What Every City Manager wants in a Public Works Director
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Transcript of What Every City Manager wants in a Public Works Director
7/9/2014
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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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Extraordinary Public Works
Director
Highly Strategic
Technically Competent
Strong
Leader
7/9/2014
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Extraordinary Public Works
Director
Highly Strategic
Technically Competent
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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Extraordinary Public Works
Director
Highly Strategic
Technically Competent
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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HOW DOES POLITICS AFFECT YOU?
Citizens don’t understand logic and don’t want to
Public good vs. individual harm
HOW DOES POLITICS AFFECT YOU?
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
Extraordinary Public Works
Director
Highly Strategic
Technically Competent
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