

• Is it easier or harder to motivate your team today than it was 2 years ago?

• Are you more or less motivated than you were 2 years ago?

What is Motivation?

• Really talking about “Engagement”• Engagement means…

– Coming to work energized – looking forward to the day

– Excited about the work being done – how is it meaningful?

– Would you do this work for free?– Is it a hobby or just a job?

Leading to Engagement• Trust

– Engagement 1 in 2 vs. 1 in 12• Compassion

– Caring is noticed• Stability

– 9 x more engagement w/confidence in financial future

• Hope– 69% vs. 1% engagement – feeling

enthusiastic about the future

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

TRUSTCOMPASSION

STABILITYHOPE

Building Trust

• Get to know one another as people• Socialize• Off-site retreat• Ethical behavior

Role of the Leader

• Admit mistakes• Live up to commitments• Invite relationships• Create opportunities • Risk losing in front of

group• Create an environment

that does not punish vulnerability

Compassion

• Empathetic behavior• Face to face

communication• Note cards• Must be authentic

Emotional Intelligence

• Knowing your emotions. • Managing your own emotions. • Motivating yourself. • Recognizing and understanding other

people's emotions. • Managing relationships, ie., managing the

emotions of others.

Source: Daniel Goleman

“In my 1998 book Working with Emotional Intelligence, 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

Stability

• Open, honest and frequent communication

• Visible efforts to improve stability– Finding grants– Teaming with adjacent

jurisdictions– Doing work for other

departments

Being unstable & crabby is all part of my mystique

Hope

• Define a visible future and boldly go there

Leading Change1. Why is this change important?2. Who is with me?3. Where are we going?4. Selling our future5. Empowering the team6. Creating short term wins7. Keep building momentum8. Anchor in the culture

There is no point where we say we are done!

Managers

• Bring order and predictability to complex, chaotic situations

• Focus on planning, budgeting, organizing, staffing, problem solving

• Focus on today, next week• Use appointed power

Source: William Sterling, P.E. Leader-Manager: Is There a Difference; APWA Reporter December 2005

Leaders

• Have a vision for a better future• Set direction for change through vision and

strategy and aligning people behind initiatives• Inspire people to follow• Transform vision into reality• Focus on long term view• Use influential power

Source: William Sterling, P.E. Leader-Manager: Is There a Difference; APWA Reporter December 2005

Leadership is NOT…• Equivalent to managing well• Forcing change through power mandates

Leadership is …• Risky, yet rewarding• Necessary for change• Action based on passion and inspiration

Leadership is Proactive

• Natural response is to be reactive• Think about what could be done, rather than

focus on what needs to be done• Organizational culture may stress responding

to near term needs• Spend more time initiating than responding• Develop the next generation of leaders

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

Leading Characteristics

• Continually learning• Service oriented• Radiating positive energy• Believing in other people• Leading balanced lives• Seeing life as an adventure• Creating synergy• Exercising for self-renewalSource: Steven Covey, Principle-

Centered Leadership

Team

An energetic group of people who are committed to achieving common objectives, who work well together and enjoy doing so and who produce high quality results.

Doufour (2008)

HAS ANYONE EVER MET THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE?

Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Healthy Team

• They trust one another• They engage in unfiltered conflict around

ideas• They commit to decisions and plans of actions• They hold one another accountable for

delivering against those plans• They focus on the achievement of collective

results

Left Brain ApproachPublic works industry tends to be dominated by

engineers and other linear thinking problem solversPublic works is always inundated with demands for

service which all appear on the surface to be emergencies

Public works never has enough resources to get the job done the way we want to do it! (and we never will!)

We tend to solve the immediate problem

Integrated ApproachSystem Thinking. Recognize everything is interrelated and find meaning,

purpose and connectedness. Simplify. Utilize powerful tools that are simple and easy to use.Exploring. Create a sustainable future through risk-taking, innovation, and

courageous leadership. Knowledge. Recognize and improve the public works profession’s

contribution and continued leadership on creating transformational change within their communities.

Teamwork. Create a foundation for success by embracing collaboration with other municipal departments, elected officials, citizens and other professionals.

Caring. Nurture relationships to foster change. Efficiency. Deliver services and provide infrastructure that promotes less

waste, less pollution and less consumption.

APWA Center for Sustainability

Opportunities Abound

• Chance to demonstrate leadership• Chance to change things that have needed

changing for years• Chance to elevate the public works profession• Chance to develop new relationships and

networks• Chance to experiment• Chance to learn

Low and No Cost Ideas

• Ethical behavior• Compassionate behavior• Read books on leadership• Brown bag lunch ‘n’ learn• Listen• Pizza or donuts• Engage your team in problem solving

Low and No Cost Ideas

• Get out in the community• Walk around your department and talk to

people• Buy a box of cards and some stickers• Give people achievable assignments that will

challenge them• Say “please” and “thank you”• Ask questions

Thoughts on Leadership• The ability to lead is closely related to

what inspires you• If you are inspired to change, leadership

comes naturally• Love your work• Find what inspires you and go there• Find out what inspires your team• Your enthusiasm will inspire others

The Role of Leadership

Do What you Love Every Day

Passion is a powerful motivator

References

• Leadership on the Line by Marty Linsky and Ronald A. Heifetz, Harvard Business School Press 2002

• Leading Change by John P. Kotter, Harvard Business School Press 2002

• Strengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie, Gallup Press 2008

• Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman 1995• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick

Lencioni 2002